Every Alien movie, in order and ranked

The Alien series has been running since 1979, and after a long quiet stretch it is busy again, with Alien: Romulus in 2024 and the Alien: Earth series in 2025. That makes the obvious questions worth answering cleanly: how many films are there, what order do you watch them in, and which ones are actually worth your time. Here is the whole franchise, in both watch orders, and then every film ranked.

A quick note before we start. This is the Alien franchise specifically, the xenomorph saga. If you wanted the wider world of extraterrestrial films, the ones with E.T. and Arrival and District 9, that is a different list, and we have it over in the best alien movies, ranked.

How many Alien movies are there?

There are seven films in the core Alien series, from the 1979 original through Alien: Romulus in 2024, with the television series Alien: Earth joining the timeline in 2025. There are also two crossover films with the Predator franchise, which most fans treat as their own thing rather than part of the main story. So the short answer is seven main films, eight if you count the show, and ten if you throw in the crossovers.

Alien movies in release order

This is the order they came out, and for a first watch it is the order we recommend. The series was made this way, the reveals land in the right places, and the jump back in time to the prequels makes more sense once you have seen where it all leads.

Alien movies in chronological order

If you would rather follow the story as it happens inside its own universe, the timeline reorders things a fair bit. The prequels jump back to the years before the original, Romulus slots into the gap between the first two films, and the Alien: Earth series sits just ahead of the 1979 original, though its makers call the show a standalone, alternate-timeline story rather than strict canon, so some viewers leave it off the watch order entirely. Here is the in-universe order, with the year each one is set.

Which order should you watch them in?

For a first time through, watch in release order. The original Alien and its sequel Aliens are the high points, and seeing them first means the prequels play as the slow-burn mystery they were designed to be. Save the chronological order for a rewatch, once you know the story and want to follow it as a straight timeline. The one exception: Alien: Romulus is set between the first two films and was built as a friendly entry point, so it is a fair place to start if you want something modern before going back to 1979.

Every Alien movie, ranked

Crossovers aside, here are the seven core films from best to worst. The top two are not really in question. Everything after them is where the arguments start.

1. Alien (1979)

The one that started it, and still the best. Ridley Scott built a haunted house in deep space and let the dread sit in long silences before the creature ever strikes. Nothing in the series has matched its sense of pure, patient menace.

2. Aliens (1986)

James Cameron made the rare sequel that is as good as the original by refusing to repeat it. Horror becomes a war movie, Ripley becomes an icon, and the result is endlessly quotable. Plenty of fans rank it first, and they have a strong case.

3. Alien: Romulus (2024)

After two divisive prequels, this is the film that put the series back on track, a lean survival story that remembers what made the first two work. It leans hard on nostalgia, maybe too hard for some, but it is the most fun the franchise has been in decades.

4. Prometheus (2012)

Scott's return to the universe is gorgeous and ambitious and a little maddening, a big swing about where humanity came from that asks far more than it answers. The characters make baffling choices, but the ideas and the visuals stay with you. No film in the series gets argued about more.

5. Alien 3 (1992)

David Fincher's debut was taken out of his hands and it shows, but the longer assembly cut reveals a bleak, interesting film underneath the studio mess. Killing off beloved characters in the opening minutes was a gamble that still divides people. Worth seeing in the assembly cut, not the theatrical one.

6. Alien: Covenant (2017)

The Prometheus follow-up tries to be both a heady prequel and a back-to-basics monster movie, and never quite reconciles the two. Michael Fassbender's android is the best thing in it by a distance. A film with great parts that do not add up to a great whole.

7. Alien Resurrection (1997)

Ripley comes back as a clone two centuries later, and the whole thing tips into camp, with a script by Joss Whedon that the direction does not match. It has its defenders and a few memorable moments, but it is the weakest of the core films by most counts. Watch it last, for completeness.

What about the Alien vs. Predator movies?

There are two crossover films, AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs Predator: Requiem (2007), that pit the xenomorphs against the Predator. They sit apart from the main story, contradict its timeline, and are widely treated as non-canon, so you can skip them without missing anything. Watch them as their own thing if you enjoy the matchup, not as part of the saga.

Where to start with the Alien franchise

If you have never seen any of them, start with the 1979 original and then Aliens. Those two tell a complete story and are the best the series has to offer, so if they do not grab you, the rest will not either. If you would rather begin with something recent, Alien: Romulus is the most welcoming modern entry, and you can circle back to the classics from there.

Looking for alien movies beyond the franchise?

If it is the broader genre you are after, not just the xenomorph, our guide to the best alien movies covers first contact, invasions, and everything in between. You can also browse every movie about aliens we track, or, if a specific one is stuck in your head with no title attached, search by the plot you remember.