Figuring out how to watch The Clone Wars in order isn't easy. There are two ways to watch the animated Star Wars show – you can go in chronological order, or in release order. Yep, that's right. The Clone Wars, which is set between the live-action prequel movies Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, was not released in chronological order. That's something of a pattern for the saga, after all. But, for a smooth viewing experience, you'll find you need to jump around a fair amount to work out which episodes go together. Otherwise, story arcs are broken up, sometimes across seasons.
But that's where we come in. We've got the official chronological watch order below, so you can have a seamless binge-watch experience. We've also included the feature-length animated movie – though, if you're planning on a chronological watch, you shouldn't start there.
Now that Ahsoka has finished on Disney Plus, there's never been a better time to catch up on The Clone Wars. The new Star Wars shows have brought the series' characters into live-action before, with Ahsoka Tano herself, Bo-Katan Kryze, Cad Bane, and Huyang all appearing in live-action in the Disney Plus shows. Plus, with Anakin Skywalker making a triumphant return, The Clone Wars features some very important backstory on his bond with Snips.
So, for everything you need to watch The Clone Wars in order, head to the below. If you're pressed for time, though, try our guide on what to watch before Ahsoka instead.
How to watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars in order: release
This couldn't be more simple – Disney Plus already has the episodes sorted in the order they aired; all you have to do is watch along as the seasons are presented to you on the streamer, starting with season 1 episode 1. You can also start with the live-action prequel movies, which came first.
There are multiple major upsides to watching this way: the series was (of course) initially presented in release order, and there are recaps at the start of each episode that fill you in on the relevant context. It also makes for a very varied viewing experience: this method is more like a collection of separate stories that stretch across the duration of the galaxy's Clone Wars.
As for the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated movie, it's probably best to watch that first (it's also streaming on Disney Plus). It's also worth noting that the episodes were released at weird times when you consider the main Skywalker Saga movies – we recommend watching the show separately from any attempt to put in the movies, at least if you're watching in release order. Chronologically, the answer is slightly different.
How to watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars in order: chronological
Reminder: this is Star Wars, so naturally there's a far more complicated way of doing things – but watching in chronological order could enhance your viewing experience. This is the way to go if you would prefer to watch the animated series in the order the events occur.
The benefit of choosing this method is that you see storylines play out in one go, rather than watching them spread out with other episodes interrupting – this way feels a lot more like watching one long story, rather than an anthology series.
Here's the official chronological order, also including the prequel movies. To note: the events of part of the final season of The Clone Wars take place simultaneously with Revenge of the Sith. It's probably best to watch Episode III and then watch the corresponding Clone Wars episodes.
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (live-action movie)
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (live-action movie)
- Season 2 episode 16 – 'Cat and Mouse'
- Season 1 episode 16 – 'The Hidden Enemy'
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (animated movie)
- Season 3 episode 1 – 'Clone Cadets'
- Season 3 episode 3 – 'Supply Lines'
- Season 1 episode 1 – 'Ambush'
- Season 1 episode 2 – 'Rising Malevolence'
- Season 1 episode 3 – 'Shadow of Malevolence'
- Season 1 episode 4 – 'Destroy Malevolence'
- Season 1 episode 5 – 'Rookies'
- Season 1 episode 6 – 'Downfall of a Droid'
- Season 1 episode 7 – 'Duel of the Droids'
- Season 1 episode 8 – 'Bombad Jedi'
- Season 1 episode 9 – 'Cloak of Darkness'
- Season 1 episode 10 – 'Lair of Grievous'
- Season 1 episode 11 – 'Dooku Captured'
- Season 1 episode 12 – 'The Gungan General'
- Season 1 episode 13 – 'Jedi Crash'
- Season 1 episode 14 – 'Defenders of Peace'
- Season 1 episode 15 – 'Trespass'
- Season 1 episode 17 – 'Blue Shadow Virus'
- Season 1 episode 18 – 'Mystery of a Thousand Moons'
- Season 1 episode 19 – 'Storm Over Ryloth'
- Season 1 episode 20 – 'Innocents of Ryloth'
- Season 1 episode 21 – 'Liberty on Ryloth'
