(Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox)
Since the original film premiered in 1968, the Planet of the Apes franchise has gone through countless transformations. Based on Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel La Planète des singes, the series has delivered entries that could be neatly categorized as the good, the bad, and the ugly. With quite a few films and series to navigate, we’ve put together a clear Planet of the Apes watch order to guide you.
Best Planet of the Apes movie watch order as of 2026
If some power has compelled you to watch all Planet of the Apes has to offer, we suggest watching the movies and TV series in release order so you can follow the journey as it was intended. You’ll find this particular watch order below.
In the chance you’d like to mix things up and watch in chronological order, start with Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011). Follow up with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024). Then jump to the original series with Planet of the Apes (1968), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape From the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), and finally Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1974).
Original Planet of the Apes movie watch order
The critical and commercial success of the first Planet of the Apes helped launch the rest of the franchise and cement the film in cinematic history. Even by today’s standards, the original holds up as a solid piece of science fiction and sharp social commentary. Have we humans learned anything since these allegorical films have come out? Hard to say. But at the very least, these films are entertaining.
1. Planet of the Apes (1968)
First up in our Planet of the Apes movie watch order breakdown is the original film, released in 1968. In the genesis of a film, a group of astronauts crash-lands on a strange planet where intelligent apes rule, and humans are mute, primitive creatures. The protagonist, George Taylor (played by Charlton Heston), is captured and studied by the apes, who are shocked by his ability to speak. With the help of two sympathetic chimpanzees, Zira and Cornelius, Taylor escapes and searches for answers. The film ends with a camera move that is a rattling, rug-pulling revelation. No spoilers here.
The film won an Academy Award for Achievement in Makeup and was also nominated for Best Costume Design and Best Original Score, both of which were highly experimental. It’s worth watching the movie for the score alone.
2. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Beneath the Planet of the Apes picks up where the first film left off. Astronaut Brent (James Franciscus) crash-lands on the same ruined Earth in search of Taylor. He soon discovers the ape society is on the brink of war and that an underground city of mutated humans worships an ancient nuclear bomb. Yeah, it’s weird. The movie definitely leans heavily into the Cold War paranoia of its time. Is it as strong as the original? Definitely not. You’ll probably gather this from the 37% on Rotten Tomatoes.
3. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
The third entry in the franchise, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, flips the script entirely. After the Earth’s destruction, three intelligent apes — Zira, Cornelius, and Little Milo — travel back in time and crash-land in 1970s Los Angeles. At first, they’re welcomed almost as celebrities, but things quickly take a turn as the government begins to fear them as outsiders. While this movie doesn’t have the same dystopian punch as the first two films, it still holds up surprisingly well and is a step up from the previous film.
4. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Roddy McDowell, Don Murray, and Ricardo Montalban, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) is set in a near-future America where apes have become enslaved. Caesar, the son of Zira and Cornelius, grows up under the abuse of a circus ring leader. But when he sees a Gorilla being beaten by humans, he rises up to lead a violent rebellion against his human oppressors. The social commentary isn’t subtle with this one.
5. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
The last film in the original Planet of the Apes series, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, is set years after the ape uprising. Caesar now leads a fragile society where apes and a small number of surviving humans try to coexist. But fragile peace never lasts long, and tensions start to rise, especially as a group of mutated, radiation-scarred humans plots revenge. Despite the hopeful close, this movie left the franchise feeling tired. Can you blame it, really? That’s a movie a year for 4 years in a row. On the other hand, some of the lackluster could have been the fault of producer Arthur P. Jacobs, who wanted this finale to be a more family-friendly film than the brutal, near-R-rated Conquest. Still, the series barely got tied together with this one, and overall went out with a resounding “meh.”
6. Planet of the Apes (1974 live-action TV series)
The 1974 Planet of the Apes live-action TV series attempted to keep the franchise alive after the release of Battle for the Planet of the Apes. Set in yet another version of the future, two astronauts crash land on an Earth ruled by apes, where they team up with a sympathetic chimpanzee named Galen. It reboots the original film’s premise for television, though it lacks the original movie’s excitement. Despite some interesting ideas and Roddy McDowall returning as Galen, the show struggled to find its footing. Much like Battle, it softened the series’s darker edge and ultimately felt like a stretched-out rerun. It was canceled after 14 episodes.
Reboot Planet of the Apes movie watch order
If you made it through the original films, the Planet of the Apes reboot is surprisingly good. When developing the reboot, producer-writer power couple Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver drew inspiration from real-world stories of apes raised by humans, as well as modern breakthroughs in genetic science. So, while the sci-fi element remains, these films are even more effective due to their connection to current scientific and technological breakthroughs.
