How To Watch the Indiana Jones Movies in Chronological Order

Keen to revisit Indy’s big screen adventures after playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but not sure where to start? Fret not: below, we’ve covered how to watch the Indiana Jones movies in chronological order, as well as where The Great Circle fits within the franchise’s timeline!

How To Watch the Indiana Jones Movies in Chronological Order

As you might expect from a franchise co-created by Star Wars mastermind George Lucas, the Indiana Jones movies’ release order and in-universe timeline don’t fully align. Lucas and director Steven Spielberg – who helmed four of the five Indy flicks – managed to sneak a prequel entry into the mix. The second Indiana Jones film, Temple of Doom, actually takes place in 1935 – a year before the 1936-set story of the first film, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Here’s how the wider Indiana Jones timeline shakes out, as a result:

1. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

Related: Every Indiana Jones Video Game, Ranked From Worst to Best

That’s the simple way to watch the Indiana Jones movies (and how we’d recommend you do it). However, there’s another, even more chronologically-accurate Indiana Jones watch order. Two of the Indiana Jones installments, The Last Crusade and The Dial of Destiny, have prologues set prior to the events of their respective main narratives. So, if you value linearity over everything else, watch Indy’s cinematic exploits in the following order:

1. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (prologue) – 1912
2. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – 1935
3. Raiders of the Lost Ark – 1936
4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (main narrative) – 1938
5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (prologue) – 1944
6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – 1957
7. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (main narrative) – 1969

Where Does Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Fit in the Franchise’s Chronology?

That’s the Indiana Jones movies’ chronology covered – now, where does The Great Circle fit in? Well, the game unfolds in 1937, so it slots neatly between Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade in the Indiana Jones watch order, like so:

1. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
3. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (2024)
4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
6. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

Related: Why Indiana Jones’ Best Video Game Never Got a Sequel

That said, the game’s opening tutorial recreates Raiders of the Lost Ark‘s opening sequence. So, technically, part of The Great Circle is set in 1936. But like we said, this is a technicality; the flashback is a dream Indy has in 1937, meaning The Great Circle takes place solely in that year.

Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull are currently streaming on Paramount+. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is available to stream on Disney.