Steins;Gate Watch Order: Where to Start with Anime Series

Many fans consider Steins;Gate to be one of the finest science fiction anime of all time. However, since it deals with time travel themes, knowing the best Steins;Gate watch order is crucial.

The series has multiple seasons, OVAs and even a movie, some of which are and aren’t canon. Thankfully, though, the Steins;Gate watch order is quite simple.

There are two widely-accepted watch orders for Steins;Gate – one recommended for new viewers and a more complicated alternative.

Related: Will There Be a Season 3 of Steins;Gate?

All Steins;Gate Anime Content

In total, there are around 50 episodes of Steins;Gate content, alongside a movie.

Before deciding on the best watch order, here is all the franchise’s meaningful content in order of release.

Note that in some cases, the Egoistic Poriomania and Valentine's of Crystal Polymorphism OVAs are included as the final episodes of Steins;Gate and Steins;Gate 0 respectively.

Should You Watch Steins;Gate 0 Before Steins;Gate?

Generally for new viewers, it’s not recommended that you watch Steins;Gate 0 before the original Steins;Gate anime.

Steins;Gate 0 is not a prequel series like, for example, Jujutsu Kaisen 0. Steins;Gate 0 is an alternate timeline where the events that conclude the original series don’t take place.

Technically, a chronological watch order for Steins;Gate would involve watching 0 after the first 22 episodes of the first season. More on that below.

What’s the Best Order to Watch Steins;Gate?

It’s widely agreed that the best watch order for Steins;Gate is the order of release, rather than any chronological order.

The reason for this is that the time travel and line-jumping aspects of Steins;Gate are best explained in the original series. Jumping around before finishing the first series can leave some aspects of the show confusing.

Therefore, the best watch order for Steins;Gate is as follows:

1. Steins;Gate (TV Series)
2. Steins;Gate: Egoistic Poriomania (OVA)
3. Steins;Gate: The Movie − Load Region of Déjà Vu (Movie)
4. Steins;Gate: Divide By Zero (OVA)
5. Steins;Gate 0 (TV Series)
6. Steins;Gate 0: Valentine's of Crystal Polymorphism -Bittersweet Intermedio- (OVA)

The Steins;Gate movie, Load Region of Déjà Vu, is optional. The film is not considered canon as it breaks some of the Steins;Gate universe’s rules. However, it’s still enjoyed by fans as it makes Kurisu the lead.

The same can be said for the two end-of-season OVAs, both of which can be classed as filler episodes. Most people still recommend watching these as they are very enjoyable, even if they don’t necessarily contribute to the plot.

Divide by Zero is technically an alternate version of Steins;Gate episode 23 – it’s sometimes called Episode 23β. You could realistically watch this before the movie, although it was created to promote Steins;Gate 0, hence why we’ve left it in release date order.

The Chronological Steins;Gate Watch Order

If you want to be clever with your Steins;Gate watch order, you can watch the series in chronological order. This allows you to see the story’s events as they happen from Okabe’s perspective.

Watching it this way is generally not recommended for new viewers as the timelines can get confusing. However, for re-watches, it can offer new insight into Okabe’s deteriorating mindset.

Here is Steins;Gate’s chronological order:

1. Steins;Gate Episodes 1-22
2. Steins;Gate: Divide By Zero OVA (Episode 23β)
3. Steins;Gate 0 Episodes 1-23
4. Steins;Gate Episode 24

Many watchers have said this order makes Steins;Gate 0 considerably better, as it puts more weight onto the series’ events.

Ultimately, which watch order you choose is up to you. Regardless, you’re in for a treat!

Related: Do Kurisu and Okabe End Up Together in Steins;Gate Explained