The Alien movies in chronological order represent a long and complicated timeline that has continued to captivate audiences for over 40 years. The sci-fi horror franchise Alien has a unique aesthetic, inspired by the works of artist H.R. Giger and the early eras of science fiction. Ridley Scott was the first director to set the tone and style for the series, and he helped bring O’Bannon and Shusett’s vision to life to launch a global franchise, spawning multiple films, books, games, and merchandise. The тιтular “alien” of the series, known as the Xenomorph, has since become a sci-fi horror icon.

The first sequel, Aliens, became a sci-fi action-packed movie by James Cameron, and that trend continued through Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection. After battling their interstellar rivals in two Alien vs. Predator films, the franchise explored the Xenomorph’s origins in the divisive film Prometheus, with Ridley Scott returning. Alien: Covenant returned the series to its roots in a film similar to the first Alien, but it was met with little fanfare. The legacy continues with 2024’s Alien: Romulus, further complicating the timeline.

Alien Movies In Release Order

From Alien To Alien: Covenant

The release order for the Alien movies is broken into three quadrants that are relatively easy to follow. The first four films, Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien: Resurrection follow a straight-line narrative that centers on Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) within the world of the Xenomorphs. The following two entries in the series are the Alien vs. Predator films, AVP and AVP: Requiem, which break away from the story of the first Alien movie, taking place in the present day, many decades before Ripley. They also directly crossover with the Predator franchise.

The last section of the Alien movies in release order is the two prequel films, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, which explore the origins of the Xenomorph. However, the franchise expanded with the most recent movie, Alien: Romulus, which arrived in the summer of 2024 and returned to the timeline of the original series rather than served as a continuation of Covenant‘s prequel arc.

Alien Movies In Chronological Order

From The Dawn Of Time To The Far Future

AVP: Alien Vs. Predator (2004)

AVP: Alien vs. Predator was the first movie in the Alien franchise that is set in the present day. The movie takes place in 2004 as it follows a group of scientists and explorers who are investigating an unusual heat signature in Antarctica. While looking into it, they discover a temple and find themselves in the middle of a long ceremony of new Predator warriors using Xenomorphs as hunting targets.

While it is fun seeing the Xenomorphs face off with another iconic movie monster, Alien vs. Predator has largely been wiped from the official canon of the Alien movies. Though it features some interesting connections, such as Aliens actor Lance Henricksen appearing as the head of the Weyland Corporation, Prometheus later suggests that the Xenomorphs didn’t exist until long after the events of this film, which suggests they have been around for a long time. Still, when watching the Alien movies in order, this is a good place to start.

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

Alien vs Predator: Requiem is a direct sequel to Alien vs. Predator. In fact, it takes place immediately after the first movie ends, still set in 2004. When the Predators unwillingly allow a Predator/Xenomorph hybrid aboard their ship, it causes them to crash in a small town in America. As the two species continue to battle, the townspeople are often caught in the crossfire.

While the movie delivered the R rating that fans wanted from the first movie, it was still met with muted box office results and worse critical reception. As a result, the Alien vs. Predator movies ended and the timeline was largely ignored. However, there are some interesting connections made, including the idea that the Predator technology helped advance the Yutani Corporation from the Alien franchise.

Prometheus (2012)

While some fans may want to include the Alien vs. Predator movies as part of the canon, it could be said that the Alien timeline truly begins with Prometheus. The movie starts in the year 2089 with archaeologists discovering an ancient map, which is thought to be an invitation from the creators of humanity to come and find them. This leads an expedition to a distant and barren moon, LV-223, which they arrive at in the year 2093.

The movie explores the species known as the Engineers who are suspected to be the creators of humanity. However, it is also shown that they are interested in creating new species as well. While a traditional Xenomorph doesn’t appear in the movie, the film ends with an alien creature emerging from an Engineer’s chest which resembles the classic monster.

