Lord of the Rings in Order: All the Films, Series and Books at a Glance

Title image: @cozywithjojo

In short: The Lord of the Rings in release order is: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), The Return of the King (2003), then the three Hobbit films (2012 to 2014) and The War of the Rohirrim (2024). In story order you start with the series The Rings of Power, followed by The War of the Rohirrim, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. For your first visit to Middle-earth I recommend release order.

Middle-earth is big. Seven films in cinemas since 2001, a series with three seasons coming up, a good dozen books and several thousand years of history. If you are starting out, you are a bit like Frodo in front of the Doors of Moria: the way is there, you just need the right word.

In this case the right word is “order”. Here you will find all the films and series by release and by story, Tolkien's books in the right order and my recommendation for where to start. And since season 3 of The Rings of Power starts on 11 November 2026, this overview comes at just the right time.

Lord of the Rings films in release order

This is how the films hit cinemas. Running times are rounded, the Extended Editions are the longer versions for home viewing.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001): theatrical cut about 3 hours, Extended Edition about 3 hours 50 minutes
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002): theatrical cut about 3 hours, Extended Edition about 3 hours 55 minutes
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003): theatrical cut about 3 hours 20 minutes, Extended Edition about 4 hours 25 minutes
4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012): theatrical cut about 2 hours 50 minutes, Extended Edition about 3 hours
5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013): theatrical cut about 2 hours 40 minutes, Extended Edition about 3 hours 5 minutes
6. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014): theatrical cut about 2 hours 25 minutes, Extended Edition about 2 hours 45 minutes
7. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024): theatrical cut about 2 hours 15 minutes, no Extended Edition

The first six films are by Peter Jackson. The War of the Rohirrim is an anime by Kenji Kamiyama and tells the story of Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan after whom Helm's Deep was later named.

Older Lord of the Rings adaptations

Peter Jackson was not the first to venture into Middle-earth. If you want to dig deeper, you will find these adaptations:

1. The Hobbit (1977): animated TV film by the US studio Rankin/Bass.
2. The Lord of the Rings (1978): animated feature by Ralph Bakshi for cinemas. It ends roughly halfway through The Two Towers, the planned sequel never came.
3. The Return of the King (1980): Rankin/Bass told the end of the story, again as an animated TV film.
4. Khraniteli (1991): Soviet TV adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring. It was long thought lost and resurfaced in 2021.
5. Hobitit (1993): Finnish TV series in nine episodes, told from the hobbits' point of view.

For getting started, I still recommend the films from 2001 onwards. The older versions are more something for your third time round.

Chronological order: Middle-earth by story

If you want to experience the story from beginning to end, watch it like this:

1. The Rings of Power (series, seasons 1 to 3): set in the Second Age, thousands of years before The Hobbit. This is where the rings are forged and Sauron shows his friendly side for the first time. Spoiler: it does not stay that way.
2. The War of the Rohirrim: according to the studio set 183 years before The Fellowship, telling how Rohan nearly falls.
3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
5. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies: Bilbo's adventure takes place 60 years before his eleventy-first birthday, where The Fellowship begins.
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
7. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The next film slots in between, by the way. The Hunt for Gollum, directed by and starring Andy Serkis, is due in cinemas on 16 December 2027. In Tolkien's story, the hunt for Gollum takes place shortly before the events of The Lord of the Rings.

Which order is best?

For your first time I clearly recommend release order, so starting with The Fellowship of the Ring. The trilogy is the core of everything, and many moments in the Hobbit films only really work once you know what comes later. Anyone seeing Bilbo find a ring in the dark for the first time should already know which ring it is.

Chronological order is worth it from the second time onwards. Then the individual films become one continuous story, from the elven smiths of Eregion to the Grey Havens.

Your marathon needs time: the three Extended Editions of the trilogy add up to around twelve hours, with The Hobbit and The Rohirrim you get to around 23 hours. How to turn that into a cosy weekend is in my article Your Own Hobbit Hole. For breaks between films there is the 1000-piece Map of Middle-earth Puzzle.

