skip to main content
We may earn money when you click our links.

Open the Hatch! How to Watch the Alien Movies in Order

Here’s how to watch the Alien movies in order, including Alien: Romulus when it comes out on August 16.

In what order should I watch the Alien movies?

Wake up sleepyheads . . . It’s time to come out of stasis and fight the big, scary aliens—and maybe even hatch a bouncing baby Chestburster. OMG, congratulations!

Okay, you don’t really have to battle those slimy, slobbery things—but you can watch ’em wreak havoc (and get blown the hell up!) if you have the right streaming service. (Sorry to say, though, that you might still be carrying Facehugger spawn.)

In this guide, we show you how to watch the Alien movies in chronological and release order. We also tell you where to watch Alien: Romulus, which hits theaters on Friday, August 16.

Why trust us? At age 9, Randy Harward begged his mom to take him to see An American Werewolf in London. She resisted but eventually relented.

Soon after that core cinematic experience, Randy discovered FANGORIA magazine and video stores. Several decades later, he supports himself and his raging horror habit by writing, reading, and talking about scary movies for CableTV.com.

p.s. If you’re super worried about that unwanted alien pregnancy, we know a vet that specializes in exotic pets. Hit us up.

How’s the Wi-Fi aboard the Nostromo?

It’s probably pretty good, since Alien takes place about 98 years from now—but this is the present. How’s the Wi-Fi at your place? If you feel like it could be better, enter your zip code below to explore internet service providers near you.

A close up shot of a Xenomorph alien hissing amid steam from a broken spaceship

A Xenomorph bares its fangs in Aliens (1986). (Video screenshot from Hulu)

What are the Alien movies?

“In space, no one can hear you scream.” In 1979, director Ridley Scott and writer Dan O’Bannon destroyed our psyches with the story of a doomed deep-space rescue mission where we met such cosmic nightmares as Facehuggers, Chestbursters, and Xenomorphs. We also encountered Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver in her first major film role), the warrant officer aboard the Nostromo—and the first cinema crush of a zillion sci-fi geeks.

An instant—and enduring—horror/sci-fi classic, Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) spawned four sequels, two prequels, and two Alien vs. Predator (AVP) crossover films.

A facehugger alien covers the face of a man lying on an exam table while a gloved hand points at one of the creature's arms.

“He said it hurts riiiiiight here.” Ash (Ian Holm) prepares to remove the facehugger alien from Kane (John Hurt) in Alien. (Video screenshot from Hulu)

Only the first sequel, Aliens (1986), is as good as the original. The middle films, Alien3 (1992), Alien Resurrection (1997), AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) range from garbage to so-so. But the prequels, Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017), somewhat rekindled the old magic—and Fede Álvarez’s upcoming Alien: Romulus sounds promising.

If you’re a sucker for gory, slimy, butt-kickin’ sci-fi action (even if it sometimes kinda sucks), here’s how to watch the Alien movies in order and judge them for yourself.

List of Alien movies in release order

How to watch the Alien movies in chronological order

If you want to watch every Alien movie in chronological (or timeline) order, this is the sequence:

  • AVP: Alien vs. Predator—2004
  • Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem—2004
  • Prometheus—2089 to 2093
  • Alien: Covenant—2104
  • Alien—2122
  • Alien: Romulus—unknown, but between 2122–2179
  • Aliens—2179
  • Alien3—2179
  • Alien Resurrection—2381

How to watch the Alien movies in release order

Use the automatically-updating JustWatch.com below to see where to stream, rent, or buy the Alien movies via on-demand streaming TV services or video-on-demand (VOD) retailers like Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+. Whether you do it in chronological or release order is up to you.

Note: You won’t see streaming options for Alien: Romulus—but you can purchase tickets online.

Where to watch Alien (1979)

A green-tinged Xenomorph alien

Forever the best Alien movie? Ridley Scott’s Alien is still scary 45 years after its release—even on subsequent viewings—and Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is among the best final girls of all time.

Where to watch Aliens (1986)

From behind the title Aliens, a blue-tinged Xenomorph alien bares its sharp teeth.

Lightning strikes twice with this James Cameron-helmed sequel, which sees Weaver’s Ripley awaken after 57 years—and returning to battle the Xenomorphs. This time, her team includes Michael Biehn (The Terminator, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon) and the dear, departed Bill Paxton (“Game over, man!”)—who kinda totally stole the show in Aliens.

Where to watch Alien3 (1992)

A green-tinted chestburster alien coiled below the title Alien3

Ripley just can’t catch a break—again. Immediately after the events of Aliens, it’s go time again. She crash-lands on a prison planet and must lead the inmates in the most important riot of their lives. Directed by David Fincher (SevenFight Club).

Where to watch Alien Resurrection (1997)

Amid black space and white stars, a green-tinted Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) peers out from behind the word Alien.

Ripley can’t even [REDACTED—’cause spoilers] to find some peace. Some 202 years after she [REDACTED—sorry, just lookin’ out for your movie experience], she’s [REDACTED—you’ll be thankin’ me later] and called upon to fight the Aliens again. (Have you figured out by now that the spoiler is in the title and not really a spoiler? You’re welcome.)

Where to watch Alien vs. Predator (2004)

Xenomorph and Predator aliens face off. The film's title appears on the top third of the image.

A meeting of extraterrestrial killing machines equals box-office smash—or not. While awesome on paper, the final product failed to impress critics and fans.

Where to watch Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

Xenomorph and Predator alien heads, face off with a planet in the background.

Screw it, let’s do it again! To be fair, we all kinda wanted to know more about the Xenomorph-Predator lovechild teased in the first AVP movie. Alas, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem fared worse than the last film, ostensibly laying to rest any plans for a third date.

Pro tip: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (Uncut) is eight minutes longer than the theatrical version, but it’s not on JustWatch. You can rent or buy the film on Amazon Prime Video.

Where to watch Prometheus (2012)

A humanoid Engineer's head with the title Prometheus covering the lower third of the image

An Alien prequel from Alien director Ridley Scott that defies expectations while providing some crowd-pleasing moments.

Where to watch Alien: Covenant (2017)

A Xenomorph alien crouches beneath the title Alien: Covenant

Another prequel from Scott, Covenant is set 11 years after Prometheus (and 18 years before the original Alien) and is more recognizable as an Alien movie.

Where to watch Alien: Romulus (coming August 16, 2024)

The Alien: Romulus movie poster shows an alien Facehugger wrapped around someone's head.

Perhaps taking a cue from the Saw series, director-writer Fede Álvarez and co-writer Rob Sayagues set Alien: Romulus between Alien and Aliens—while Ellen Ripley was sleeping off her first alien encounter. (Considering Ripley napped for 57 years, that leaves a lotta room for  more Alien movies—just sayin’.) Romulus follows a new crew on a new ship fighting the same old pants-crappingly scary enemies.

Obviously, you won’t be able to stream Alien: Romulus for a while—but you can purchase tickets online from Atom, Cinépolis, Regal, Harkins, and B&B theaters.

How to rent or buy the Alien movies digitally

If you can’t find the Alien movies on one of your streaming services, you can still rent or buy the films from the video-on-demand (VOD) retailers using the JustWatch links above.

Don't miss an update

Stay updated on the latest products and services anytime anywhere.