Alien: Covenant (2017)

Alien: Covenant continued Ridley Scott’s prequel exploration of the Alien universe without directly tying to the original movie. The movie takes place 11 years after the events of Prometheus in the year 2104. It follows a colonizer ship that is damaged during its flight and crash lands on a seemingly habitable planet. There, they encounter David, Michael Fᴀssbender’s android from Prometheus, who is continuing his mission of breeding the alien species.

Similar to the alien that appeared at the end of Prometheus, Alien: Covenant features a variety of monsters that are close relatives of the classic Xenomorphs rather than directly recreating them. However, the movie ends with David leaving the planet along with two facehugger embryos suggesting that this is the beginning of the birth of the Xenomorphs. While there were reportedly plans to continue the prequel series, those ideas were abandoned following the lukewarm reception to Alien: Covenant.

Alien (1979)

The original Alien takes place in 2122, roughly two decades after the events of Alien: Covenant. This is the first introduction of Ellen Ripley in the franchise as well as her first appearance in the timeline. Ripley is part of a commercial space vessel called Nostromo that is traveling through space when the crew is awoken by the ship’s computer having detected a distress signal. The signal draws the crew to a barren planet where they encounter the facehugger eggs and unwittingly allow an alien creature on board their ship.

The movie gives the best glimpse at the full cycle of the Xenomorph with it beginning as the egg, which releases the facehugger onto its victim. The baby Xenomorph then grows inside its host’s body until it is ready to bust out through the chest. It then rapidly grows into the killer adult Xenomorph. The movie ends with Ripley as the sole human survivor, escaping the Nostromo in an escape pod and entering stasis.

Alien: Romulus (2024)

Alien: Romulus returns to the timeline of the original series of movies, but serves as a prequel to most of the Alien movies. The latest takes place between the events of Alien and Aliens, 20 years after the events of the original movie. The film follows a young group of colonists who locate a broken-down space station in which they encounter the ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Xenomorph and have to fight for survival.

Despite its placement, this is the first Alien movie of the main timeline not to feature the character of Ellen Ripley. Instead, Alien: Romulus features a new young cast of characters with the likes of Cailee Spaeny, David Josson, and Isabela Merced. However, it does connect to the original movie in some interesting ways, including the return of Ash (Ian Holm). The movie is directed by modern horror master Fede Álvarez with Ridley Scott producing.

Aliens (1986)

James Cameron took the helm of the Alien franchise for the first sequel, Aliens, which was a much more action-heavy story compared to the quiet thriller approach of Ridley Scott’s Alien. The movie takes place nearly 60 years after the events of Alien in the year 2179. The story begins with Ripley’s pod being located and her being awoken from stasis. She then learns that there has been a colony set up on the same moon where she and the Nostromo crew encountered the facehuggers.

With communication to the colony suddenly stopping, Ripley joins a group of marines going to the barren moon to investigate. Ripley also meets fellow heroes, Hicks, Bishop, and young Newt. Aliens further explores the evil schemes of the Weyland-Yuntani Corporation who are seeking to use the Xenomorphs for nefarious purposes. It is also the first encounter with a Xenomorph Queen in the franchise.

Alien 3 (1992)

Though Alien 3 came out several years after Aliens, the story picked up in the same year, 2179. This is explained as the escape ship Ripley, Newt and Hicks were in at the end of Aliens is revealed to have had a facehugger inside. The ship crashes on a prison planet with Ripley as the only survivor. As she forms an uneasy bond with the prisoners of the planet, the stowaway facehugger latches onto a dog and begins its terrifying cycle.

Alien 3 showed that Weyland-Yutani was still trying to get their hands on a Xenomorph, and Ripley ends up being key to that. It is revealed that she was infected by a facehugger as well and that she has a chestburster growing inside of her. At the end of the movie, Ripley decides to kill herself and the alien to avoid it falling into the wrong hands. This serves as the final appearance of the original Ellen Ripley in the timeline.

