Even the most knowledgeable Tolkein fan may have a hard time working out how to watch The Lord of the Rings movies in order these days. Not only is there a spin-off TV show gearing up for its third outing, but there not one, but two new movies to contend with.
That's right – The Hunt for Gollum isn't the only new big-screen visit to Middle-earth on the horizon. Another movie, developed by Stephen Colbert, is now in the works, further muddying the Lord of the Rings timeline. But that's where we come in. We've compiled the ultimate guide below on how to watch the Lord of the Rings movies in order (including the TV show), so you can get up to speed at a glance.
With The Rings of Power season 3 getting closer by the day, there's never been a better time to get up to date. So, as a certain wizard would say, follow your nose to our guide below.
The Lord of the Rings movies and shows in release order
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 (2022)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 (2024)
- The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)
There are two main ways to navigate your journey into Middle-earth: in release order, or in chronological order. Here's your guide to the former, which is how most people familiar with the world already will have watched them.
We've got to admit this is probably the most satisfying way to tackle the saga, as it's the way it was intended to be watched. And you won't miss much, as you don’t get a huge amount of context that you’ll need later on from the prequels; they just add more to it once you’ve seen it.
The Lord of the Rings movies and shows in chronological order
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 (2022)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 (2024)
- The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
The other major way to get your head around The Lord of the Rings saga is to tackle it in the order of events. That means starting with The Rings of Power, which is set thousands of years before the movies in the Second Age of Middle-earth and tells the origins of characters like Galadriel and Sauron.
However, for all you Tolkien purists, be warned that The Rings of Power doesn't stick to Tolkien's canon. In fact, in its current state, it breaks canon and will likely cause some outrage. The prequel series implies that Celeborn isn't alive (despite his appearing in The Fellowship years after the Rings of Power and therefore also implying that his granddaughter Arwen won't be born either). So keep that in mind if you include it in your marathon. If you do choose to watch it, I suggest enjoying it as a completely separate piece of work from the timeline, which is more inspired by Tolkien than an actual adaptation of his work.
Then, going back to the movies, there's a very big jump ahead as we enter the Third Age with The War of the Rohirrim. This animated film is set roughly 250 years before the events of the Hobbit films and follows the reign of the Rohan King Helm Hammerhand. Watching this will give you some backstory details for Helm's Deep, which is pretty neat.
Otherwise, the next films in the timeline are The Hobbit films, which take place around 60 years before The Lord of the Rings Movies. Watching it in this order will mean you have a lot more context for some of the big events and main characters by the time you reach The Fellowship of the Ring. So, if you're a viewer who likes to know the whole picture first, then this might be the way for you to tackle it.
Where to watch the Lord of the Rings movies in order
Unfortunately, not all of The Lord of the Rings movies and shows are available in one place. So you'll have to do a bit of streaming platform hopping to be able to stay on top of your watching saga.
Luckily, most are on the same platform. All of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies are available to watch on HBO's streaming platform, HBO Max, in the US. Meanwhile, if you're in the UK, you'll need to have NOW TV in order to stream them – and The War of the Rohirrim is available to rent on Apple TV. The Rings of Power is only available on Prime Video, so you'll need a subscription to that streaming service to be able to watch it (however, since the series breaks canon, it's not necessary viewing if you're looking for something to skip).
If you want to keep it all in one place, you can buy the movies on Amazon as well, so you don't have to keep switching apps.
New Lord of the Rings movies and shows
The Hunt for Gollum
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled for release in December 2027 and will be directed by Andy Serkis, who will also be returning to reprise his role as Gollum.
If you didn't know already, The Hunt for Gollum appeared in The Lord of the Rings appendices and was mentioned throughout The Fellowship of the Ring. The events of the Hunt for Gollum aren't a lengthy affair, though. In fact, it takes place around the time between Bilbo's birthday party and the start of Frodo's adventure, where he is told to leave the Shire. That's a quick timeframe to work with, so we'll likely see Serkis make changes or additions here or there. Whether longtime Tolkien fans embrace those hypothetical story decisions is to be seen.
The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past
Developed by comedian Stephen Colbert with his screenwriter son Peter McGee, Shadows of the Past will be adapted from chapters of Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring that didn’t make it into Peter Jackson’s 2001 movie – Chapter 3, 'Three Is Company' through to Chapter 8, Fog on the Barrow-Downs. Franchise mainstay Philippa Boyens is working on the script.
Per the official logline, Shadows of the Past will be set 14 years after Frodo's death, as Sam, Merry, and Pippin "set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam's daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began."
Warner Bros. Discovery's CEO David Zaslav stated in 2023 that there are plans for multiple new movies set in Tolkien’s universe, and Boyens has hinted that Gandalf will be a major focus going forward. Stay tuned for updates!
For more on Middle-earth, we've got a guide to the best Lord of the Rings games for you to play right now. Or you can check out our Rings of Power season 2 review if you fancy hearing about Amazon Prime's latest Tolkien outing.
