The Definitive Order: How To Watch All 10 Planet Of The Apes Movies (Updated 2025)

Trying to navigate the complex timeline of the Planet of the Apes franchise can feel like crash-landing on a strange, new world. With two distinct timelines, ten feature films, and a 2024 blockbuster that jumped the story forward 300 years, knowing the correct viewing order is essential for understanding the epic saga of Caesar and the rise of ape civilization. This guide, updated for December 10, 2025, will break down every film by both release date and story chronology, ensuring you experience the full, tragic, and revolutionary scope of this iconic science fiction series.

The entire franchise is split into three main continuities: the Original Pentalogy (1968–1973), the standalone Tim Burton reboot (2001), and the Modern Quadrilogy (2011–2024). While the release order is straightforward, the chronological order offers a far more rewarding narrative experience, particularly for the modern films that detail the origins of the ape world.

The Easiest Way: Planet of the Apes Movies by Release Order

For the purist or the historian, watching the films in the order they were released is the simplest method. This approach allows you to appreciate the evolution of the franchise's special effects, storytelling, and cultural impact over more than five decades. The Original Pentalogy is a unique, closed-loop timeline, while the Modern Quadrilogy serves as a complete reboot, setting up a new future for the ape world.

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Here is the complete list of all 10 feature films in their theatrical release order:

• 1. Planet of the Apes (1968): The iconic original, starring Charlton Heston as astronaut George Taylor.
• 2. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970): A direct sequel featuring a subterranean cult of mutated humans.
• 3. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971): The timeline twists as Zira and Cornelius travel back to 1970s Earth.
• 4. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972): Introduces the original Caesar and the ape uprising.
• 5. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973): The final chapter of the original saga, showing a fragile post-war society.
• 6. Planet of the Apes (2001): Tim Burton's standalone remake, starring Mark Wahlberg. This film is generally considered outside the main two timelines.
• 7. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011): The beginning of the modern continuity, introducing Caesar (played by Andy Serkis).
• 8. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014): Follows Caesar’s colony ten years after the Simian Flu pandemic.
• 9. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017): Caesar’s final conflict against a ruthless human Colonel.
• 10. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024): The newest installment, set centuries after Caesar's reign.

The Recommended Order: The Modern Chronological Timeline

If you want the most coherent and emotionally powerful story, especially focusing on the critically acclaimed modern films, you should follow the chronological order of the reboot series. This timeline, which spans from the creation of the Simian Flu to the establishment of the ape kingdom, is the one most viewers are interested in today.

The Modern Quadrilogy (The Caesar Saga and Beyond)

This four-film arc is the definitive modern telling of how apes inherited the Earth. It follows the life of Caesar, the benevolent chimpanzee leader, from his childhood to his death, and explores the legacy he left behind.

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1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

• Setting: Present-day San Francisco.
• Plot: A scientist, Will Rodman (James Franco), develops a cure for Alzheimer's that inadvertently gives a young chimpanzee, Caesar (Andy Serkis), super-intelligence. This same drug mutates into the deadly ALZ-113 virus, or "Simian Flu," which is harmless to apes but catastrophic to humans. The film ends with Caesar leading a mass escape and the virus beginning to spread globally.
• Key Entities: Caesar, Will Rodman, Simian Flu, Koba.

2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

• Setting: Ten years after the Simian Flu pandemic.
• Plot: Human civilization has collapsed. Caesar leads a thriving ape colony in the Muir Woods. A fragile truce with a small group of human survivors in San Francisco is shattered by the ambitious and hateful ape Koba, leading to the first major ape-human war.
• Key Entities: Caesar, Koba, Malcolm (Jason Clarke), Blue Eyes.

3. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

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• Setting: Two years after Dawn.
• Plot: The apes are locked in a brutal war with a militaristic human faction led by the ruthless Colonel (Woody Harrelson). Caesar struggles with his own desire for revenge versus his mission to protect his species. The film ends with the apes finding a new home and Caesar's passing, solidifying his status as a Moses-like figure.
• Key Entities: Caesar, Colonel McCullough, Nova, Maurice.

4. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

• Setting: Approximately 300 years after War for the Planet of the Apes.
• Plot: Caesar's legacy has been distorted or forgotten. Ape clans have emerged, and humans have regressed into a feral state. The film follows a young chimpanzee named Noa, who teams up with a feral human woman named Mae, to challenge the tyrannical rule of Proximus Caesar, an ape leader who perverts Caesar's teachings to build his own empire. The movie, directed by Wes Ball, sets the foundation for a new trilogy.
• Key Entities: Noa, Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), Mae, Raka, Caesar's legacy.

The Original Pentalogy: A Separate, Classic Timeline

The original five films, often referred to as the Original Pentalogy, form a self-contained, cyclical timeline that is distinct from the modern reboot series. While the reboot films show the *cause* of the ape planet, the original series focuses on the *consequences* and a paradoxical time-travel loop.

If you choose to watch this saga chronologically based on the events within the story, the order is completely different from the release order. This is the Original Saga Chronological Order:

1. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

This film is the chronological starting point because it introduces the original Caesar (the son of Zira and Cornelius) to 1970s Earth, setting in motion the events that lead to the ape uprising. The time-traveling apes warn of the future, but their presence paradoxically *causes* the future they described.

2. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

Caesar, now an adult, witnesses the enslavement and mistreatment of apes after a plague wiped out all cats and dogs, forcing humans to use apes as pets and servants. He leads a violent revolution that overthrows human rule. This is the true genesis of the ape planet in this timeline.

3. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

Set a generation after the ape-human war, Caesar attempts to establish a peaceful co-existence between the two species, though tensions and threats from a mutated human faction and hardline gorillas remain high.

4. Planet of the Apes (1968)

This is where the story jumps forward in time. Astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston) crash-lands on a world ruled by intelligent apes, only to discover the shocking truth about the statue of liberty and the planet's identity.

5. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

A second astronaut, Brent, searches for Taylor and discovers a subterranean society of telepathic, bomb-worshipping mutated humans. The film concludes with the ultimate destruction of the entire planet.

Which Order is Best for a First-Time Viewer?

For a first-time viewer in 2025, the best experience is to focus on the modern, coherent timeline before diving into the classics. The modern films are technologically stunning and tell a complete, emotionally resonant story of Caesar's journey, which is the cornerstone of the franchise's modern relevance.

Recommended First-Time Viewing Order:

1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011): The true origin story and the most important film for context.
2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014): The foundation of ape society and the first major conflict.
3. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017): The epic conclusion of Caesar’s story.
4. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024): The new era, exploring Caesar's legacy 300 years later.

Once you’ve completed the modern quadrilogy, you can then jump to the 1968 original classic, Planet of the Apes, and decide if you want to explore the full, paradoxical Original Pentalogy.

Key Characters and Entities to Know

Understanding these core entities will significantly enhance your viewing experience and topical authority:

• Caesar (Modern): The main protagonist of the reboot trilogy, a highly intelligent chimpanzee raised by humans. His journey from a captive to a revolutionary leader, masterfully portrayed via motion capture by Andy Serkis, is the heart of the modern saga.
• Simian Flu (ALZ-113): The genetically engineered virus that grants apes intelligence while simultaneously devastating the human population, leading to the collapse of civilization.
• Koba: A scarred bonobo who serves as Caesar's lieutenant but develops a deep hatred for humanity, eventually becoming the primary antagonist in *Dawn*.
• Proximus Caesar: The tyrannical ape leader in *Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes* (2024) who misinterprets and exploits the original Caesar's teachings to enslave other clans and amass power.
• George Taylor: The astronaut protagonist of the 1968 original, played by Charlton Heston, whose discovery of the Statue of Liberty is one of cinema's most famous twist endings.
• Zira & Cornelius: Sympathetic ape scientists from the original films who travel through time to 1970s Earth, inadvertently triggering the events of *Conquest*.
• Dr. Zaius: The orangutan Minister of Science and Chief Defender of the Faith in the original film, who desperately tries to suppress the truth about the planet's history.

By following the modern chronological order, you get a clean, powerful narrative arc. The Planet of the Apes franchise is one of the most enduring sci-fi sagas, exploring profound themes of power, prejudice, and the nature of civilization. Start with Rise, and witness the dawn of a new world.