Hunger Games movies in order – release order, timeline and Sunrise on the Reaping

The short version

The Hunger Games is one of the easiest film series to get into. Four films follow Katniss Everdeen from her first Games to the fall of the Capitol. Two prequels go back in time: one to the youth of President Snow, one to the Games that made Haymitch Abernathy the broken mentor we meet in the first film.

That second prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, opens in theaters on November 20, 2026. If you want to catch up before then, this is the order to do it in.

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The Hunger Games movies in release order

Our verdicts are a steady 4 out of 5 for the Katniss films, with Mockingjay Part 1 the one we rate highest. We have not seen The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes yet, so it gets no score here.

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The Hunger Games movies in timeline order

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The Quarter Quells, briefly

Three of the six films hang on the same idea. Every 25 years the Capitol holds a Quarter Quell, a Hunger Games with an extra rule to remind the districts who won the war.

• The 50th Games, the Second Quarter Quell, is the one in Sunrise on the Reaping. Scholastic’s description of the book puts the twist plainly: “twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.” Haymitch Abernathy is one of them.
• The 75th Games, the Third Quarter Quell, is the one in Catching Fire. This time the tributes are reaped from the districts’ past victors, which is how Katniss and Peeta end up back in the arena a year after winning.

That link is the reason the two prequels and the Katniss films fit together so well. Haymitch is the mentor in the 74th and 75th Games because he survived the 50th, and the Capitol has already run the Quell trick once on him before it runs it on Katniss.

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Release order or timeline order?

For a first watch, release order. The prequels are built for people who already know the ending. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is about how a poor but charming young Coriolanus Snow turns into the man who runs Panem, and it only lands if you have watched Donald Sutherland’s President Snow first. Sunrise on the Reaping works the same way with Haymitch: you need to have met the drunk, bitter mentor in the first film to feel what the young Haymitch goes through.

Timeline order is for a rewatch. Once you know the whole story, going from the 10th Games to the 50th to the 74th turns the series into one long story about the Capitol, and that is a good way to see it a second time.

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What each film is

The Hunger Games (2012)

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers for the 74th Hunger Games to save her younger sister. Directed by Gary Ross, it is the most grounded film of the series, and the one that introduces Panem, the Capitol and the Games. Josh Hutcherson plays Peeta Mellark, the other District 12 tribute, and Liam Hemsworth plays Gale. Woody Harrelson is Haymitch, Elizabeth Banks is Effie Trinket, Stanley Tucci is the Games host Caesar Flickerman and Donald Sutherland is President Snow.

Catching Fire (2013)

Francis Lawrence takes over as director, and stays for every film after. Katniss and Peeta are sent back into the arena for the 75th Games, the Third Quarter Quell. Bigger, sharper and for many fans the best of the four. New to the cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman as the Head Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee, Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair and Jena Malone as Johanna Mason.

Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014)

The arena is gone. Katniss becomes the face of the rebellion, and the film becomes a story about propaganda and war. Julianne Moore joins as President Alma Coin, the leader of District 13. The shortest film in the series and, for us, the strongest.

Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015)

The war reaches the Capitol. Darker and more violent than the films before it, with an ending that splits fans.

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

A young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) in the 10th Hunger Games. Viola Davis plays the Head Gamemaker Volumnia Gaul, Peter Dinklage plays the Academy dean Casca Highbottom, Hunter Schafer plays Snow’s cousin Tigris and Jason Schwartzman plays Lucky Flickerman, the host of the 10th Games. Francis Lawrence directed it, and it opened in theaters on November 17, 2023. The longest film in the series so far.

Sunrise on the Reaping (November 20, 2026)

Based on Suzanne Collins’ 2025 novel, it tells the story of Haymitch Abernathy’s Games: the 50th Hunger Games, the Second Quarter Quell, when twice the usual number of tributes are sent into the arena. Joseph Zada plays the young Haymitch, Whitney Peak plays Lenore Dove, Ralph Fiennes plays President Snow and Jesse Plemons plays a young Plutarch Heavensbee. Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, Maya Hawke and McKenna Grace are also in the cast. Francis Lawrence directs again.

If you want to read the book first, Sunrise on the Reaping is out in paperback and hardcover.

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Same character, different actor

Because the prequels jump decades back in time, three characters are played by more than one actor. It helps to know this before you start, especially with a teenager who has only seen the Katniss films.

Snow is the thread that runs through all of it. He is a teenager in the 10th Games, already President by the 50th, and still in power when Katniss volunteers. That is also why release order works best for a first watch: the prequels assume you know where he ends up.

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How long a marathon takes

The four Katniss films add up to 548 minutes, a little over 9 hours. Add The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and you are close to 12 hours. Sunrise on the Reaping adds roughly another two and a half.