1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
It took some years to get off the ground, but Rise of Planet of the Apes finally rebooted the franchise by going back to the beginning. James Franco plays a scientist developing a cure for Alzheimer’s (there’s our genetics-innovation thread) who accidentally boosts the intelligence of a chimp named Caesar. As Caesar grows more aware of his captivity and the cruelty of the world around him, he leads a revolt that sets the stage for the fall of human civilization. One of the best things about this film is the incredible motion-capture performance by movement-actor legend Andy Serkis, best known to audiences as Golem in The Lord of the Rings.
2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Ten years after the Simian Flu wipes out most of humanity and devastates global infrastructure, Caesar lives with a thriving colony of apes in the Muir Woods, just outside San Francisco. When a group of human survivors — played by Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, and Keri Russell — emerges, they plead with Caesar to let them access a dormant hydroelectric plant within ape territory. Restoring it would restore power to the city that humans are trying to rebuild. Caesar is torn between protecting his own people and risking everything to build a fragile alliance.
3. War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
Woody Harrelson isn’t exactly typecast as the villain, but here he fully leans into it as the ruthless Colonel, the leader of a militant U.S. Army faction called Alpha-Omega. Two years after the Battle of San Francisco, Alpha-Omega targets Caesar’s colony. Caesar attempts to lead his people across the desert to evade capture, but when he learns that his family has been taken, everything changes. What starts as a mission to protect his colony becomes a personal quest to free his captive clan and confront the man responsible. Plot aside, this film has some brutal depictions of torture and enslavement of the apes. But all around, War for the Planet of the Apes gave us a smart blockbuster rather than just a safe one.
4. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)
Several generations after the War for the Planet of the Apes, apes now live in harmony as the primary power on Earth, with humans reduced to living in the shadows. Noa (played by Owen Teague) is a young chimpanzee who witnesses his village being destroyed and his father being killed by a brutal raiding force led by the gorilla Sylva. Determined to rescue his abducted family clan, Noa is joined by a peaceful orangutan named Raka (Peter Macon) and a human named Mae (Freya Allen). The film was directed by Wes Ball.
Standalone Planet of the Apes movies and TV shows
Besides the official movies, there are some standalone films and TV shows to check out if you want to complete the watch list for the Planet of the Apes projects. We’d say this category could be viewed as its own, so watch this grouping after you get through the originals and reboot. This is just your bonus round.
Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975 animated TV series)
The 1975 animated TV series Return to the Planet of the Apes brings this dystopian story to Saturday-morning cartoons. It’s an unusual choice for a cartoon series, and the series certainly reflects the limited budget. Following the crash landing of astronauts in an ape-dominated world, the show follows their adventures as they navigate this strange society. It’s nostalgic, but it may be best to place this at the end of your list or skip it altogether unless you’re a completionist. And if you are, we salute you.
Saru no Gundan (Army of the Apes) (1974 Japanese live-action TV show)
Fun fact: Japanese audiences loved the Planet of the Apes series. They were even treated to an extended cut of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes thanks to their devotion to the original films. So, as far as series go, this one was cool, mainly because it shows how the Planet of the Apes story was reimagined across cultures.
This 26-episode Japanese live-action series follows a similar storyline to Planet of the Apes, albeit without direct references to it. The first episode sets the stage with three humans waking up from cryogenic sleep, only to discover a world ruled by intelligent, talking apes. They’re promptly thrown into a cell, completely confused about what happened. While not necessarily original, this series completed its intended run, unlike the live-action U.S series.
Time of the Apes (1987) (Saru no Gundan compilation film released in the U.S.)
Time of the Apes compiled footage from the 1974 Japanese live-action TV series Saru no Gundan into a single film, released in 1987. Although not an original movie, it did give U.S. audiences a chance to see the Japanese-made take on the Planet of the Apes concept.
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Last on our Planet of the Apes watch order list is Tim Burton’s 2001 reimagining of the original film. Yes, Tim Burton directed this. No, it’s surprisingly not very Tim Burton-y as far as expectations, and lends itself more to Burton really trying his hand at action films without his hallmark gothic flair. While we have to give the filmmaker credit for trying to experiment within his own forms, this ended up being a project that was nothing to write home about.
Still, if your curiosity is piqued, you should jump in. This version follows astronaut Leo Davidson (played by Mark Wahlberg), who crashes on a mysterious planet ruled by apes and quickly gets caught in a conflict between rival factions of intelligent chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. (At this point, you probably know the setup.) While it mirrors the 1968 classic in broad strokes, Burton’s version leans hard into stylized visuals, earning a BAFTA nomination for its impressive makeup work. That said, it also took home a Razzie for Worst Remake, so temper expectations accordingly.
