From the 1979 original to 2024's Romulus, here's a complete watch guide of the Alien franchise to put on your binge list before seeing the latest theatrical installment on Friday!
What Timeline Does the Alien Franchise Follow and Where to Stream Them?
Believe it or not, the long-running horror franchise at 20th Century Studios also has to mark down its timeline and setting in between shooting the films. Despite having the Xenomorphs first introduced in the 1979 original, the chronological order of events doesn't quite begin there.
The majority of the Alien franchise is available on Disney+ and Hulu, but some are also streaming on other platforms such as Starz Apple TV Channel, and fuboTV.
Check out this list as a walkthrough to keep yourself up to speed just before Alien: Romulus hits theaters.
Alien vs. Predator (2004)
The flick to have actually introduced the first living Xenomorphs to humans began in Alien vs. Predator in 2004, where they had an interesting link with the Predators that dates back to old cults worshipping the Titans together and where 2004 is considered the 'present day.'
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
Given that Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem is the direct sequel to its predecessor, it picks right off where we left off from the 2004 one.
The 2007 Requiem is set in 2004. An Alien-Predator hybrid offspring is led on the loose in Colorado, but the thing that surprises humans the most? A prominent figure from the Predators comes to save the town itself.
Prometheus (2012)
While Prometheus is a prequel film which Oscar-winning director Ridley Scott returned, it is set between Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem and Alien: Covenant, before we could even reach the flick that built this franchise from the ground up.
The film began in the year 2089 before the expedition team landed in December 2093.
Prometheus follows Peter Weyland and his crew to stumble upon an uncharted star. With Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Charlize Theron's characters, the crew is found fighting for their lives battling against the Xenomorphs.
Alien: Covenant (2017)
Don't get confused: Alien: Covenant is still in the prequel events but is a direct sequel to what happened at the end of Prometheus. Covenant takes place in the year 2104, 11 years after Prometheus.
While the 2017 film introduced another set of monstrous creatures apart from the Xenomorphs, it doesn't completely connect with what Alien vs. Predator and the original 1979 Alien established for the ongoing franchise.
Alien (1979)
Of course, nothing can top the original masterpiece of a flick that started it all: Alien (1979). Taking place in the year 2122, this is 18 years between Alien and Covenant.
The original starts with their discovery of a moon filled with Xenomorph eggs and with no prior knowledge as to what these creatures are or intend to do once they are born, they do discover how they lay eggs inside humans and 'give birth' to their species.
Aliens (1986)
Set 57 years (2179) after the events of Alien, Ellen Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) returns after being rescued from deep outer space. Unfortunately, they fail to realize that dormant Xenomorph eggs are waiting to burst out of their cocoon any second.
Alien 3 (1992)
Alien 3 takes place in 2179 still, marking David Fincher's directorial debut, and while the threequel was considered a disappointing turn to Ripley's story, considering the lengths that she and the other inmates had to go to survive the rampaging massacre of the Xenomorph colony they landed themselves in.
Alien Resurrection (1997)
As the title of the film suggests, Alien Resurrection is 200 years beyond 1979's Aliens and Aliens 3, where Ellen Ripley's clones (and other kidnapped human breeders) are forced to breed Xenomorphs on their own.
Set in 2381, 202 years after Ellen Ripley's death and seemingly, the last standing Xenomorph, Alien Resurrection proved the human race wrong by raising a new monstrosity of a species on the planet.
Where Does Alien: Romulus (2024) Fit in the Franchise's Timeline?
The events of the eighth installment of the Alien franchise are confirmed to be set between Ridley Scott's 1979 original and James Cameron's 1986 sequel Aliens.
Specifically set after 2381, which could explain new elements and callback easter eggs to when the Alien franchise rose to success with its horrific storytelling and its legendary box office hit.
Meanwhile, Alien: Romulus hits theaters on Friday, August 16, 2024.
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