The Definitive Alien Franchise Timeline: How To Watch All 8 Movies And The New TV Series In Chronological Order

The Alien franchise timeline has never been more complex, yet the latest 2024 additions finally help bridge the gap between the prequels and the original classic. With the release of the new television series Alien: Earth and the film Alien: Romulus, the official chronological order has been significantly updated, providing fans with a much clearer, though still centuries-spanning, narrative of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation’s obsession with the deadly Xenomorphs and the Engineers’ dark history. This guide, updated as of December 2025, presents the definitive canonical order for watching every major installment of the core saga.

Following the story in this sequence, which jumps back and forth from the original release dates, offers the richest understanding of the universe's lore, from the origins of the black goo and the Engineers to the terrifying fate of Ellen Ripley and her successors. The key is understanding that the prequels kick off the saga, a new TV series sets the stage on Earth, and the most recent film, Romulus, slots directly between the first two movies, making for a much tighter narrative arc than ever before.

The Definitive Canonical Alien Timeline (2093 AD – 2379 AD)

The core Alien saga focuses on the creation and spread of the Xenomorph, starting with the prequels that explore the Engineers and the origins of the bio-weapon, then moving through the terror experienced by Ellen Ripley and the subsequent attempts by the sinister Weyland-Yutani to weaponize the creature. The most recent additions, *Alien: Earth* and *Alien: Romulus*, are critical for connecting the dots.

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Here is the complete chronological order for the main films and the new TV series:

1. Prometheus (2012) – Set in 2093 AD

   The saga begins with the discovery of a star map that leads the scientific vessel Prometheus to LV-223. Dr. Elizabeth Shaw and David the android uncover the history of the Engineers, their bio-weapon "black goo," and the early, terrifying proto-Xenomorph known as the Deacon. This film establishes the foundation of the entire universe's lore.

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2. Alien: Covenant (2017) – Set in 2104 AD

   Eleven years after Prometheus, the colony ship Covenant follows a mysterious signal to a new planet. David, now alone, is revealed to have been conducting horrific experiments, perfecting the black goo and accelerating the evolution of the Xenomorph species, including the creation of the Neomorph and the final, iconic creature. This is the true genesis of the Xenomorph.

3. Alien: Earth (2024 TV Series) – Set in 2120 AD

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   FX’s first-ever Alien television series is set just two years before the events of the original film. It takes place on Earth and centers on the Prodigy Corporation, a rival to Weyland-Yutani, and the creation of the first hybrid Xenomorph on our home planet. This is a crucial interquel that details the Xenomorph’s arrival on Earth.

4. Alien (1979) – Set in 2122 AD

   The original masterpiece introduces Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley and the crew of the commercial towing spacecraft, the Nostromo. They land on the planetoid LV-426, responding to a mysterious signal, and encounter the derelict Engineer ship and the first Facehugger, leading to the birth of the iconic creature.

5. Alien: Romulus (2024) – Set in 2142 AD

   The newest film in the franchise is a direct interquel, taking place 20 years after the Nostromo incident and 37 years before Aliens. It follows a group of young scavengers who encounter a Xenomorph while exploring a derelict space station, confirming that the Weyland-Yutani Corporation has already recovered and begun experimenting with the dangerous specimens in the decades following the original film.

6. Aliens (1986) – Set in 2179 AD

   Ripley is rescued from hypersleep 57 years after the Nostromo incident. She returns to LV-426, now a colonized planet, with a squad of Colonial Marines to investigate a loss of contact, leading to the first encounter with a full-blown Xenomorph hive and the terrifying Alien Queen. This film solidifies the role of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation as the primary antagonist.

7. Alien 3 (1992) – Set in 2179 AD

   Ripley crash-lands on the prison planet Fiorina "Fury" 161. A Facehugger has stowed away, resulting in a new Xenomorph—a 'Dog Alien'—that hunts the inhabitants. This bleak installment concludes Ripley’s initial arc and features the ultimate sacrifice to prevent the creature from falling into Weyland-Yutani's hands.

8. Alien Resurrection (1997) – Set in 2379 AD

   Two hundred years after her death, Ripley is cloned by the United Systems Military (USM) on the starship Auriga, with the Alien Queen embryo inside her also cloned. The resulting human-Alien hybrid, the Newborn, and the new breed of Xenomorphs pose a threat to the galaxy, forcing Ripley 8 to take action.

The Importance of the New 2024 Interquels

The addition of both Alien: Earth and Alien: Romulus in 2024 is not just a marketing strategy; it’s a crucial narrative move to repair and expand the franchise's topical authority. Before these releases, the timeline was disjointed. There was a massive 18-year gap between Alien: Covenant (2104) and Alien (2122), and a 57-year gap between Alien (2122) and Aliens (2179).

Alien: Earth (2120) now explains how the Xenomorph threat became known on Earth, setting the stage for the corporate greed and military response seen in the later films. It details the early, dangerous research of rival companies.

Meanwhile, Alien: Romulus (2142) fills a critical void, showing that the Xenomorph was not a one-off incident on the Nostromo. Instead, it confirms that Weyland-Yutani was actively pursuing the bio-weapon on a space station, running experiments and creating the conditions for the massive outbreak seen in Aliens. This film acts as a crucial bridge, making Ripley's return in Aliens feel less like a random event and more like the inevitable result of corporate negligence and ambition.

The Canonical Debate: Should You Include AvP?

For many fans, the Alien franchise is inextricably linked to the Predator franchise, thanks to the two crossover films: Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). However, the inclusion of these films in the primary continuity is highly debated and largely considered non-canonical by director Ridley Scott and the core production teams.

The Expanded Universe Timeline (AvP Included)

If you choose to include the AvP films, they must be placed at the very beginning of the timeline, as they are set in the very recent past or near future relative to the main saga. This placement creates an "Expanded Universe" timeline:

• Alien vs. Predator (2004) – Set in 2004 AD

  This film establishes that the Predators have been visiting Earth for centuries and that Xenomorphs were used as a rite of passage, or "The Harvest," in a pyramid beneath the ice in Antarctica. This is the earliest known human-Xenomorph encounter.

• Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) – Set in 2007 AD

  A Predator ship crash-lands in Colorado, unleashing a Predalien (a Predator-Xenomorph hybrid) and a host of Xenomorphs on a small town. The film ends with a fragment of Predator technology being delivered to a Weyland-Yutani agent, an event that is often retroactively used to justify the corporation’s later knowledge of the creatures.

While the AvP films offer a fun crossover, they contradict the established lore of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, which clearly show the Xenomorph being engineered and perfected by David the android in the 22nd century. Therefore, for a purist, canonical viewing experience focused on the Engineers, David, and Ellen Ripley, the AvP films should be skipped. The main timeline begins with the Engineers and the discovery of the black goo, not ancient Predator hunting grounds. The choice ultimately depends on whether you value a complete, centuries-long narrative or a focused, high-horror canon.