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8 titles · 6 films · 2 series & specials

Terminator Watch Order

Two great films and four incompatible attempts to continue them.

The complete Terminator watch order. All six films plus the television series, and a plain explanation of which sequels erase which, and what you can safely skip.

How many Terminator movies are there?

There are 6 films, plus 2 series and specials out so far. Nothing further is currently announced.

Where each title sits in the story

Chronological order, grouped by timeline. The number on each is its release position. Where those jump around, release order and story order disagree.

  1. The Original Timeline

    4 titles

    1. The Terminator, released 1 of 8
    2. Terminator 2: Judgment Day, released 2 of 8
    3. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, released 3 of 8
    4. Terminator Salvation, released 4 of 8

  2. The Dark Fate Branch

    1 title

    1. Terminator: Dark Fate, released 6 of 8

  3. The Reset Timeline

    1 title

    1. Terminator Genisys, released 5 of 8

  4. Other Branches

    2 titles

    1. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, released 7 of 8
    2. Terminator Zero, released 8 of 8

0 of 8 watched

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8 titles across 4 branchs12h 2m · 6 of 8 timed
01

The Cameron Films

1984 – 1991 · The Trunk · The two everyone agrees on.

0/2
01

The Terminator

26 Oct 1984

A machine is sent back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor. Lean, cheap and near-perfect.

EssentialMovie
02

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

3 Jul 1991

The best of them, and the point every later film tries to continue from.

EssentialMovie
02

The Continuations

2003 – 2009 · Branch A · Two sequels Dark Fate later discarded.

0/2
03

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

2 Jul 2003

Argues Judgment Day was delayed rather than prevented. Later discarded by Dark Fate.

Movie
04

Terminator Salvation

21 May 2009

The future war itself, in 2018. Also discarded by Dark Fate.

Movie
03

The Reboots

2015 – 2019 · Branch B · Two films that restart the timeline.

0/2
05

Terminator Genisys

1 Jul 2015

Rewrites the events of the 1984 original into a new timeline. Its own dead end.

Movie
06

Terminator: Dark Fate

1 Nov 2019

A direct sequel to Judgment Day that ignores everything between. The only continuation Cameron endorsed.

EssentialMovie
04

Television

2008 – 2024 · Branch C · Separate again, and better than expected.

0/2
07

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

13 Jan 2008

Picks up after Judgment Day on its own branch. Two seasons, and much better than it needed to be.

Series
08

Terminator Zero

29 Aug 2024

An anime set in 1997 Tokyo, on a separate track from every film.

Series

More like Terminator

Picked by tone and pacing, not by genre label.