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.
p.s. If you’re super worried about that unwanted alien pregnancy, we know a vet that specializes in exotic pets. Hit us up.
Pro tip: Watching every Alien movie in order will take 17 hours and 15 minutes.
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.
“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
- Alien Resurrection (1997)
- Alien vs. Predator (2004)
- Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
- Prometheus (2012)
- Alien: Covenant (2017)
- Alien: Romulus (2024)
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)
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)
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)
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 (Seven, Fight Club).
Where to watch Alien Resurrection (1997)
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)
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)
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)
An Alien prequel from Alien director Ridley Scott that defies expectations while providing some crowd-pleasing moments.
Where to watch Alien: Covenant (2017)
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)
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.
