IN ORDER · FILMS AND BOOKS
The Hunger Games in order
Suzanne Collins's five Hunger Games books and the five films, in publication order and in Panem's timeline, with which prequel to read when.
Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games as a trilogy about Katniss Everdeen and the televised fight to the death that keeps Panem's districts in line. Ten years later she went back in time, first to the youth of President Snow and then to the Games Haymitch Abernathy survived. So there are now two prequels, set decades apart, and a film series that follows the books closely.
The guide below covers all five books and all five released films. Our advice is to read or watch the trilogy first: both prequels are written for people who know how Katniss's story ends.
TRACK IT
Keep your place in The Hunger Games
Save the 10 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
3 ways through The Hunger Games
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.
Publication orderOur pick
The trilogy, then the prequels as they were written, each film after its book. Every reveal lands as intended.
- 1The Hunger GamesBook · 2008
- 2The Hunger GamesMovie · 2012
- 3Catching FireBook · 2009
- 4The Hunger Games: Catching FireMovie · 2013
- 5MockingjayBook · 2010
- 6The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1Movie · 2014
- 7The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2Movie · 2015
- 8The Ballad of Songbirds and SnakesBook · 2020
- 9The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & SnakesMovie · 2023
- 10Sunrise on the ReapingBook · 2025
Release order
Every book and film as it came out. The whole trilogy was in print before the first film arrived in 2012.
- 1The Hunger GamesBook · 2008
- 2Catching FireBook · 2009
- 3MockingjayBook · 2010
- 4The Hunger GamesMovie · 2012
- 5The Hunger Games: Catching FireMovie · 2013
- 6The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1Movie · 2014
- 7The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2Movie · 2015
- 8The Ballad of Songbirds and SnakesBook · 2020
- 9The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & SnakesMovie · 2023
- 10Sunrise on the ReapingBook · 2025
Panem's timeline
The tenth Games, the fiftieth, then the seventy-fourth onward. Best for a reread.
- 1The Ballad of Songbirds and SnakesBook · 2020
- 2The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & SnakesMovie · 2023
- 3Sunrise on the ReapingBook · 2025
- 4The Hunger GamesBook · 2008
- 5The Hunger GamesMovie · 2012
- 6Catching FireBook · 2009
- 7The Hunger Games: Catching FireMovie · 2013
- 8MockingjayBook · 2010
- 9The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1Movie · 2014
- 10The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2Movie · 2015
EVERY ENTRY
All 10 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.
Book · 2008 · Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games
Publication order: #1 · Release order: #1 · Panem's timeline: #4
Katniss volunteers in her sister's place. Told in the present tense from inside her head, which the films can only partly capture.
Movie · 2012 · Gary Ross
The Hunger Games
Publication order: #2 · Release order: #4 · Panem's timeline: #5
A faithful first adaptation, with Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss and shaky handheld camerawork in the arena.
Book · 2009 · Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire
Publication order: #3 · Release order: #2 · Panem's timeline: #6
A victory tour, a growing rebellion and a return to the arena nobody expected. Often called the best of the trilogy.
Movie · 2013 · Francis Lawrence
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Publication order: #4 · Release order: #5 · Panem's timeline: #7
Francis Lawrence takes over and directs the rest of the series. The strongest of the films.
Book · 2010 · Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay
Publication order: #5 · Release order: #3 · Panem's timeline: #8
Open war, and Katniss as a symbol she never asked to be. Darker and angrier than the first two.
Movie · 2014 · Francis Lawrence
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
Publication order: #6 · Release order: #6 · Panem's timeline: #9
The first half of the last book: propaganda, bunkers and the waiting before war.
Movie · 2015 · Francis Lawrence
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
Publication order: #7 · Release order: #7 · Panem's timeline: #10
The march on the Capitol and the end of Katniss's story.
Book · 2020 · Suzanne Collins
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Publication order: #8 · Release order: #8 · Panem's timeline: #1
Eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow mentors a District 12 tribute in the tenth Games, sixty-four years before Katniss. A villain's origin, told from inside.
Movie · 2023 · Francis Lawrence
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
Publication order: #9 · Release order: #9 · Panem's timeline: #2
A long, faithful adaptation of the prequel, with its songs performed on screen.
Book · 2025 · Suzanne Collins
Sunrise on the Reaping
Publication order: #10 · Release order: #10 · Panem's timeline: #3
Haymitch Abernathy's Games, the fiftieth, twenty-four years before Katniss. It reshapes how you see him in the trilogy, so read it after.
Where to start
Start with the first book or the first film. The books are quick reads written for teenagers and loved by adults; the films are faithful enough that either way works.
Read the prequels in the order they were published. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes explains Snow; Sunrise on the Reaping explains Haymitch, and its ending points straight at the trilogy.
If you are deciding between reading and watching, read Catching Fire and Mockingjay at least. The films are faithful, but the last book in particular is about what war does to Katniss's mind, and only the page can show it from the inside. The films, in turn, add scenes in the Capitol and with President Snow that Katniss never sees, which is a reason to watch them too.
Questions
Should I read the prequels first?
We would not. Both are written for readers who know the trilogy, and several of their best moments are echoes of it.
Is Sunrise on the Reaping being made into a film?
A film adaptation has been announced. We will add it to this guide once it is released.
Do the films leave much out?
Less than most adaptations. The biggest loss is Katniss's inner voice, which the first-person books are built around.
Which prequel should I read first?
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, because it came first and because Sunrise on the Reaping refers back to it. Sunrise is the better entry point if you care most about Haymitch, and it leads more directly into the first book.
Is The Hunger Games too dark for younger readers?
The books are published for teenagers and are widely read from around twelve, but they describe children killing each other and the effects of war. Mockingjay is the most violent and the most upsetting.
How we chose
Prepared by OmniTrackr and reviewed by the site owner before publishing. We listed the entries most people mean by "The Hunger Games", 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