As Aliens Dark Descent hits PS Plus and Rogue Incursion eyes PSVR, here is the best way to watch all Alien movies in the series
Rip through all the movies in the Alien series in the right order.
Alien fans have been eating good this year. The iconic sci-fi horror series was rebooted to great effect with the critically acclaimed Alien: Romulus, which ended a run of disappointing sequels that arguably stretches back decades.
And with a new Alien TV series in the works, along with a sequel for Alien: Isolation, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about what the future holds for the revered franchise.
Before all that though the Alien revival continues, with 2024 being rounded off with the release of PSVR2 title Alien Rogue Incursion and Aliens: Dark Descent getting added to PS Plus. If all this Alien overload is making you feel like revisiting the films, then here's how to watch all the Alien movies in order.
How to watch the Alien movies in order
If you want to watch all the movies in the Alien series, there are two main ways you can watch them - either in chronological or release date order.
Chronological: If you were to watch all the Alien movies in chronological order, you would begin with the first Alien vs Predator spin-off film and finish with Alien: Resurrection. There are a few issues with this approach though which we'll move onto in a second.
Release date: Arguably the best way to watch the Alien series is in release date order, beginning with Ridley Scott's 1979 film that kickstarted the franchise and finishing with Alien: Romulus which was released in 2024.
Watching the Alien series in release date order will let you experience the franchise as it was intended, and get introduced to all the different bits of lore as they were added to the series. The problem with watching the franchise in chronological order is the Alien vs Predator spin-offs, as Prometheus makes clear these films are not canon to the series. Having said all that, if you would like to watch all the Alien movies chronologically we'll talk you through how to do it.
Alien movies in chronological order
There are nine movies in the Alien franchise, including the four original films starring iconic heroine Ellen Ripley, two spin-offs and the three modern Alien films.
While we recommend watching the Alien series in release date order, if you really want to watch it in chronological order here's how:
AVP: Alien vs Predator (2004)
AVP: Alien vs Predator is a spin-off film to both the Alien and Predator franchises. Directed by Paul WS Anderson, who made the first Mortal Kombat film and multiple live-action Resident Evil movies, it takes place on Earth during an expedition to Antarctica. In a pyramid buried under the ice, the expedition team gets caught up in an age old battle between Predators and Aliens. Every hundred years humans are sacrificed and turned into the Xenomorphs of the Alien films, so the Predators have the ultimate prey to hunt. The cast of AVP includes Lance Henriksen, who previously starred as Bishop in the classic movie Aliens. If you've never seen a Predator film don't worry, they aren't required viewing for the spin-offs or the wider Alien franchise in general.
Alien vs Predator: Requiem (2007)
Alien vs Predator: Requiem is the sequel to the first AVP film. It's set immediately after the events of the first spin-off, with a Predator hunting an Alien and Predator hybrid known as the Predalien in a small Colorado town. Directed by The Brothers Strause, who went on to make the sci-fi film Skyline and previously directed music videos for Linkin Park and other artists, it was the second and final spin-off to the Alien and Predator franchises. Set on Earth during the early 2000s, both AVP: Requiem and the original AVP were dismissed as canon by the next film on our list.
Prometheus (2012)
Prometheus is an Alien prequel made by Ridley Scott, the director of the original Alien film. Set in the year 2093, it follows the crew of the spaceship Prometheus, who are on an expedition investigating the origins of humanity. Their quest to learn more about the beginnings of mankind, however, unearths something much more terrifying, as their expedition begins to unravel thanks to the schemes of the sinister android David, played by Michael Fassbender. Released after the AVP films, Prometheus retcons the past Alien universe and dismisses the spin-offs by showing - spoiler alert - Xenomorphs didn't exist prior to the events of this prequel.
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Alien: Covenant is another prequel film directed by Ridley Scott. Set in 2104, the direct sequel to Prometheus follows the crew of a colonisation ship called the Covenant, who get diverted off course after their ship takes damage. After landing on a nearby planet, they not only find David - the sinister android from Prometheus - but also get hunted by a terrifying alien creature that's a precursor to the Xenomorph. Starring Michael Fassbender and Katherine Waterston, Alien: Covenant is the final Alien prequel that Ridley Scott made and reveals more about the origins of the Xenomorphs.
Alien (1979)
Alien is the classic sci-fi horror that kickstarted the terrifying franchise and launched the careers of Sigourney Weaver and Ridley Scott. Set in the year 2122, it follows the crew of the Nostromo spaceship, who inadvertently bring an alien onboard after investigating an extraterrestrial transmission. After the alien bursts through its human host in one of horror's most classic scenes, the Nostromo crew have to find a way to survive the terrifying alien which is picking them off one by one in space. The first Alien film made Ellen Ripley, played by Weaver, one of the most iconic heroines of all-time and made H.R Giger's nightmarish Alien design one of the most recognizable and feared movie monsters.
