GameTimeline

Watch order

Hunger Games timeline

Lionsgate's Hunger Games films in US theatrical release order—The Hunger Games trilogy split across four Mockingjay-era films, plus prequels Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) and Sunrise on the Reaping (2026)—with Story order by Hunger Games number in Panem and FAQ for Suzanne Collins novels.

Updated July 2026

Release order

When each Hunger Games film opened in US theaters—one entry per movie, not individual episodes. Original quartet (2012–2015), prequel Ballad (2023), then Sunrise on the Reaping (scheduled November 20, 2026).

  • Classic fan path → The Hunger Games (2012) → Catching Fire → Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2 → Ballad → Sunrise (2026)
  • Chronology-first → use Story tab: Ballad → Sunrise → original trilogy films
  • Books → read in Story order; fifth novel Sunrise on the Reaping published March 18, 2025
  • Mobile games and the stage show → optional—not listed as titles on this timeline
Story order tips

When events happen in Panem fiction—numbered by Hunger Games year (ADD, After the Dark Days). Story order runs 10th Games → 50th → 74th → 75th → rebellion—not the order most fans first watched in theaters.

  • 10 ADD → Ballad — young Coriolanus Snow mentors Lucy Gray (10th Hunger Games)
  • 50 ADD → Sunrise — Second Quarter Quell; Haymitch Abernathy's victory (book + 2026 film)
  • 74 ADD → The Hunger Games — Katniss and Peeta volunteer from District 12
  • 75 ADD → Catching Fire then Mockingjay — Quarter Quell and open war against the Capitol

Timeline

When each season premiered in the US. Expand a row for dates and where it fits in your watch order.

Release order

  1. The Hunger Games

    The Hunger Games

    TheatricalStreamingMain seriesLive-action

    Katniss Everdeen volunteers for the 74th Hunger Games and survives the Capitol’s arena with Peeta Mellark—Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Woody Harrelson launch Lionsgate’s Panem saga. Gary Ross’s 2012 film remains the classic first-watch entry.

    Overview
    Translated Suzanne Collins’s YA dystopia into a mainstream event movie—District 12 grit, Capitol spectacle, and the berry standoff that sparks rebellion talk. Locked the core cast for three sequels.
    Related games
    Adapts Collins’s first novel; licensed mobile tie-ins are arcade spin-offs—not canon sequels. Book roots: The Hunger Games (2008).
    Where it fits
    Start here for the original four-film theatrical path. Prequels can wait for a second pass or Story-tab chronology.
    Premiere dates
    US wide theatrical release March 23, 2012 (Lionsgate); later streaming and home video.
  2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

    The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

    TheatricalStreamingMain seriesLive-action

    Victory Tour fallout forces Katniss and Peeta back into the 75th Hunger Games Quarter Quell—an all-victors arena under Francis Lawrence’s direction. Clock symbolism, Capitol conspiracy, and a cliffhanger extraction scale the series into open rebellion.

    Overview
    Lawrence’s first Hunger Games film ups spectacle and political dread while staying faithful to Catching Fire. Often ranked the original quartet’s craft peak before the Mockingjay novel split.
    Related games
    Adapts Catching Fire (2009). No video-game order required—novel and film path only.
    Where it fits
    Direct sequel—watch after The Hunger Games (2012). Leads straight into Mockingjay – Part 1; never skip ahead.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release November 22, 2013 (Lionsgate); later streaming and home video.
  3. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

    The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

    TheatricalStreamingMain seriesLive-action

    No arena Games—District 13 drafts Katniss as the Mockingjay while Peeta’s captivity and propaganda war dominate. First half of Collins’s Mockingjay novel, staged as a slower political thriller before the Capitol assault.

    Overview
    Franchise mid-point that trades Games set pieces for messaging warfare and rescue stakes. Split-novel strategy let Lionsgate land two November event weekends without rushing the war.
    Related games
    First half of Mockingjay (2010). Stage show and mobile arcade tie-ins are optional, not titles on this timeline.
    Where it fits
    Continuation after Catching Fire’s cliffhanger. Watch Part 2 next—never reverse the pair on either tab.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release November 21, 2014 (Lionsgate).
  4. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

    The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

    TheatricalStreamingMain seriesLive-action

    Ground assault on the Capitol closes Katniss’s arc and President Snow’s reign—finale of the original Lionsgate quartet. Bittersweet District 12 epilogue ends the 2012–2015 theatrical saga before prequels returned years later.

