Harry Potter movies in order
Eight films at Hogwarts and three set sixty years earlier. The order is simple; the only real question is where Fantastic Beasts goes.
Updated 4 August 2026 · 11 titles tracked
The Harry Potter films are refreshingly simple: eight films, in order, one school year each. There is no branching timeline and nothing to skip.
The only decision is Fantastic Beasts, a prequel trilogy set in the 1920s and 30s. Chronological order says watch those first. Do not.
Every Wizarding World film in release order
The eight Harry Potter films follow the books one per year, then the three Fantastic Beasts prequels.
- 1Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone2001 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 2Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets2002 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 3Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban2004 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 4Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire2005 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 5Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix2007 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 6Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince2009 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 7Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 12010 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 8Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 22011 · Harry Potter · Essential
- 9Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them2016 · Fantastic Beasts
- 10Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald2018 · Fantastic Beasts
- 11Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore2022 · Fantastic Beasts
Why not watch Fantastic Beasts first?
The prequels are written for people who already know the world. Their emotional weight rests on names — Dumbledore, Grindelwald, Nagini — that mean nothing without the original eight films behind them.
They are also the weaker trilogy, and the series was cut short at three of a planned five, so it never reaches a proper conclusion. Opening on them is the fastest way to bounce off the Wizarding World entirely.
The order
Philosopher's Stone (released as Sorcerer's Stone in the US), Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, then Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2.
Then, if you want more: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Crimes of Grindelwald, and The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Where the tone shifts
Prisoner of Azkaban is where the series changes — a new director, a darker look, and the point at which it stops being a children's adventure. If the first two feel too young for you, push through to the third before deciding.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Harry Potter movies?
Release order, which is also story order: Philosopher's Stone through Deathly Hallows Part 2. Watch the three Fantastic Beasts films afterwards, not first.
How many Harry Potter movies are there?
Eight Harry Potter films, plus three Fantastic Beasts prequels — eleven in the Wizarding World altogether.
Should I watch Fantastic Beasts before Harry Potter?
No. Although set decades earlier, they assume you already know the world and its history, and they are the weaker trilogy.