For a first watch, start with The Hunger Games (2012), continue through Catching Fire and both Mockingjay films, then watch The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Five films have been released. Sunrise on the Reaping is the sixth, scheduled for November 20, 2026, and belongs earlier in Panem's timeline.

The Hunger Games movies in release order

  1. The Hunger Games (2012) — Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark enter the 74th Games. This is the starting point for the original film story.
  2. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) — the consequences of the first film lead into the 75th Games, also called the Third Quarter Quell.
  3. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) — the conflict expands into rebellion, with Katniss becoming its public symbol.
  4. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015) — the second half of the final novel concludes Katniss's film story.
  5. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) — a prequel about young Coriolanus Snow and District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird.

Upcoming: The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (November 20, 2026). Keep this separate from the five films you can already watch. An advance trailer or a book edition does not mean the full movie has been released.

Chronological order: the 10th, 50th, 74th, and 75th Games

  1. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes — the 10th Hunger Games, with Snow as a young mentor.
  2. Sunrise on the Reaping — the 50th Hunger Games, with Haymitch as a tribute. The film is still upcoming.
  3. The Hunger Games — the 74th Hunger Games, with Katniss and Peeta.
  4. Catching Fire — the 75th Hunger Games, followed by Mockingjay – Part 1 and Mockingjay – Part 2.

This places Ballad 64 years before Katniss's first Games and Sunrise 24 years before them. Those gaps follow the numbered annual competitions; Sunrise sits 40 years after Ballad. If you want a chronological movie rewatch right now, watch Ballad and then the four Katniss films, leaving Sunrise out until it opens.

Lucy Gray Baird and young Coriolanus Snow in official Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes artwork.
Ballad follows Lucy Gray and young Snow during the 10th Games.

Should you watch the prequels first?

Our recommendation for newcomers is release order. The 2012 film introduces the Capitol, the districts, the selection of tributes, and the pressure of performing for an audience through Katniss's experience. The prequels then let you compare earlier versions of that system with the one you already know.

Chronological order is useful on a return visit, especially if you want to track Snow across different ages. It is not a requirement for understanding Katniss's four films. You also do not need to interrupt the original story between Catching Fire and Mockingjay to insert a prequel.

Where does Sunrise on the Reaping fit?

Sunrise centers on Haymitch Abernathy at the Second Quarter Quell. This edition takes twice the usual number of tributes: four from each of the 12 districts, for 48 in total. The novel begins on the day of the reaping, when Haymitch is taken from his life in District 12.

That is a different Quarter Quell from Catching Fire. Sunrise is the 50th Games; Catching Fire is the 75th. The films therefore show different special editions of the same competition, not two accounts of Katniss's arena.

The film adaptation is directed by Francis Lawrence. Its announced theatrical date remains November 20, 2026. The September 3–7, 2026 return of the five earlier films included sneak peeks, but that screening event has already ended; it was not Sunrise's release.

Katniss, Peeta and other tributes in official Catching Fire artwork.
Catching Fire features the 75th Games, a different Quarter Quell from Sunrise.

Characters to keep straight across the timelines

  • Katniss Everdeen — Jennifer Lawrence's heroine leads the four original films. Her first Games are the 74th.
  • Peeta Mellark — Josh Hutcherson plays the other District 12 tribute in Katniss's first Games.
  • Haymitch Abernathy — Katniss and Peeta's mentor, played by Woody Harrelson in the original films. Sunrise returns to his own experience as a tribute.
  • Coriolanus Snow — the president played by Donald Sutherland in Katniss's story is the younger man played by Tom Blyth in Ballad.
  • Lucy Gray Baird — Rachel Zegler plays the District 12 tribute mentored by young Snow. She belongs to the 10th Games, long before Katniss's story.

Why are there two Mockingjay movies?

Mockingjay is one novel adapted into two consecutive films. Part 2 continues Part 1, so keep them in that order even if you choose a chronological rewatch. The book and movie counts differ because of that split: the original trilogy became four films.

A practical three-session rewatch

  • Session one: The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Keep the two arena-centered Katniss films together.
  • Session two: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2. Finish Katniss's story without placing a prequel between its halves.
  • Session three: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Revisit the earlier Games once the original story is complete.

For a slower watch, give each film its own evening. Check the exact edition and your local streaming catalog rather than assuming a platform's old promotional page guarantees access in every country.

Explore The Hunger Games franchise

For another complete book-to-film saga, see the Twilight movie order.