    Overview
    Pays off rebellion promises with urban warfare and moral cost rather than another Games. Soft endpoint for Katniss-focused binges; Ballad and Sunrise reopen earlier Panem history afterward.
    Related games
    Concludes Collins’s original trilogy on screen. Prequel novels and films explore 10th and 50th Games instead of games-as-media.
    Where it fits
    End of the main saga in release order—prequels arrived in 2023–2026. Watch after Part 1 only.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release November 20, 2015 (Lionsgate).
  5. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

    The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

    TheatricalStreamingPrequelLive-action

    Sixty-four years before Katniss, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow mentors Lucy Gray Baird at the raw 10th Hunger Games. Francis Lawrence returns for Collins’s 2020 prequel—Snow’s ambition and early Gamemaker cruelty in focus.

    Overview
    Reframes the Capitol’s pageantry as a young man’s moral collapse. Works as standalone origin or chronological first; Donald Sutherland’s later Snow hits differently once you know this youth.
    Related games
    Adapts The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020)—book-and-film prequel lane, not a licensed game path.
    Where it fits
    Watch before or after the original films. Story tab places it first (10 ADD); Release lists the 2023 premiere.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release November 17, 2023 (Lionsgate); later streaming and home video.
  6. Sunrise on the Reaping

    Sunrise on the Reaping

    TheatricalPrequelPlanned filmLive-action

    Haymitch Abernathy’s victory in the 50th Hunger Games (Second Quarter Quell)—forty years after Ballad, twenty-four before Katniss. Lionsgate adaptation of Collins’s 2025 novel with Jesse Plemons as Haymitch; Ralph Fiennes and Kieran Culkin in the Capitol.

    Overview
    Fills the mentorship trauma gap between Snow’s youth and District 12’s later victors. Planned as the next theatrical Panem chapter after Ballad.
    Related games
    Adapts Sunrise on the Reaping (novel March 18, 2025)—book-first, film second; no game link.
    Where it fits
    Chronologically between Ballad and The Hunger Games (2012)—last in release order until it opens.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release scheduled November 20, 2026 (Lionsgate). Entry updates if the date shifts.

FAQ

Release vs chronological watch order, books vs films, ADD calendar, and planned Sunrise on the Reaping.

Watch order

In Panem chronology (Story tab on this page):

1. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (10 ADD)
2. Sunrise on the Reaping (50 ADD — book out; film Nov 2026)
3. The Hunger Games (74 ADD)
4. Catching Fire (75 ADD Quarter Quell)
5. Mockingjay Part 1 & 2 (war continues into 76 ADD)

That differs from theatrical release (2012–2015 originals first, prequels later).

Books

Novel publication order: The Hunger Games (2008) → Catching Fire (2009) → Mockingjay (2010) → The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020) → Sunrise on the Reaping (2025).

Story order matches the Story tab—read Ballad and Sunrise before the trilogy if you want chronology. Lionsgate films follow Collins's plot closely; Mockingjay was split into two movies. This page lists films on Release and fiction years on Story—not every chapter beat.

Canon & extras

ADD = After the Dark Days—Panem's in-world way to count years since the first rebellion and the Hunger Games tradition. The number often matches which annual Hunger Games is occurring (e.g. 74 ADD = 74th Games). Collins does not use modern AD/BC dates in the novels; this page uses ADD on story-order titles for clarity.

50 ADD — the Second Quarter Quell (double tributes). Haymitch Abernathy wins from District 12; decades later he mentors Katniss and Peeta in the 74th Games. Suzanne Collins published the novel March 18, 2025; Lionsgate's film is scheduled for November 20, 2026. In Story order it sits after Ballad and before the 2012 film era.

More timelines

Other release-order and story-order guides on this site.