Jurassic Park, born from Michael Crichton’s gripping novel and Steven Spielberg’s cinematic genius, became a defining blockbuster of the 1990s. After two sequels and a 14-year gap, the Jurassic World trilogy revitalized the series, adding three films and over $4 billion to its global box office.

With Jurassic World Rebirth arriving in theaters this July, we’ve crafted a guide to help you follow the franchise’s epic narrative. Scroll down to explore how to watch the Jurassic Park movies in narrative order or by release date.

Jurassic Park Movies in Order

How Many Jurassic Park Movies Are There?

There are six feature-length Jurassic films—three Jurassic Park and three Jurassic World entries. Jurassic World Rebirth will mark the seventh. The franchise also includes two short films and a Netflix animated series, detailed in the timeline below.

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Jurassic Park Movies in Chronological Order

These summaries include light spoilers, such as characters, locations, and major plot points.

1. Jurassic Park (1993)

The Jurassic Park timeline is mostly linear, with the feature films’ release order matching their narrative sequence. The short films and Netflix series may need some extra navigation.

Based on Michael Crichton’s novel, Jurassic Park introduces the franchise’s core premise: dinosaurs cloned from ancient DNA trapped in amber are used by a daring entrepreneur (Richard Attenborough) to populate a theme park on the fictional Isla Nublar.

Paleontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill), paleobotanist Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) visit to evaluate the park’s safety. They’re joined by Lex and Tim Murphy, grandchildren of park founder John Hammond.

A storm hits, and a saboteur cuts power to steal secrets, disabling security. With dinosaurs now free, the group faces a perilous escape from velociraptors and a T-Rex.

Read IGN’s Jurassic Park review or preorder the 4K Edition of Jurassic Park.

Jurassic ParkUniversal PicturesJun 11, 1993PG-13

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2. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

Four years after Jurassic Park, The Lost World reunites Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) and John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) with paleontologist Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore).

Set on Isla Sorna, a second island where Hammond cloned dinosaurs, the story unfolds after the island’s abandonment. A corporate power struggle at InGen, Hammond’s company, sends two groups to the island.

Hammond’s nephew, Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard), aims to profit from the dinosaurs, while Hammond, Malcolm, and Harding seek to protect them as a nature preserve. The groups clash amid territorial dinosaurs, leading to chaotic chases and deadly encounters. Ludlow’s team captures a T-Rex for a San Diego park, but it escapes, causing mayhem. Malcolm and Harding work to contain it humanely.

Read IGN’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park review.

The Lost World: Jurassic ParkUniversal PicturesMay 23, 1997PG-13

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3. Jurassic Park 3 (2001)

Sam Neill returns as Alan Grant, with Laura Dern’s Ellie Sattler in a smaller role. Set four years after The Lost World, Jurassic Park 3 mirrors this timeline in-universe.

The story revisits Isla Sorna, where a man and boy have vanished. Grant, needing funds for dinosaur research, agrees to a helicopter tour of the island, unaware it’s a rescue mission for the missing boy, organized by his parents.

The dinosaurs greet the group with aggression. Facing cunning velociraptors, the team must outwit them while searching for the missing. Grant contacts Sattler to arrange a rescue.

Jurassic Park 3 marked the start of a 14-year franchise hiatus.

Read IGN’s Jurassic Park 3 review.

Jurassic Park IIIAmblinJul 18, 2001PG-13

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4. Jurassic World (2015)

Released 22 years after the original, Jurassic World became a global box office titan. Set on Isla Nublar, it unveils a fully operational dinosaur theme park. Chris Pratt stars as velociraptor trainer Owen Grady, with Bryce Dallas Howard as park manager Claire Dearing.

Claire’s nephews explore the park alone as a genetically engineered super-dinosaur, Indominus rex, breaks free. Claire and Owen race to rescue the boys as chaos erupts with more dinosaurs escaping.

After saving the nephews, Owen leads his velociraptors against the Indominus rex in a plan that goes awry. The film’s climax pits the Indominus against a T-Rex in a thrilling battle. Survivors flee, and the park is abandoned once more.

Read IGN’s Jurassic World review.

Jurassic WorldAmblinJun 12, 2015

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4a. Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (TV Series - 2020)

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, a family-friendly Netflix animated series, is part of the franchise’s canon. While not essential, it’s included for fans seeking the full Jurassic Park experience.

Spanning five seasons, the series unfolds during the Jurassic World trilogy, following six kids at Camp Cretaceous on Isla Nublar. When dinosaurs escape, the kids must survive independently.

The show ties into the films with numerous references, detailed by SYFY. It focuses less on advancing the main plot and more on offering a fresh perspective on the trilogy’s events.

Read IGN’s Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous review.

Jurassic World: Camp CretaceousNetflixSep 18, 2020

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5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Three years after Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom continues to probe the ethics of exploiting dinosaurs for profit. Jeff Goldblum returns as Ian Malcolm.

A volcanic eruption endangers Isla Nublar’s dinosaurs. Malcolm argues for letting them perish to restore nature’s balance, while Claire Dearing’s Dinosaur Protection Group fights to save them. After the U.S. Senate opts against intervention, Claire joins Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) and recruits Owen Grady (Chris Pratt).

Hidden motives within the rescue team reveal that cloning extends beyond dinosaurs. The film concludes with dinosaurs released into the wild, ushering in a new era of human-dinosaur coexistence.

Read IGN’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom review.

Jurassic World: Fallen KingdomLegendary PicturesJun 22, 2018

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6. Battle at Big Rock (Short Film - 2019)

Directed by Jurassic World’s Colin Trevorrow, this 10-minute short, set a year after Fallen Kingdom, depicts the first major human-dinosaur clash post-Fallen Kingdom.

The short concludes with glimpses of other early human-dinosaur encounters.

7. Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (TV Series - 2024)

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, a sequel to Camp Cretaceous, is a mystery-thriller set six years after the Nublar events, just before Dominion. It reunites the “Nublar Six.”

Read IGN’s Jurassic World: Chaos Theory review.

Jurassic World: Chaos TheoryNetflixMay 24, 2024

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8. Jurassic World Dominion: The Prologue (Short Film - 2021)

Initially part of Jurassic World Dominion, this five-minute short was repurposed as an IMAX preview. Now available online or in Dominion’s extended edition, it opens 65 million years ago with Cretaceous creatures, showing a Giganotosaurus-T-Rex battle. The modern segment features a T-Rex chase at a drive-in theater.

9. Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

To avoid spoilers, this summary for Dominion remains brief.

The final Jurassic World trilogy film, set four years after Fallen Kingdom, explores human-dinosaur coexistence. It reunites Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), Alan Grant (Sam Neill), and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern).

Dinosaurs’ integration into ecosystems sparks ecological and ethical challenges. Claire and Owen advocate for dinosaur welfare, while Biosyn exploits them. Meanwhile, Ellie and Alan investigate giant locusts devastating U.S. crops, linked to Biosyn.

Read IGN’s Jurassic World Dominion review.

Jurassic World DominionUniversal PicturesJun 10, 2022

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How to Watch the Jurassic Park Movies By Release Date

Future Jurassic Park Movies

Jurassic World Rebirth hits theaters July 2. Its trailer reveals a story set five years after Dominion, following a team racing to collect DNA from the planet’s largest creatures. Directed by Gareth Edwards (Rogue One, Godzilla), it stars Scarlett Johansson as covert operative Zora Bennett, Mahershala Ali as leader Duncan Kincaid, and Jonathan Bailey as paleontologist Dr. Henry Loomis. The film reportedly draws inspiration from the original Jurassic Park novel.