The best way to watch

All the classic Indiana Jones movies are now available to stream on Paramount+, so it’s a great time to catch up with your favourite bullwhip-toting, fedora-donning archaeologist – especially if you haven’t seen the latest film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, with Harrison Ford returning as Indy. Also, thanks to a new deal, you can also watch the movies on Disney+, which is where we expect the latest installment to begin streaming later in the year too.

The Indiana Jones film series currently consists of five movies. Steven Spielberg directed every installment until the most recent, with Star Wars creator George Lucas at his side helping write those first four. However, one choice by these two caused a timeline break in the story, so the events in the films don’t chronologically line up if you watch them by order of release. (The second film in the series is technically a prequel to the first film.)

To help you make sense of Indiana Jones, we put all the films in chronological order, so you can easily watch Indiana’s adventures as they happened. We even included The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series in our order, and we discuss future Indiana Jones films.

Indiana Jones movie order: The chronological timeline explained

A spoiler-free, bulleted list version of this guide is at the bottom. There’s even a theatrical release date order for those of you interested.

NOTE: THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Director Steven Spielberg set out to make a sequel to 1981’s Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark, but he didn’t want Nazis as the main villains again, so he decided to set the second movie before the events of the first film. In other words, this is a prequel.

It begins in 1935, with Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in Shanghai before a quick escape sees him flying over the Himalayas with his sidekick Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan) and a nightclub singer named Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw). When the plane crashes, the trio finds themselves in a poor Indian village that had a sacred stone stolen from them along with all their children. It’s up to Indy to figure out what’s really happening.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Originally released as Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first Indiana Jones film was later marketed as Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark. It sees Indiana Jones, again played by Harrison Ford, on a race against the Nazis to find the Ark of the Covenant, a sacred religious artifact that the Nazis believe has the power to make them unstoppable.

Set in 1936, Indiana Jones is informed that Nazis are looking for his former mentor, Abner Ravenwood, who has information they need to find the Ark. Indy begins his search by finding Abner’s daughter, Marion (Karen Allen), in Nepal – and, together, the two begin a world-crossing search for the Ark of the Covenant.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Set in 1938, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) learns that his father, Henry Jones (Sean Connery) disappeared while looking for the Holy Grail, which Jesus supposedly drank from at the last supper. Indy receives his father’s journal about the cup in the mail, postmarked from Venice. With his colleague, Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliot), he tries to find his father and the Holy Grail.

Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Nearly 20 years after the events of The Last Crusade, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is captured by Soviet agents led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), who force him to search through a secret US warehouse for a mummified corpse.

Jones escapes, but he’s caught up in the red scare of the late 50s and is suspended from his job at Marshall College. He’s then approached by Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf), who tells him about how another archaeologist, Harold Oxley (John Hurt), discovered a crystal skull in Peru and then disappeared. It’s linked to the Soviets who captured him, and so naturally, Jones investigates with Mutt.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

A fifth Indiana Jones film released in June 2023. Dial of Destiny is the first installment that isn’t directed by Steven Spielberg. Ford v Ferrari director James Mangold replaced him. Harrison Ford dusted off his fedora once again, however, and returned to star in the film, which is set in the 60s. So Ford and Jones are the same age. However, there are flashback sequences featuring a de-aged Ford who sees some action in WW2.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge co-stars alongside Ford and Mads Mikkelsen plays the villain, a former Nazi trying to reestablish the Third Reich. John Williams returned to score this film as well.

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992 to 1996)

You would figure this TV series based on the adventures of a young Indiana Jones would be put first chronologically, but the show actually takes place in the 90s, with an elderly Indiana (George Hall) beginning each episode by reminiscing of an adventure from his youth. The episode then flashes back to tell the story.

The show bounces around, depending on the episode, with some featuring a child Indy (Corey Carrier) and others featuring a teenage Indy (Sean Patrick Flannery). Most of the episodes involve Jones meeting a famous historical figure, such as Theodore Roosevelt, Leo Tolstoy, or Charles De Gaulle. The series consists of 28 episodes over two seasons, as well as four made-for-TV films. Harrison Ford even appears in one episode (Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues) as Indiana Jones. Here’s a YouTube playlist with all of the episodes ordered chronologically.

Spoiler-free version: Indiana Jones movie order at a glance

Indiana Jones chronological movie order

This is a version of the guide above, but free of spoilers.

• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
• Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
• Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
• TV series: The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992 to 1996)

Indiana Jones release date order

Here’s a spoiler-free listing ordered by when the films premiered:

• Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
• TV series: The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992 to 1996)
• Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)