If you only have one weekend before November 20, our suggestion: watch the first Hunger Games and Catching Fire on day one, so you know Haymitch and the Quarter Quells, and the two Mockingjay films on day two. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes can wait. Sunrise on the Reaping does not depend on it.

For a rewatch in timeline order, plan two evenings around the prequels. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes on its own is about 157 minutes, longer than any Katniss film, so give it a night to itself. After Sunrise on the Reaping comes out, the 10th and 50th Games together add up to roughly five hours before Katniss even appears. Then the four Katniss films follow as before: the two arena films on one day, the two Mockingjay films on the next.

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Are the Hunger Games movies a good family watch?

All five films are rated PG-13, and the new one is reported to be as well, for strong violence, bloody images, disturbing material, some smoking and teen drinking. The whole premise is teenagers forced to kill each other on live television. The films do not linger on gore, but the violence is the point of the story, not a side effect.

That also makes them worth watching with a teenager. There is a lot to talk about: reality TV, propaganda, inequality, and what it costs to stand up to power. Preview at least the first film before watching with anyone under 13. Our age guides cover other big franchises the same way.

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Books or movies: which is better?

We read the books before we saw the films. The first book is fantastic, a 5 out of 5 for us. Catching Fire and especially Mockingjay did much less for us on the page: 3.5 and 2.5 out of 5. That is where the films surprised us. They tell the second and third parts much better than the books do, which is why the Katniss films hold a steady 4 out of 5 for us, with Mockingjay Part 1 on top.

If your teen wants to read first, start with book one. If the later books lose them, the films are a good way to finish the story.

The books in order

Suzanne Collins has written five Hunger Games novels, all published by Scholastic:

1. The Hunger Games (2008)
2. Catching Fire (2009)
3. Mockingjay (2010)
4. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020)
5. Sunrise on the Reaping (2025)

The order question is the same as with the films. Reading them as published means meeting Snow and Haymitch through Katniss first, which is how the prequels were written to be read. According to Scholastic, the first four books alone have more than 100 million copies in print and digital worldwide.

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Watching them at home

The 4-movie Blu-ray collection covers the Katniss films in one box. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is sold separately, and the books come as a five-book hardcover box set if your teen would rather read first.

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The Dadnology verdict

Watch in release order. Four films about Katniss, then the two prequels, so that Snow and Haymitch already mean something when you go back in time. With Sunrise on the Reaping in theaters on November 20, 2026, now is the right time to catch up. For us, Mockingjay Part 1 is the highlight; the rest of the Katniss films are a steady 4 out of 5. And if you read the books: the first one is the best of them, but the films tell the rest of the story better.

FAQ – Frequently asked questions

What order should I watch the Hunger Games movies in?

For a first watch, in release order: The Hunger Games (2012), Catching Fire (2013), Mockingjay Part 1 (2014), Mockingjay Part 2 (2015), The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), and Sunrise on the Reaping (2026). The prequels play off what you already know about Snow and Haymitch.

What is the Hunger Games chronological order?

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (10th Hunger Games), Sunrise on the Reaping (50th Hunger Games), The Hunger Games (74th), Catching Fire (75th), then Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2.

When does Sunrise on the Reaping come out?

In theaters and IMAX on November 20, 2026. It is directed by Francis Lawrence, who made every Hunger Games film since Catching Fire, and stars Joseph Zada as the young Haymitch Abernathy.

Where does Sunrise on the Reaping fit in the timeline?

Between the two prequels and the Katniss films. It follows Haymitch in the 50th Hunger Games, the Second Quarter Quell, 24 years before Katniss volunteers. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is set 40 years earlier still, at the 10th Games.

How many Hunger Games movies are there?

Five so far: four Katniss films and The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Sunrise on the Reaping becomes the sixth on November 20, 2026.

How long are the Hunger Games movies?

The Hunger Games runs 142 minutes, Catching Fire 146, Mockingjay Part 1 123, Mockingjay Part 2 137 and The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes about 157. A marathon of all five is close to 12 hours.

Are the Hunger Games movies OK for kids?

All five are rated PG-13. The whole premise is teenagers forced to kill each other, so the violence is the point rather than a side effect. Preview at least the first film before watching with anyone under 13.

In what order should I read the Hunger Games books?

In publication order: The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009), Mockingjay (2010), The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020) and Sunrise on the Reaping (2025). The prequels are written for readers who already know Katniss, Snow and Haymitch.

Are the Hunger Games books better than the movies?

For the first one, the book wins for us: a 5 out of 5. For Catching Fire and Mockingjay it is the other way around. We rated those books 3.5 and 2.5, and the films tell their story much better.