The Wizarding World in chronological order
Fantastic Beasts first, then Hogwarts. It is a clean split — and still the wrong way to watch it.
Updated 4 August 2026 · 11 titles tracked
Chronological order in the Wizarding World is unusually tidy: the three Fantastic Beasts films are set in 1926, 1927 and 1932, and the eight Harry Potter films run from 1991 to 1998. No interleaving, no overlaps — just one block, then the other.
It is still not how you should watch it the first time, and it is worth explaining why rather than just asserting it.
The Wizarding World in chronological order
The Grindelwald era from 1926, then Harry's seven years from 1991.
- 1Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them2016 · Fantastic Beasts
- 2Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald2018 · Fantastic Beasts
- 3Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore2022 · Fantastic Beasts
- 4Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone2001 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 5Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets2002 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 6Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban2004 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 7Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire2005 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 8Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix2007 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 9Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince2009 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 10Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 12010 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 11Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 22011 · Harry Potter · Essential
Why the prequels do not work first
Fantastic Beasts assumes you already know the world. It never really introduces Hogwarts, the Ministry, or what a wand does — it expects you to arrive knowing.
More importantly, its emotional weight rests on names. Dumbledore, Grindelwald, Nagini, the Lestranges — each is written as a reveal for an audience that already has associations with them. Watch first and they are simply characters.
There is also a quality gap. The Fantastic Beasts trilogy was planned as five films, cut to three, and never reaches a conclusion. Opening on an unfinished series is a poor first impression of a world that otherwise ends beautifully.
When chronological order does work
On a rewatch, it reads well. Grindelwald's rise and Dumbledore's guilt over it give the later films a different texture, particularly Deathly Hallows, where that history finally surfaces.
It also works for someone who has read the books but not seen the films — the prior knowledge that Fantastic Beasts assumes is already there.
The order
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (1926), The Crimes of Grindelwald (1927), The Secrets of Dumbledore (1932), then the eight Harry Potter films in sequence from Philosopher's Stone (1991) to Deathly Hallows Part 2 (1998).
For a first watch, use the release order guide — which is also simply the story order for the eight main films.
Common questions
What is the chronological order of the Wizarding World?
The three Fantastic Beasts films (1926, 1927, 1932), then the eight Harry Potter films covering 1991 to 1998.
Should I watch Fantastic Beasts before Harry Potter?
Not on a first watch. The prequels assume you already know the world, and their key moments depend on recognising names from the original films.
When is Fantastic Beasts set?
1926 for the first film, 1927 for The Crimes of Grindelwald, and 1932 for The Secrets of Dumbledore — around sixty years before Harry arrives at Hogwarts.