Watch the Alien series in release order: Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), Alien Resurrection (1997), Prometheus (2012), Alien: Covenant (2017), Alien: Romulus (2024) and the series Alien: Earth (2025). In story order it is different: Prometheus and Covenant are prequels, the series takes place two years before the first film, and Romulus sits between Alien and Aliens. The Alien vs. Predator crossovers are covered in a separate section.
Below you will find US release dates, directors and runtimes, two viewing orders, a spoiler-free summary of each film and an answer to what is still in the works. The details were checked against the official pages of 20th Century Studios and against Wikipedia (Russian and English) as of October 17, 2026. Titles are given in English, and each section also gives the original title.
All Alien films and the series in release order
| Title | US release | Director | Runtime, min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alien | May 25, 1979 | Ridley Scott | 115 |
| Aliens | July 18, 1986 | James Cameron | 137 |
| Alien 3 | May 22, 1992 | David Fincher | 114 |
| Alien Resurrection | November 26, 1997 | Jean-Pierre Jeunet | 108 |
| Prometheus | June 8, 2012 | Ridley Scott | 123 |
| Alien: Covenant | May 19, 2017 | Ridley Scott | 121 |
| Alien: Romulus | August 16, 2024 | Fede Álvarez | 119 |
| Alien: Earth (series) | August 12, 2025 | Noah Hawley (creator) | 8 episodes of 45–64 |
Seven films of the main series were released by 20th Century Fox and 20th Century Studios, and the first four are tied together by the character Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). Prometheus, Covenant and Romulus follow other characters. Alien: Earth is the franchise’s first series, created by Noah Hawley.
Plot timeline: what comes after what
In story time the order is very different. The prequels come first: Prometheus begins about 30 years before Alien, and Covenant takes place 11 years after Prometheus. The series Alien: Earth is set on Earth two years before the first film. Romulus takes place between Alien and Aliens, and Alien Resurrection is set 200 years after Alien 3.
Prometheus
Expedition to planet LV-223, about 30 years before Alien
Alien: Covenant
11 years after Prometheus
Alien: Earth
Series, two years before Alien
Alien
The crew of the Nostromo and Ellen Ripley
Alien: Romulus
Between Alien and Aliens
Aliens
Ripley wakes up after 57 years of hypersleep
Alien 3
Right after Aliens
Alien Resurrection
200 years after Alien 3
Viewers discuss the series’ place in the timeline in different ways: Noah Hawley said Alien: Earth should be a standalone story. We place the series the way English Wikipedia lists it, two years before the first film.
What each film and series is about, spoiler-free
Alien (1979)
Original title: Alien. A commercial space tug, the Nostromo, changes course on its way back to Earth after picking up a signal from an abandoned alien ship on a barren planet. Director: Ridley Scott; Sigourney Weaver (Ellen Ripley), Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright and Harry Dean Stanton are in the cast. The Swiss artist H. R. Giger created the look of the alien. The film was added to the US National Film Registry.
Aliens (1986)
Original title: Aliens. Ripley wakes up after 57 years of hypersleep. A colony on the planetoid LV-426 has stopped answering calls, and she is persuaded to go there with a squad of Marines. Director: James Cameron, who also wrote the screenplay.
Alien 3 (1992)
Original title: Alien 3. The action begins right after Aliens: a rescue capsule crashes on the prison planet Fiorina 161. Director: David Fincher, who later disowned the film. The film has a director’s version (Assembly Cut), which English Wikipedia rates higher than the theatrical version.
Alien Resurrection (1997)
Original title: Alien Resurrection. Two hundred years after Alien 3, the military grows clones of Ripley aboard the military ship Auriga. Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet; the screenplay is by Joss Whedon. The cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman and Dan Hedaya.
Prometheus (2012)
Original title: Prometheus. Scientists Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway find a star map and, together with the android David, set off on the ship Prometheus toward a distant planet in search of humanity’s origins. Director: Ridley Scott; the cast includes Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Guy Pearce. The film grossed more than $400 million.