- Season 2 episode 1 – 'Holocron Heist'
- Season 2 episode 2 – 'Cargo of Doom'
- Season 2 episode 3 – 'Children of the Force'
- Season 2 episode 17 – 'Bounty Hunters'
- Season 2 episode 18 – 'The Zillo Beast'
- Season 2 episode 19 – 'The Zillo Beast Strikes Back'
- Season 2 episode 4 – 'Senate Spy'
- Season 2 episode 5 – 'Landing at Point Rain'
- Season 2 episode 6 – 'Weapons Factory'
- Season 2 episode 7 – 'Legacy of Terror'
- Season 2 episode 8 – 'Brain Invaders'
- Season 2 episode 9 – 'Grievous Intrigue'
- Season 2 episode 10 – 'The Deserter'
- Season 2 episode 11 – 'Lightsaber Lost'
- Season 2 episode 12 – 'The Mandalore Plot'
- Season 2 episode 13 – 'Voyage of Temptation'
- Season 2 episode 14 – 'Duchess of Mandalore'
- Season 2 episode 20 – 'Death Trap'
- Season 2 episode 21 – 'R2 Come Home'
- Season 2 episode 22 – 'Lethal Trackdown'
- Season 3 episode 5 – 'Corruption'
- Season 3 episode 6 – 'The Academy'
- Season 3 episode 7 – 'Assassin'
- Season 3 episode 2 – 'ARC Troopers'
- Season 3 episode 4 – 'Sphere of Influence'
- Season 3 episode 8 – 'Evil Plans'
- Season 1 episode 22 – 'Hostage Crisis'
- Season 3 episode 9 – 'Hunt for Ziro'
- Season 3 episode 10 – 'Heroes on Both Sides'
- Season 3 episode 11 – 'Pursuit of Peace'
- Season 2 episode 15 – 'Senate Murders'
- Season 3 episode 12 – 'Nightsisters'
- Season 3 episode 13 – 'Monster'
- Season 3 episode 14 – 'Witches of the Mist'
- Season 3 episode 15 – 'Overlords'
- Season 3 episode 16 – 'Altar of Mortis'
- Season 3 episode 17 – 'Ghosts of Mortis'
- Season 3 episode 18 – 'The Citadel'
- Season 3 episode 19 – 'Counterattack'
- Season 3 episode 20 – 'Citadel Rescue'
- Season 3 episode 21 – 'Padawan Lost'
- Season 3 episode 22 – 'Wookiee Hunt'
- Season 4 episode 1 – 'Water War'
- Season 4 episode 2 – 'Gungan Attack'
- Season 4 episode 3 – 'Prisoners'
- Season 4 episode 4 – 'Shadow Warrior'
- Season 4 episode 5 – 'Mercy Mission'
- Season 4 episode 6 – 'Nomad Droids'
- Season 4 episode 7 – 'Darkness on Umbara'
- Season 4 episode 8 – 'The General'
- Season 4 episode 9 – 'Plan of Dissent'
- Season 4 episode 10 – 'Carnage of Krell'
- Season 4 episode 11 – 'Kidnapped'
- Season 4 episode 12 – 'Slaves of the Republic'
- Season 4 episode 13 – 'Escape from Kadavo'
- Season 4 episode 14 – 'A Friend in Need'
- Season 4 episode 15 – 'Deception'
- Season 4 episode 16 – 'Friends and Enemies'
- Season 4 episode 17 – 'The Box'
- Season 4 episode 18 – 'Crisis on Naboo'
- Season 4 episode 19 – 'Massacre'
- Season 4 episode 20 – 'Bounty'
- Season 4 episode 21 – 'Brothers'
- Season 4 episode 22 – 'Revenge'
- Season 5 episode 2 – 'A War on Two Fronts'
- Season 5 episode 3 – 'Front Runners'
- Season 5 episode 4 – 'The Soft War'
- Season 5 episode 5 – 'Tipping Points'
- Season 5 episode 6 – 'The Gathering'
- Season 5 episode 7 – 'A Test of Strength'
- Season 5 episode 8 – 'Bound for Rescue'
- Season 5 episode 9 – 'A Necessary Bond'
- Season 5 episode 10 – 'Secret Weapons'
- Season 5 episode 11 – 'A Sunny Day in the Void'
- Season 5 episode 12 – 'Missing in Action'
- Season 5 episode 13 – 'Point of No Return'
- Season 5 episode 1 – 'Revival'
- Season 5 episode 14 – 'Eminence'
- Season 5 episode 15 – 'Shades of Reason'
- Season 5 episode 16 – 'The Lawless'
- Season 5 episode 17 – 'Sabotage'
- Season 5 episode 18 – 'The Jedi Who Knew Too Much'
- Season 5 episode 19 – 'To Catch a Jedi'
- Season 5 episode 20 – 'The Wrong Jedi'
- Season 6 episode 1 – 'The Unknown'
- Season 6 episode 2 – 'Conspiracy'
- Season 6 episode 3 – 'Fugitive'
- Season 6 episode 4 – 'Orders'
- Season 6 episode 5 – 'An Old Friend'
- Season 6 episode 6 – 'The Rise of Clovis'
- Season 6 episode 7 – 'Crisis at the Heart'
- Season 6 episode 8 – 'The Disappeared'
- Season 6 episode 9 – 'The Disappeared Part 2'
- Season 6 episode 10 – 'The Lost One'
- Season 6 episode 11 – 'Voices'
- Season 6 episode 12 – 'Destiny'
- Season 6 episode 13 – 'Sacrifice'
- Season 7 episode 5 – 'Gone with a Trace'
- Season 7 episode 6 – 'Deal No Deal'
- Season 7 episode 7 – 'Dangerous Debt'
- Season 7 episode 8 – 'Together Again'
- Season 7 episode 1 – 'The Bad Batch'
- Season 7 episode 2 – 'A Distant Echo'
- Season 7 episode 3 – 'On the Wings of Keeradaks'
- Season 7 episode 4 – 'Unfinished Business'
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (occurs simultaneously with the remaining episodes)
- Season 7 episode 9 – 'Old Friends Not Forgotten'
- Season 7 episode 10 – 'The Phantom Apprentice'
- Season 7 episode 11 – 'Shattered'
- Season 7 episode 12 – 'Victory and Death'
If you're up to date on The Clone Wars, check out our roundup of all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows coming soon from the galaxy far, far away – and if you're not signed up already, subscribe to Disney Plus here. You can also check out our ranking of the best Star Wars movies.
