Watch order guide · Indiana Jones

How to watch the Indiana Jones movies in order

Updated October 21, 2026 · 9 min read · 6 titles · 33 hours

Watch Indiana Jones in release order: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Dial of Destiny. Temple of Doom is a prequel set in 1935, a year before Raiders, so story order starts there.

Titles

6

Films

5

Series

1

Watch time

33 hours

Box office

$2.37 billion

Avg IMDb

7.4

Indiana Jones movies in release order

Here is every Indiana Jones title in the order it came out, 1981 to 2023: 5 films and 1 series. Optional entries are marked; you can skip them on a first watch.

Indiana Jones timeline: movies in chronological order

The same titles in story order, by when they take place, with the year or era each one is set in.

Release or chronological: which order is best?

Release order and story order disagree on 3 titles here. In release order you start with Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981); in story order you start with The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, set in 1908–1920, which came out 11 years later.

First time through, watch in release order. That is how the twists, returning characters and callbacks were built to land, and later entries assume you have seen the earlier ones. On a rewatch, try story order. It turns Indiana Jones into one continuous story and makes the prequels play as setup instead of backstory.

Where to start

Every Indiana Jones movie, explained

One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.

No. 01 · 1981 · Film · 1h 55m · 3rd in story order

Raiders of the Lost Ark

When Dr. Indiana Jones – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime.

Why it matters: The 1981 original and the place to start.

Starring

Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, and Paul Freeman

Director

Steven Spielberg

Box office

$390 million on a $18 million budget

Scores

IMDb 8.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 94%

No. 02 · 1984 · Film · 1h 58m

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

After arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees – and stumbles upon a secret cult plotting a terrible plan in the catacombs of an ancient palace.

Why it matters: A prequel set in 1935, a year before Raiders.

Starring

Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, and Ke Huy Quan

Director

Steven Spielberg

Box office

$333 million on a $28 million budget

Scores

IMDb 7.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 77%

No. 03 · 1989 · Film · 2h 7m · 4th in story order

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

In 1938, an art collector appeals to eminent archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones to embark on a search for the Holy Grail. Indy learns that a medieval historian has vanished while searching for it, and the missing man is his own father, Dr. Henry Jones Sr.. He sets out to rescue his father by following clues in the old man's notebook, which his father had mailed to him before he went missing. Indy arrives in Venice, where he enlists the help of a beautiful academic, Dr. Elsa Schneider, along with Marcus Brody and Sallah. Together they must stop the Nazis from recovering the power of eternal life and taking over the world!

Why it matters: Indy and his father search for the Grail.

Starring

Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, and Denholm Elliott

Director

Steven Spielberg

Box office

$474 million on a $48 million budget

Scores

IMDb 8.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 84%

No. 04 · 1992 · Series · 22h 14m · 1st in story order · optional

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

At the dawn of the 20th century, Indiana Jones discovered the world. From globetrotting family expeditions as a 9-year-old to the battlefields of World War I as a teenager, Indy’s experiences shaped the heroic, whip-cracking archaeologist he would become. At every turn, Indy encounters history in the making, meeting true-life activists, soldiers, writers, artists, and thinkers who helped influence the world we live in today.

Why it matters: Indy's early life on TV; optional.

Starring

Sean Patrick Flanery, Corey Carrier, and Lloyd Owen

Creator

George Lucas

Scores

IMDb 7.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 78%

Episodes

24 across 2 seasons

No. 05 · 2008 · Film · 2h 2m

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Set during the Cold War, the Soviets—led by sword-wielding Irina Spalko—are in search of a crystal skull which has supernatural powers related to a mystical Lost City of Gold. Indy is coerced to head to Peru at the behest of a young man whose friend—and Indy's colleague—Professor Oxley has been captured for his knowledge of the skull's whereabouts.

Why it matters: Indy in 1957.

Starring

Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, and Karen Allen

Director

Steven Spielberg

Box office

$787 million on a $185 million budget

Scores

IMDb 6.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 77%

No. 06 · 2023 · Film · 2h 35m

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Finding himself in a new era, and approaching retirement, Indy wrestles with fitting into a world that seems to have outgrown him. But as the tentacles of an all-too-familiar evil return in the form of an old rival, Indy must don his hat and pick up his whip once more to make sure an ancient and powerful artifact doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

Why it matters: Harrison Ford's last outing as Indy.

Starring

Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Mads Mikkelsen

Director

James Mangold

Box office

$384 million on a $295 million budget

Scores

IMDb 6.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 71%

Indiana Jones box office and budgets

The 5 Indiana Jones films with reported numbers have grossed $2.37 billion worldwide on about $574 million in combined budgets, roughly 4.1 times what they cost. The biggest is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at $787 million, 33% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ($474 million) and Raiders of the Lost Ark ($390 million).

Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to Raiders of the Lost Ark, which made 22 times its $18 million budget. The weakest was Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny at 1.3 times its $295 million budget. As a rule of thumb, a film needs about two and a half times its budget at the box office to cover marketing and the theaters' cut.

The best and worst rated Indiana Jones movies

Across 6 rated titles, Indiana Jones averages 7.4 on IMDb. The top of the list is Raiders of the Lost Ark at 8.4, then Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (8.2) and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (7.5). At the bottom: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (6.2) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (6.5). Money and quality don't line up perfectly: the highest grosser, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, is only the 6th best rated.

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark8.4 · RT 94%
2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade8.2 · RT 84%
3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom7.5 · RT 77%
4. The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles7.3 · RT 78%
5. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny6.5 · RT 71%
6. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull6.2 · RT 77%

Who appears in the most Indiana Jones movies

Harrison Ford leads with 5 appearances as Indiana Jones, ahead of Karen Allen (3) and John Rhys-Davies (3). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.

Indiana Jones directors and creators

3 filmmakers have directed or created Indiana Jones; Steven Spielberg has the most, with 4.

• Steven SpielbergRaiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
• George LucasThe Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992)
• James MangoldIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)

How long it takes to watch every Indiana Jones movie

All 6 titles add up to 33 hours: 11 hours of film and 22 hours of series, counting every episode. That is about 17 two-hour evenings, or 4 days of ten-hour binges. The essentials cut it to 11 hours. The longest film is Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny at 2h 35m.

Which Indiana Jones movies can you skip?

1 title can go without losing the main story. They are side stories, spin-offs or entries the later films ignore. Dropping them saves 22 hours.

• The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles1992 · Series · 22h 14m · optionalIndy's early life on TV; optional.

Common questions

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