Indiana Jones - Watch Order: Release Order

1981 - 20235 Films10h 37m4.1 Average

The Indiana Jones franchise is a beloved adventure series, following the globe-trotting exploits of Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr., a fedora-wearing archaeologist who battles Nazis, cults, and supernatural forces in his quest for ancient artifacts. The series defined the modern action-adventure genre with its seamless blend of practical stunts, memorable characters, and thrilling set pieces.

The release order allows you to experience the films as audiences originally did, following the franchise's evolution over four decades. While the original trilogy (1981-1989) is widely regarded as a masterclass in filmmaking, the later sequels released decades afterward received significantly more mixed reception.

1
Raiders of the Lost Ark poster

Raiders of the Lost Ark

19811h 55m4.8
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Ronald Lacey

When Dr. Indiana Jones – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime.

AdventureAction
2
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom poster

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

19841h 58m4.3
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth

After arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees – and stumbles upon a secret cult plotting a terrible plan in the catacombs of an ancient palace.

AdventureAction
3
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade poster

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

19892h 7m4.7
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies

In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that a medieval historian has vanished while searching for it, and the missing man is his own father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr.. He sets out to rescue his father by following clues in the old man's notebook, which his father had mailed to him before he went missing. Indy arrives in Venice, where he enlists the help of a beautiful academic, Dr. Elsa Schneider, along with Marcus Brody and Sallah. Together they must stop the Nazis from recovering the power of eternal life and taking over the world!

AdventureAction
4
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull poster

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

20082h 2m3.2
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone

Set during the Cold War, the Soviets—led by sword-wielding Irina Spalko—are in search of a crystal skull which has supernatural powers related to a mystical Lost City of Gold. Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young man whose friend—and Indy's colleague—Professor Oxley has been captured for his knowledge of the skull's whereabouts.

AdventureAction
5
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny poster

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

20232h 35m3.7
Director: James Mangold
Cast: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook, Olivier Richters

Finding himself in a new era, and approaching retirement, Indy wrestles with fitting into a world that seems to have outgrown him. But as the tentacles of an all-too-familiar evil return in the form of an old rival, Indy must don his hat and pick up his whip once more to make sure an ancient and powerful artifact doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

AdventureAction