What Is the Timeline Order of the Alien Movies?

After much anticipation, the Alien: Earth TV series has arrived to our screens. Since 1979, Ridley Scott’s Alien franchise has spawned a vast universe of sequels, prequels, and crossover spin-offs. It can be a lot to keep track of unless you have the internal computing capabilities of an android.

For those of us who aren’t products of Weyland-Yutani, here’s a chronological timeline for all the major Alien movies plus the new TV show, according to in-universe years. Of course, there are also notable comic books, video games, and novels but the movies are what define this franchise’s lore. Film release dates will be provided next to the title for real-world context.

Don your space suit and grab that flamethrower. Our chests are bursting with excitement to head back into the depths of Xenomorph space. Here’s a quick view of the Alien movies in their in-universe order — keep reading for more in-depth analysis of the timeline:

• Prometheus
• Alien: Covenant
• Alien: Earth
• Alien
• Alien: Romulus
• Aliens
• Alien 3
• Alien: Resurrection

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Prometheus (2012)

Like many prequels of highly popular franchises, Prometheus (and later Covenant) had its critics. Prometheus takes place approximately three decades before Alien. At its core, this contemplative film explores human existentialism. Where did we come from? Who created us? When they search for the truth behind their existence, the Prometheus crew discovers unsettling information that throws everything they know into chaos.

As it turns out, a race of advanced geneticists dubbed the Engineers created humanity in their image. In turn, humans created synthetics (such as the android David) in their image. A key takeaway from Prometheus is that Xenomorph DNA acts as a mutagen. Whenever a facehugger attaches to a host, the resulting alien will take on dominant characteristics of that host. That genetic malleability is what makes a Xenomorph so terrifying.

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Alien: Covenant (2017)

Ten years after Prometheus, in 2104, a colony spaceship meets disaster and the crew is forced to land on a planet called Origae-6. An android who looks just like David from Prometheus is also present, and the crew must contend with a slew of mysteries unraveling themselves in the forms of Neomorphs, cryptic transmissions, and noxious bacteria. Standard fare for any Weyland-Yutani trip through space! Plus, more light is shed on the enigmatic Engineers.

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Alien: Earth (2025)

Alien: Earth is a TV series among a mostly movie-centered franchise. In the original Alien film, the year is 2122 — Alien: Earth takes place two years before, in 2120. Created by Noah Hawley, the series will explore across eight episodes what happens when a space vessel is forced to land on Earth. As is expected, humans are not the only living organisms aboard the Maginot. Xenomorphs on the homeworld? Cue screaming.

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Alien (1979)

Alien is a slow-paced thriller, with strong influences of horror and sci-fi, making the franchise’s flagship film a lasting source of inspiration for future entries. Plus, Sigourney Weaver gives a powerhouse performance as Ellen Ripley, establishing herself as a formidable leading lady of ’80s and ’90s action films. The (face)gripping story is supported with stunning set pieces and the infamously graphic chestburster scene. Franchise traditions such as treacherous androids and fiery showdowns also get their start here. Eerie atmosphere and edge-of-your-seat tension abound in Alien.

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Alien: Romulus (2024)

Alien: Romulus provides a look into the dark and mysterious experiments of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. Through the experiences of Rain Carradine and her fellow mining colonists, we get to see the vast scope of the corporation’s reach. Even though Romulus is filled with Easter eggs from past movies, it still works within the larger Alien cinematic universe by introducing new terror — especially what/who awaits Rain at the end. The cast is young, with fresh new faces. David Jonsson steals the show as a docile android who switches to a more cold, calculated, and tactical synthetic with a special chip.

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Aliens (1986)

Nearly a decade after Alien, Aliens became one of the few movies where the sequel outperforms the original, becoming a favorite among critics and fans. Many consider it to be one of James Cameron’s best movies, adding further elements of action and adventure to the horror monster theme. Aliens has amazing special effects, costumes, props, and characters, morphing it into a franchise highlight. And you can’t go wrong with another Ellen Ripley showdown, this time with the Alien Queen.

Plus, this film is the first time audiences heard the name Xenomorph. Since then, countless types of Xenomorphs have spawned across the galaxy. With Aliens, you get sense that the Weyland-Yutani Corp has known for some time about these creatures, and all the while have been committing nefarious acts behind the scenes — primarily weaponizing hostile organisms. And that never bodes well in a Cameron movie.

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Alien 3 (1992)

As with many third entries in a franchise, Alien 3 takes some big swings. Like Aliens, the film is set in 2179 but it was a bit of a shame to kill off all the surviving characters. However, the dark and dismal setting provides a different approach from always having a happy ending. It’s really a story about survival. Alien 3 brings the franchise back to basics, with Ellen Ripley being hunted by just one Xenomorph instead of an army of them.

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Alien: Resurrection (1997)

Many fans view Alien: Resurrection as more enjoyable than Alien 3. On the surface, it’s your typical late ’90s horror flick, complete with Winona Ryder, one of the decade’s spookiest queens. Resurrection is set two centuries after Alien 3. It feels less grounded than the other movies, yet the cunning intelligence of some of the Xenomorphs is fascinating and, of course, terrifying. There’s even a cool underwater sequence and new lore created with the first Xeno-human hybrid — none other than Ellen Ripley herself, in gigantic clone form.

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Alien vs Predator (2004)

Alien vs Predator took the two coolest looking aliens in sci-fi horror and pitted them head to head with one another. Humans are just stuck in the middle trying to not die. Three years later, Alien vs Predator: Requiem was even more graphic and violent. Actually, these two films are outside the main continuity of their respective franchises. Requiem introduced the Predator-Alien hybrid which has the ability to inject chestbursters into its victims. The film also subtly shows why Predators (Yautja) wear their iconic masks — they’re not just for hunting purposes but to protect them from being face-hugged, spawning a Xeno-Predator hybrid. Yikes.

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The galaxy’s most mutagenic, adaptive parasites are on the loose once again. How do you think planet Earth will fare against the Xenomorphs in Alien: Earth?

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