Jurassic Park, born from Michael Crichton’s novel and Steven Spielberg’s cinematic vision, became a defining blockbuster of the 1990s. After two sequels and a 20-year gap, the Jurassic World trilogy revitalized the franchise, grossing over $4 billion across three films.

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

Jurassic Park Films in Sequence

How Many Jurassic Park Films Exist?

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

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Jurassic Park Films in Chronological Order

These summaries include mild spoilers, such as characters, settings, and general plot details.

1. Jurassic Park (1993)

The Jurassic Park timeline is mostly linear, with the feature films’ release order matching their narrative sequence — only the short films and Netflix series require additional guidance.

Based on Michael Crichton’s novel, Jurassic Park introduces the series’ core concept: dinosaurs cloned using DNA from prehistoric mosquitoes trapped in amber, used by a bold 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 the island to evaluate the park’s safety. They’re joined by Lex and Tim Murphy, grandchildren of park founder John Hammond.

A tropical storm hits, and a saboteur cuts power to steal corporate secrets, disabling security systems. With dinosaurs now free, the group’s tour becomes a perilous escape from velociraptors and a Tyrannosaurus 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)

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

The story unfolds on Isla Sorna, a second island where Hammond cloned dinosaurs, later abandoned to let the creatures roam free. A corporate power struggle at InGen, Hammond’s company, sends two rival groups to the island.

One group, led by Hammond’s nephew Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard), aims to exploit the dinosaurs for profit, while Hammond, Malcolm, and Harding seek to preserve the island as a natural habitat for research. Amid untamed dinosaurs, the groups face chaotic pursuits and deadly encounters. The profiteers capture a T-Rex for a new San Diego park, but it escapes, causing chaos in the city. Malcolm and Harding work to recapture 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)

Alan Grant (Sam Neill) returns, joined briefly by Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), in the franchise’s third chapter, set four years after The Lost World in both real and story time.

The action returns to Isla Sorna, where a man and boy have vanished. Grant, seeking funds for his dinosaur research, agrees to a helicopter tour of the island, only to discover it’s a rescue mission for the boy, funded by his parents.

The dinosaurs greet the group with aggression, forcing them to evade cunning velociraptors while searching for the missing pair. Grant enlists Sattler’s help to arrange a rescue operation.

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 introduces a new dinosaur theme park, featuring Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), a velociraptor trainer, and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), the park’s operations manager.

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

After securing the boys, the focus shifts to stopping the Indominus rex. Owen leads his trained velociraptors against it, leading to a dramatic battle with a T-Rex. Survivors escape, 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 canon but not essential viewing. It’s included for fans seeking the full Jurassic Park experience.

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

The show ties to the films through numerous references, as noted 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)

Set three years after Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom continues to probe the ethics of exploiting dinosaurs for profit. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) returns to the saga.

A volcanic eruption endangers Isla Nublar’s dinosaurs. Malcolm advocates letting them perish to correct their unnatural existence, while Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) campaigns to save them via her Dinosaur Protection Group. When the U.S. Senate opts against rescue, Claire joins forces with Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) and recruits Owen Grady (Chris Pratt).

Hidden motives within the rescue team reveal that cloning technology extends beyond dinosaurs. The film concludes with dinosaurs released into the wild, ushering in an 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 one year after Fallen Kingdom, depicts the first significant 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 follow-up to Camp Cretaceous, is a mystery-thriller animated series. It reunites the “Nublar Six” six years after their Isla Nublar adventure, set just before Jurassic World Dominion.

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)

Originally filmed as the opening for Jurassic World Dominion, this five-minute short was repurposed as an IMAX preview. It’s now available online or in the extended edition of Jurassic World Dominion.

Beginning 65 million years ago, it showcases Cretaceous-era creatures, with a Giganotosaurus battling a T-Rex, whose blood is drawn by a mosquito. The latter half, set in the present, follows a helicopter chasing a loose T-Rex at a drive-in theater.

9. Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

To avoid spoilers, this summary for the recent Dominion release is intentionally vague.

Concluding the Jurassic World trilogy, Dominion, set four years after Fallen Kingdom, explores a world where humans and dinosaurs coexist. It reunites key characters: 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, a genetics firm, exploits them for profit. Meanwhile, giant locusts ravage U.S. crops, prompting Ellie and Alan to investigate Biosyn’s connection.

Read IGN’s Jurassic World Dominion review.

Jurassic World DominionUniversal PicturesJun 10, 2022

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How to Watch the Jurassic Park Films By Release Date

Upcoming Jurassic Park Films

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