Harry Potter watch order
The Wizarding World is eleven films: eight Harry Potter films and three Fantastic Beasts prequels. Release order starts with Harry and is the right choice for a first watch; the prequels assume you already know the world they are foreshadowing. Story order puts the Fantastic Beasts films first, which suits a rewatch.
Both orders are below, complete.
Release order
The default. Start where the world starts working.
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) Film released as Philosopher's Stone outside the US
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) Film
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Film
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) Film
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) Film
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) Film
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) Film
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) Film
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) Film
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) Film
- Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) Film
Story (chronological) order
The in-universe timeline, from the 1920s to the 1990s. For a rewatch.
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) Film set in 1926
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) Film set in 1927
- Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) Film set in the early 1930s
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) Film the main story runs 1991 to 1998 from here
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) Film
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Film
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) Film
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) Film
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) Film
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) Film
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) Film
Keep your place
I Like Movies, the free Android app behind this page, carries a curated Wizarding World track: the same catalogue as above, in watch order, with your progress marked per film and per episode. Ratings and a watchlist come along for everything else you watch.
Questions people ask
Should I watch Fantastic Beasts before Harry Potter?
No. The Fantastic Beasts films are prequels made for people who already know the Harry Potter story; their reveals only land if you recognise what they are setting up. Watch the eight Harry Potter films first, then the prequels.
Is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child a film?
No. The Cursed Child is a stage play, published as a script book. There is no film of it, so it does not appear in any watch order.
Will there be a fourth Fantastic Beasts film?
A fourth and fifth film were once planned, but nothing is in production and the series is on hold. The three released films tell a story that pauses rather than ends; The Secrets of Dumbledore closes its main conflict.
Is there a Harry Potter TV series?
HBO has a television adaptation of the novels in production, planned as one season per book. It is a retelling of the same story rather than a continuation, so it will not change the film order above. This page will pick it up when it airs.
More watch orders: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Middle-earth, Dune, Fast & Furious, Alien, Dragon Ball, Naruto, Neon Genesis Evangelion. Or browse every guide and comparison.