Hunger Games Movies in Order: All 6 Films and Story Order

There are six Hunger Games movies once Sunrise on the Reaping opens on November 20, 2026. Two of them are prequels set decades before Katniss, so the release order and the story order aren’t the same.

Here are both orders, the one we’d pick, how long a full marathon takes, and where every movie streams right now.

Hunger Games movies in release order

*Sunrise on the Reaping’s runtime is from early ratings listings and could still change.

Gary Ross directed the first movie. Francis Lawrence directed every one after it, including Sunrise on the Reaping, so the last five feel like one series.

Hunger Games movies in chronological order

Story order follows the Hunger Games themselves. Each movie centers on one Games, and the number tells you exactly where it sits in Panem’s history.

The math is easy once you see the numbers. Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is set 64 years before Katniss volunteers. Sunrise on the Reaping is 24 years before, and the boy at its center is the same Haymitch who mentors her.

Which order should you watch them in?

First time: release order. The prequels are built on what you already know. Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is the story of how President Snow became Snow, and it hits much harder when you’ve already seen what he does to Katniss. Sunrise on the Reaping works the same way with Haymitch. Watch the prequels first and you lose most of those payoffs.

Rewatch: story order. If you’ve seen the four Katniss movies, story order is a great way to rewatch. You see Panem get worse, one Games at a time, and the songs, the mockingjays and Snow’s roses all come back with more weight.

Our pick for this month: rewatch the four Katniss movies, then Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, then see Sunrise on the Reaping in theaters. That’s release order, and it puts the newest movie last, where it belongs.

Every Hunger Games movie, in one paragraph each

The Hunger Games (2012)

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers in her little sister’s place and fights in the 74th Hunger Games alongside Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), the other tribute from District 12. It’s the most grounded movie in the series, with lots of handheld camera, forest and survival. Watch for Woody Harrelson’s Haymitch, since Sunrise on the Reaping is his origin story.

Catching Fire (2013)

The Capitol sends past victors back into the arena for the 75th Games, the Third Quarter Quell. It’s bigger, sharper and better paced than the first movie, and it’s the one most fans call their favorite. It’s also where the rebellion starts.

Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014)

No arena this time. Katniss is in District 13, and the rebels want to turn her into the face of the war. It’s the slowest of the six because it’s half of one book, but it has some of the best scenes in the series, including “The Hanging Tree.”

Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015)

The war reaches the Capitol, and Katniss goes after Snow. It’s dark, sad and a real ending for her story. Don’t skip the epilogue.

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

Eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) has to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a singer from District 12, in the 10th Hunger Games. The early Games are crude and cruel, held in a bombed-out arena, and Snow’s ideas help turn them into the TV show we know. Viola Davis and Peter Dinklage play the adults running it.

Sunrise on the Reaping (2026)

Sixteen-year-old Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) is reaped for the 50th Games, the Second Quarter Quell, which sends twice as many tributes into the arena. Ralph Fiennes plays President Snow, and younger versions of Effie, Plutarch and Beetee show up. It’s in theaters on November 20, 2026. See our Sunrise on the Reaping guide for the cast, tickets and first reactions.

How long does it take to watch all the Hunger Games movies?

The five movies out now run 11 hours and 45 minutes. Add Sunrise on the Reaping and the full series is about 14 hours and 23 minutes.

If you want to catch up before November 20, two movies a weekend works:

• Weekend of Nov 7-8: The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.
• Weekend of Nov 14-15: Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2.
• One weeknight before Nov 20: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
• November 20: Sunrise on the Reaping in theaters.

Where to stream the Hunger Games movies

The series has moved between services several times since July, so here’s where it is in the US as of November 4:

Tubi is the easy pick, since it’s free, but free movies rotate off Tubi, so don’t wait too long. Lionsgate hasn’t announced a streaming date for Sunrise on the Reaping yet.

Our ranking of the Hunger Games movies

1. Catching Fire. The best arena, the best new characters (Finnick, Johanna, Beetee and Wiress) and the best cliffhanger.
2. The Hunger Games. Still the best at making the Games feel scary and real.
3. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Long, but Tom Blyth makes young Snow’s slide believable, and the songs are great.
4. Mockingjay – Part 2. A strong, bleak finish that can feel rushed after Part 1’s slow pace.
5. Mockingjay – Part 1. Good performances, but it’s half a story.

We’ll add Sunrise on the Reaping to the ranking once we’ve seen it.

Updated November 4, 2026. Streaming checked November 4, 2026.

Read next: Sunrise on the Reaping: Release Date, Tickets and Cast · Lord of the Rings Watch Order · Every Marvel Movie in Order

Sources: release dates and runtimes from the films’ US theatrical releases (Lionsgate). Sunrise on the Reaping runtime from early ratings listings. Streaming from JustWatch (checked Nov 4, 2026), ScreenRant (Peacock, Nov 14) and ScreenRant (Tubi, Nov 1).

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