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Original title: Alien: Covenant. Eleven years after Prometheus, the colony ship Covenant, carrying thousands of colonists, heads for the planet Origae-6, but the crew picks up a mysterious signal and changes course. Director: Ridley Scott; the cast includes Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston and Billy Crudup. According to English Wikipedia, the film grossed $240 million on a budget of $97–111 million.
Alien: Romulus (2024)
Original title: Alien: Romulus. Five young colonists and a synthetic search an abandoned space station of the Weyland-Yutani corporation for cryo-pods to fly to another planet. Director: Fede Álvarez; the film was produced by Ridley Scott. The cast includes Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson and Archie Renaux. The film grossed about $350 million on a budget of $80 million.
Alien: Earth (2025)
Original title: Alien: Earth. The first series of the franchise, created by Noah Hawley. It premiered on August 12, 2025, on FX and FX on Hulu; outside the US the series streamed on Disney+. The action takes place on Earth two years before the first film. The leads are Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis and Timothy Olyphant.
Alien vs. Predator: a separate series
These two films bring together the Alien and Predator universes. English Wikipedia places them in a separate crossover series. The action takes place in the present day, so they are not included in the chronology of the main series.
| Film | US release | Director | Runtime, min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alien vs. Predator | August 13, 2004 | Paul W. S. Anderson | 100 |
| Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem | December 25, 2007 | Greg Strause and Colin Strause | 99 |
- Alien vs. Predator (2004). A Predator ship arrives on Earth and lures people to an ancient pyramid on Bouvet Island, off Antarctica. The cast includes Sanaa Lathan and Lance Henriksen.
- Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). The action takes place right after the first film, in the American town of Gunnison, Colorado.
What order to watch in
Newcomers are better off going in release order: that way you discover the world of Alien in the same order viewers first did, and Ridley Scott’s prequels and Romulus feel like a return to familiar events. Chronological order suits a rewatch.
| Release order | Chronological order |
|---|---|
| 1. Alien (1979) | 1. Prometheus (2012) |
| 2. Aliens (1986) | 2. Alien: Covenant (2017) |
| 3. Alien 3 (1992) | 3. Alien: Earth (2025) |
| 4. Alien Resurrection (1997) | 4. Alien (1979) |
| 5. Prometheus (2012) | 5. Alien: Romulus (2024) |
| 6. Alien: Covenant (2017) | 6. Aliens (1986) |
| 7. Alien: Romulus (2024) | 7. Alien 3 (1992) |
| 8. Alien: Earth (2025) | 8. Alien Resurrection (1997) |
If you like watching films in order, we have similar guides: the Star Wars viewing order, the Batman films and the Marvel movie chronology.
Sources and methodology
Analysis of public sourcesChecked 17 October 2026
- 20th Century Studios — Alien: Romulus (official page) 20thcenturystudios.com
- 20th Century Studios — Alien (official page) 20thcenturystudios.com
- Wikipedia — Alien (franchise) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia — Alien: Earth en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia (Russian) — Alien (film) ru.wikipedia.org
Frequently asked questions
What order should you watch Alien in?
In release order: Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), Alien Resurrection (1997), Prometheus (2012), Alien: Covenant (2017), Alien: Romulus (2024), then the series Alien: Earth. In story order, you start with Prometheus.
How many Alien films are there?
Seven films in the main series and two crossovers, Alien vs. Predator. The series Alien: Earth, with eight episodes in its first season, has also come out.
Do I need to watch the Alien vs. Predator films?
Not necessarily. These are crossovers that English Wikipedia places in a separate series: they take place in the present day and are not part of the main series’ chronology.
Where does Alien: Romulus fit in the chronology?
Between Alien and Aliens. You can watch it after the first two films or right after Alien.
When will a new film or a second season of Alien: Earth come out?
No date has been set. The studio has not officially announced new films or seasons with a release date (as of October 17, 2026).
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