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Star Wars Movies in Order: Release and Chronological Lists

A movie-only guide to Star Wars release order and chronological order, including release years and the 2026 film The Mandalorian and Grogu.
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For a first viewing, watch the Star Wars films in release order: it preserves the original reveals and lets the prequels add backstory afterward. For a timeline-focused rewatch, use chronological order. Below are both movie-only lists, including The Mandalorian and Grogu, released in 2026.

What order should you watch Star Wars for the first time?

Release order is the strongest default for newcomers. The original trilogy came first, so its dramatic reveals land as intended; the prequel trilogy then provides the characters’ earlier history. StarWars.com contributor Jamie Greene also recommends release order, while the official guide recognizes chronological viewing as a valid alternative. There is no universal correct choice: the guide’s advice is, “Whichever order you choose…is the right one!” (StarWars.com’s viewing guide, May 1, 2025; viewing-order perspectives.)

Star Wars movies in release order, with years

This list follows the films’ original release sequence. It includes the 2008 animated feature The Clone Wars, not the separate television series of the same name.

  1. Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV) — 1977
  2. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V) — 1980
  3. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Episode VI) — 1983
  4. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (Episode I) — 1999
  5. Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (Episode II) — 2002
  6. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (Episode III) — 2005
  7. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (animated feature) — 2008
  8. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Episode VII) — 2015
  9. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — 2016
  10. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Episode VIII) — 2017
  11. Solo: A Star Wars Story — 2018
  12. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Episode IX) — 2019
  13. The Mandalorian and Grogu — 2026

The years through 2019 and their sequence follow the official StarWars.com viewing guide. The Mandalorian and Grogu was released May 22, 2026, according to its official film page.

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Star Wars movies in chronological order

This feature-film sequence follows the broad in-universe timeline. The nine numbered Skywalker Saga films run from Episode I to Episode IX in chronological order, a sequence also confirmed in Lucasfilm’s 2024 marathon announcement.

  1. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (Episode I)
  2. Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (Episode II)
  3. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (animated feature)
  4. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (Episode III)
  5. Solo: A Star Wars Story
  6. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
  7. Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV)
  8. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V)
  9. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Episode VI)
  10. The Mandalorian and Grogu
  11. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Episode VII)
  12. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Episode VIII)
  13. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Episode IX)

The Mandalorian and Grogu is identified as a New Republic-era story, placing it after Return of the Jedi and before the sequel-era films in this broad feature timeline. Its official page gives the release date and era (StarWars.com).

How to choose between the orders

Viewing order Best suited to What it emphasizes
Release Most first-time viewers Original reveal sequence and the films’ release-era storytelling
Chronological Timeline-first viewers and many rewatches In-universe events from Anakin’s early story onward
Nonlinear or “Machete”-style Repeat viewers who want a curated dramatic sequence A personal reshuffling of suspense; it is not the official chronology

StarWars.com contributor Dan Zehr discusses nonlinear arrangements as an alternative, while Greene makes the case for release order. Treat these as viewing preferences rather than rules (StarWars.com’s discussion).

Where the film timeline needs a little context

  • Rogue One leads directly into A New Hope. The official guide places the Andor and Rebels series in the same broad period and connects them to Rogue One; they are excluded here because this is a movie-only guide.
  • Solo takes place before the original trilogy, after the prequel-era events in this list.
  • Stories that overlap or span long periods cannot always be assigned a perfectly precise single point in a timeline. The sequence above is a practical feature-film order, not a scene-by-scene chronology.
  • The 2008 The Clone Wars is a theatrical animated movie. Its similarly titled television series is a separate work and is not included.

The official StarWars.com guide mixes films and series in its full viewing lists; the sequences here extract the feature films.

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Where to watch

StarWars.com links films in its viewing guide to Disney+, but streaming catalogs vary by country and change over time. Check the current listing in your region before planning a marathon. The official page for The Mandalorian and Grogu lists digital, 4K Ultra HD, and Disney+ availability.

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