Alien: Romulus (2024)
Alien: Romulus is the newest film in the Alien franchise. Directed by Fede Alvarez, who made the first Evil Dead reboot and Don't Breathe, it's set in the year 2142. It introduces a new protagonist, Rain Carradine (played by Cailee Spaeny) who ends up on an abandoned space station with her family after escaping work on her former colony home. There, however, the group find themselves in a fight for survival after inadvertently unleashing dozens of facehuggers which causes a new Xenomorph to be born. Like the Predator reboot Prey, Alien: Romulus marks a modern high point and is arguably the best the series has been since the original films. Which brings us onto one of the most revered sequels of all time.
Aliens (1986)
Aliens is the sequel to the original Alien. Directed by James Cameron, it's set in the year 2179, decades after the events of the first film. The sole survivor of the Xenomorph attack on the Nostromo, Ellen Ripley has to go back to the planet where she first encountered alien eggs. Contact has been lost with the planet, which is now a space colony, and Ripley is sent out with a group of marines to investigate. Apart from one little girl who survived, they find the planet deserted and taken over by aliens. It's up to Ripley and the marines to fight back against the swarms of aliens, and escape from the colony with it's sole survivor. While the first Alien was a tense, terrifying horror film where one lone Xenomorph stalked the crew, Aliens is an action-packed thrill ride of a film where our heroes have to contend with and dispatch multiple aliens. One of the most iconic films of the '80s and one of the best sequels of all-time, it's also endlessly quotable.
Alien 3 (1992)
Alien 3 is the third film released in the Alien series, and continues the story of Ellen Ripley. Set directly after the events of Aliens, the ship Ripley was on at the end of that film suffers catastrophic damage after a facehugger hatches on board. She is launched in an escape pod which crash lands into a penal colony filled with violent prisoners. But Ripley isn't the only one who landed, with the facehugger there as well, who ends up growing into a Xenomorph that Ripley has to dispatch once again. While Aliens was a bombastic and thrilling action film, Alien 3 took a completely different approach - with its grim world and bleak plot. It's a divisive film, which was poorly received on release but has since garnered a devoted fanbase.
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Alien Resurrection is the fourth film released in the Alien series, and the final one starring Sigourney Weaver. It's set 200 years after the events of Alien 3, which - major spoiler alert - ended with Ellen Ripley sacrificing herself to kill an alien queen growing inside her. Centuries later, military scientists have cloned Ripley and are using her and abducted humans to create more Xenomorphs. When a group of mercenaries arrive at the station the Ripley clone is on to deliver more abducted humans, a Xenomorph attack breaks out. It's up to Ripley once again to stop the latest alien threat, and prevent the Xenomorphs from making it to Earth. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie, The City of Lost Children), it also stars Stranger Things and Heathers icon Winona Ryder.
Alien movies in release date order
If you want to experience the Alien series as it was intended, then here's how to watch all the Alien movies in release date order:
- Alien - (1979)
- Aliens - (1986)
- Alien 3 - (1992)
- Alien Resurrection - (1997)
- Alien vs Predator - (2004)
- Alien vs Predator: Requiem - (2007)
- Prometheus - (2012)
- Alien: Covenant - (2017)
- Alien: Romulus - (2024)
What's next for the Alien series?
Following on from the success of Alien: Romulus, a new Alien show is also launching next year. Alien: Earth is an upcoming show heading to Hulu in summer 2025. Exact details of the plot are thin on the ground, but the official teaser revealed it is set in 2120 - a few years before the events of the original Alien film. It also revealed a brief plot synopsis which reads: "When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat."
Besides this, the series which is being helmed by the creator of the Fargo TV series Noah Hawley will reportedly follow the infamous Weyland-Yutani Corporation, who are a sinister force throughout the Alien movies. The upcoming show stars Sydney Chandler (Sugar, Don't Worry Darling), Timothy Olyphant (Justified, Deadwood) and Essie Davis (The Babadook). You can watch the teaser for it below.
Elsewhere, it looks like a sequel to Alien: Romulus could also be on the horizon. While not confirmed just yet, it has been reported that a deal is in the works to bring Fede Alvarez onboard to make a sequel to the well received Alien reboot. An expected release date hasn't been announced yet.
As 2024 drew to a close it was also announced that the highly acclaimed survival horror game Alien: Isolation is getting a sequel. The follow-up to the terrifying game, which lets you play as Ellen Ripley's daughter Amanda as she is stalked by a Xenomorph in space, is currently in early development.
For more on the Alien franchise, find out about one of the surprising inspirations for Alien: Romulus and the advice Ridley Scott gave to Alien: Romulus director Fede Alvarez. We've also got an article too on how Alien: Earth could change the lore of the Alien universe once again by ignoring Prometheus.