Avatar movies in order
Three films, in order, with long gaps in between. There is nothing to untangle here.
Updated 4 August 2026 · 3 titles tracked
Avatar (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025). That is the whole answer.
The only thing worth knowing is how much time passes inside the films, because it surprises people.
Every Avatar film in order
Release order is story order.
- 1Avatar2009 · The Films · Essential
- 2Avatar: The Way of Water2022 · The Films · Essential
- 3Avatar: Fire and Ash2025 · The Films · Essential
The gaps are real
Roughly sixteen years pass between the first film and The Way of Water — which is why Jake and Neytiri have four children when the second film opens, including a teenage son.
That gap is close to the thirteen years between the two releases. Cameron aged the story alongside the audience deliberately.
Fire and Ash picks up almost immediately after The Way of Water, so those two are much closer together.
Do I need to rewatch before a sequel?
A quick refresher helps. The Way of Water assumes you remember who Quaritch is and what happened to him, and Fire and Ash follows directly from The Way of Water's ending.
These are films that lean on spectacle rather than plot complexity, though — you will not be lost for long.
What is coming
Cameron has planned five films in total, so two more are expected after Fire and Ash. Neither has a confirmed release date.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Avatar movies?
Release order, which is also story order: Avatar (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), then Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025).
How much time passes between Avatar and The Way of Water?
About sixteen years in-universe, which is why Jake and Neytiri have four children when the second film begins.
How many Avatar movies are there?
Three released so far, with two more planned but not yet dated.