One of, if not the most, prolific post-apocalyptic book series has to be The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Following Katniss Everdeen as she bravely volunteers for her sister to go into a gladiator-style fight to the death only to become the symbol of a revolution, the books became iconic and wildly successful when the series began in 2011. When it was announced that they would be turned into movies, fans went crazy with fan casting and theories on what would be cut. After all, we’d seen what happened with the Harry Potter books and movies so we knew it would be similar with this series.
The Hunger Games movies were released during a time when other book series were also being turned into films; Twilight, Harry Potter and Divergent are the first to come to mind. It had stiff competition, but the series was successful and a large part of that has to do with the casting and how spot on it was. Yes, the actors playing the main characters were older than originally written, but they were fantastic in their roles.
The last Hunger Games movie, Mockingjay Part 2, was released on Nov. 20, 2015, which finished off the series of movies. Much like Twilight and Harry Potter, The Hunger Games‘ final book was also turned into a two-part movie so as to fit in as much original book content as they could. Just as people thought this franchise was over, Lionsgate announced a prequel, titled The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This latest entry will take place 64 years before the 2012 blockbuster, and will feature Rachel Zegler as our newest female protagonist, and Tom Blyth as a young Coriolanus Snow.
If you haven’t had a chance to see these amazing book-to-movie adaptations yet, here is the order to watch them in.
How to watch all of The Hunger Games movies in order
Including the upcoming prequel scheduled to hit theaters in Nov. 2023, The Hunger Games saga contains a total of 5 movies. Each of them showcases how deadly these games have become and how there are people out there who want to stop the bloodshed. It also shows that despite all this darkness, love still exists and how some would weaponize it.
As of writing, the prequel has yet to come out, and the trailer featured a line that was uttered in Mockingjay Part 2. While it is unknown if Donald Sutherland will make a subtle cameo through time skips, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has an established date on The Hunger Games timeline and has made it clear where it sits in the film series’ order of events.
So if you want to watch The Hunger Games movies chronologically, here is our recommended watch order list, assuming you’re reading this after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes releases:
- The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)
- The Hunger Games (2012)
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014)
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015)
There is an argument to be made that the prequel should be watched after the four main films. However, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will showcase a recovering country and how the games ended up becoming a spectacle, not a simple gladiator fight to the death. At the same time, the prequel will most likely give context about the game’s creation, which could add more depth when you watch the 2012 and 2013 entries.
The Hunger Games saga began as a story about a young girl who wanted to save her sister, which eventually led to her transformation to the face of a rebellion. President Snow tried to weaponize Katniss’ love for others as a means to stop the war, but his motives led to his downfall, freeing Panem from a society that a majority no longer wanted to be a part of. It’s no wonder that this franchise was described as a phenomenon, shaping the YA dystopian genre that we are familiar with.
In preparation for the prequel’s theatrical release, you can stream and relive The Hunger Games saga on Amazon Prime Video.