Alien: Resurrection (1997)

The final movie in the Alien timeline to date is Alien: Resurrection. The movie jumps ahead more than 200 years following the previous film with it set in the year 2381. Sigourney Weaver returned to the franchise for the fourth time. However, while her original character of Ripley is confirmed to have died in Alien 3, she appears in Alien: Resurrection as a clone of Ripley. It is revealed that Ripley’s blood and the blood of a Xenomorph Queen were used to recreate a clone of Ripley that still had a Xenomorph embryo inside.

After they were able to extract the embryo from the Ripley clone, Xenomorphs were then bred aboard a space vessel until they inevitably broke loose and began their rampage. The movie is also notable for including a human/Xenomorph hybrid. The movie ends with Ripley and the other survivors crashing onto Earth. However, the promise of this leading to an army of Xenomorphs on Earth has not yet come to fruition.

What’s The Best Way To Watch The Alien Movies In Order?

The Release Order Offers The True Look At The Overall Alien Story

Given that the Alien franchise spans thousands of years in this future setting, it is a lot of fun to see the mythology play out in chronological order. This is certainly true of fans of the franchise who have watched all of the movies already and want to find a new way to rewatch them and enjoy them differently. However, the best way to watch the Alien movies, especially for first-time viewers, is by following the release order.

The release order is generally the best version to watch to get a sense of the filmmakers’ intentions. They are aware of what the audience already knows from the previously released movies and thus shape their story accordingly. The slow-burn reveal in Alien would have been less impactful had the audience seen Prometheus first. Conversely, Prometheus is less interesting without having seen Alien first. Alien: Romulus is another great example of this as it takes place before Aliens and all of the sequels after that, but it pays homage to them in fun ways.

Watching the Alien movies in release order is also important to see the arc of Ellen Ripley. The franchise would never have been what it is today had it not been for this character that Sigourney Weaver made into an icon. Seeing Ripley through the first four movies helps the audience grow that attachment to her and makes the franchise more engaging. It was something that was missing in the prequels and interrupting her arc to watch Alien: Romulus because it came out before Aliens ignores her importance.

The Future Of The Alien Franchise

A Sequel And Possible Crossover Are On The Horizon

Alien: Romulus has given a surge to the popular sci-fi horror franchise, ensuring that it will continue on with a new installment without such a long delay this time around. A sequel to Alien: Romulus is already in the works with director Fede Alvarez returning. While Alien: Romulus paid homage to other movies in the franchise and leaned into the established expectations of these movies, Alvarez hinted at a bolder take on the Alien: Romulus sequel:

Rodo [Sayagues, co-writer] and I are working on that right now. We’re excited about where it can go. We’ve almost checked all of the boxes of things that I want to see [in Romulus], and brought back a lot of the things I hadn’t seen in a while. Wherever we go now, we can go into uncharted waters. I think it’ll be so exciting to go with characters you know from this movie, to a place in the Alien franchise that we’ve never been before, and to discover things that you’ve never seen before.

While it was expected that stars Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson would be reprising their roles as Rain and Andy respectively, Alvarez suggests the next Alien movie will only be a direct sequel to Alien: Romulus if the story fits, meaning that the new movie could take place elsewhere in the Alien timeline. Along with the sequel, Alvarez has also suggested that he is open to expanding the franchise in an exciting crossover. Alvarez expressed interest in teaming with Prey director Dan Trachtenberg for a new Alien vs Predator movie:

Maybe it’s something I have to co-direct with my buddy Dan. Maybe we should do like Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez did with Dusk Till Dawn. I’ll direct a half, and he’ll direct another half. It depends on how well this (Romulus) does, if people want to see that.

It is unclear how serious Alvarez is about the idea, but it is undoubtedly an exciting one. The Alien vs. Predator movies were seen as disappointments by fans of both genres, never taking advantage of the premise’s potential. However, with two directors who are already entrenched in these franchises and have delivered great movies, it could result in a truly fitting showdown between these iconic movie monsters.