IN ORDER · FILMS, SERIES AND GAMES
Alien in order
Every Alien film plus Alien: Earth and Alien: Isolation, in release order and in timeline order from Prometheus to Resurrection, with where to start.
Alien began in 1979 as a haunted-house film on a spaceship and turned into one of cinema's longest-running franchises. Along the way it was handed to James Cameron, David Fincher and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Ridley Scott returned decades later to tell the story of where the creature came from, which is why the films' release order and timeline order differ so much.
This guide covers the seven main Alien films, the series Alien: Earth and the game Alien: Isolation, which many fans consider the best Alien story since the original. The Alien vs. Predator crossovers are left out; they are explained in the questions below.
TRACK IT
Keep your place in Alien
Save the 6 main entries to a list now, no account needed. Create a free OmniTrackr account and they move into your library, where this page shows how far through you are and what comes next.
THE ORDERS
2 ways through Alien
The first order is the one we recommend for most people. Entries marked optional are side stories you can skip without missing the main story.
Release orderOur pick
The way the franchise grew, saving the prequels' answers until after the originals' mysteries.
- 1AlienMovie · 1979
- 2AliensMovie · 1986
- 3Alien³Movie · 1992
- 4Alien ResurrectionMovie · 1997Optional
- 5PrometheusMovie · 2012
- 6Alien: IsolationVideo game · 2014Optional
- 7Alien: CovenantMovie · 2017
- 8Alien: RomulusMovie · 2024
- 9Alien: EarthTV show · 2025Optional
Timeline order
From the 2090s of Prometheus to Resurrection two centuries after Ripley. Best once you have seen the originals.
- 1PrometheusMovie · 2012
- 2Alien: CovenantMovie · 2017
- 3Alien: EarthTV show · 2025Optional
- 4AlienMovie · 1979
- 5Alien: IsolationVideo game · 2014Optional
- 6Alien: RomulusMovie · 2024
- 7AliensMovie · 1986
- 8Alien³Movie · 1992
- 9Alien ResurrectionMovie · 1997Optional
EVERY ENTRY
All 9 entries, in our recommended order
What each one is, why it sits where it does, and where it falls in each order. Save any of them to a list, no account needed.
Movie · 1979 · Ridley Scott
Alien
Release order: #1 · Timeline order: #4
A cargo crew answers a distress signal and brings something back on board. Slow and still terrifying. Start here, whatever order you choose.
Movie · 1986 · James Cameron
Aliens
Release order: #2 · Timeline order: #7
Ripley returns with a squad of marines. James Cameron turns horror into action without losing the dread, and it is as loved as the original.
Movie · 1992 · David Fincher
Alien³
Release order: #3 · Timeline order: #8
Ripley crash-lands on a prison planet. David Fincher's troubled debut is bleak and divisive; the later Assembly Cut is often preferred.
Movie · 1997 · Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Alien ResurrectionOptional
Release order: #4 · Timeline order: #9
Two hundred years later, scientists bring Ripley back. Strange and grotesque, and the end of her story.
Movie · 2012 · Ridley Scott
Prometheus
Release order: #5 · Timeline order: #1
Explorers follow ancient star maps looking for humanity's makers. A prequel more interested in big questions than in the creature itself.
Video game · 2014
Alien: IsolationOptional
Release order: #6 · Timeline order: #5
Amanda Ripley, Ellen's daughter, is trapped on a failing space station with one creature that cannot be killed. Survival horror built entirely on the 1979 film.
Movie · 2017 · Ridley Scott
Alien: Covenant
Release order: #7 · Timeline order: #2
A colony ship lands on the wrong planet. It continues Prometheus and answers some of its questions.
Movie · 2024 · Fede Álvarez
Alien: Romulus
Release order: #8 · Timeline order: #6
Young colonists scavenge a derelict station between Alien and Aliens. A lean return to the original's horror, and a good second film for newcomers.
TV show · 2025
Alien: EarthOptional
Release order: #9 · Timeline order: #3
Noah Hawley's series brings the creature to Earth two years before the first film, alongside corporations racing to make humans immortal.
Where to start
Start with Alien, then Aliens. They are two of the best genre films ever made and need nothing else. After that, Alien: Romulus is the closest in spirit, and Prometheus and Covenant are for viewers who want the mythology.
Do not start with Prometheus, even though it comes first in the timeline. It assumes you know the creature and spends its mystery on questions the 1979 film made you ask.
If you only have one evening, watch Alien and stop. It is complete on its own, and its sequels are best seen as different directors answering the same nightmare in their own way: Cameron with action, Fincher with despair, Jeunet with grotesque comedy, Scott with philosophy and Álvarez with a return to pure survival horror.
Questions
Where does Alien: Romulus fit?
Between Alien and Aliens, about twenty years after the first film. You can watch it straight after Alien.
Are the Alien vs. Predator films canon?
They are crossovers with a separate continuity, and the later films ignore them. Watch them as a side trip if you are curious.
Do I need to play Alien: Isolation?
No, but it is set between Alien and Aliens and is the most faithful Alien story outside the first film.
Is Alien: Earth worth watching if I only like the films?
Yes, if you enjoy slower, stranger science fiction. It is set on Earth two years before Alien, adds new creatures alongside the familiar one, and is as interested in corporations and artificial people as in horror. It assumes you have seen at least the first film.
Which version of each film should I watch?
The theatrical cut of Alien, which Ridley Scott himself prefers, and the special edition of Aliens, which restores scenes about Ripley's daughter. For Alien 3, the Assembly Cut makes more sense than the theatrical release.
How we chose
Prepared by OmniTrackr and reviewed by the site owner before publishing. We listed the entries most people mean by "Alien", checked release years and story placement against public sources, and marked as optional the side stories that are not needed to follow the main story. The recommended order is editorial opinion: it is the order we would hand a friend starting from nothing.
Release years are for the first release in the original language. Running times, editions and availability vary by region. Links go to OmniTrackr title pages, not shops. Your progress is worked out from your own library each time you open the page; nothing about it is shared.
First published October 17, 2026. Checked October 17, 2026. Suggest a franchise or send a correction · Editorial standards · If you liked guides