The Hobbit in order: the three films about Bilbo's journey

Luckily the Hobbit order is simple. All three films tell Bilbo Baggins' journey with Gandalf and thirteen dwarves to the Lonely Mountain in sequence:

1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
3. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

A single children's book became three long films. Peter Jackson added material from the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, such as Gandalf's trip to Dol Guldur. If you want to wear the company on your chest, go for the Hobbit T-Shirt An Unexpected Journey with all thirteen dwarves.

The Rings of Power: all seasons

The series is on Prime Video and is set long before all the films. So far there are three seasons:

1. Season 1: since September 2022
2. Season 2: since August 2024
3. Season 3: from 11 November 2026, with eight episodes. The first four episodes come out at launch, the rest by 25 November.

The series is a good starting point for everyone who wants to understand Middle-earth from the beginning. If you know Galadriel from the films, you will meet her here again as a warrior hunting Sauron.

Lord of the Rings books in the right order

The best way to read the books is in the order Tolkien published them. From The Silmarillion onwards it becomes a fan library, edited by his son Christopher Tolkien.

1. The Hobbit (1937): the starting point, originally written for Tolkien's children.
2. The Lord of the Rings (1954 and 1955): published in three volumes, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Tolkien himself saw the work as a single novel.
3. The Silmarillion (1977): the story of the First Age, from the creation of the world to the fall of Morgoth.
4. Unfinished Tales (1980): stories and background, including Númenor and the hunt for the Ring.
5. The Children of Húrin (2007), Beren and Lúthien (2017), The Fall of Gondolin (2018): the three great tales of the First Age as books of their own.

A little fact for bookshelf debates: in German, The Lord of the Rings exists in two translations, the classic one by Margaret Carroux and the newer one by Wolfgang Krege, and fans have argued for decades about which is better. In English you are spared that debate. I am staying out of it either way.

To keep the volumes standing tidily, there are the Gates of Argonath Bookends. The two kings guard your shelf as grimly as the Anduin. If you prefer something creepier, take the Gollum and Sméagol Bookends. The two never agree on anything, but they hold the books together anyway.

To mark the spot where you stopped, there is the Bookmark Set of 4. And your favourite quotes go into the Middle-earth Map Notebook with 240 lined pages.

Fan merch for your marathon

A movie night needs the right outfit. The Fellowship of the Ring Poster T-Shirt suits the first evening, the Return of the King Poster T-Shirt the grand finale. For the anime there is the War of the Rohirrim T-Shirt.

And if you spend the whole time on the edge of your seat wondering whether the Ring will make it to Mordor, best keep an eye on it yourself. The One Ring Replica has a laser-engraved inscription all the way round. Sadly it will not make you invisible. Everything else from Middle-earth is in our Lord of the Rings merch.

Frequently asked questions about the Lord of the Rings order

How many Lord of the Rings films are there?

Since 2001, seven Middle-earth films have been released in cinemas: the three films of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the three Hobbit films and the anime The War of the Rohirrim. Then there is the series The Rings of Power. Older adaptations include Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated film and TV versions from the USA, the Soviet Union and Finland. The next film, The Hunt for Gollum, is announced for December 2027.

Which Lord of the Rings film comes first?

In the current film series, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring from 2001 is the first film. The first major adaptations are older: in 1977 The Hobbit aired as an animated film on US television, in 1978 Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings came to cinemas. In story order, The War of the Rohirrim is the first film, and only the series The Rings of Power is set before it.

Do you need to watch The Hobbit before The Lord of the Rings?

No. The Lord of the Rings trilogy works without the Hobbit films. For your first time I even recommend starting with The Fellowship of the Ring and watching the Hobbit films afterwards.

How long are all the Lord of the Rings films?

As Extended Editions, the three films of the trilogy add up to around twelve hours, the theatrical cuts to around nine hours. With the Hobbit films and The War of the Rohirrim, the longest versions come to around 23 hours.

When does The Rings of Power season 3 start?

Season 3 starts on 11 November 2026 on Prime Video. It has eight episodes, released gradually until 25 November.

In what order should you read Tolkien's books?

Best start with The Hobbit, then The Lord of the Rings and after that The Silmarillion. If you want more after that, read Unfinished Tales and the three great tales The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien and The Fall of Gondolin.

And now: grab the popcorn

Seven films, three seasons, one Ring. Start with The Fellowship. Middle-earth takes care of the rest.

Everything for your marathon is in our Lord of the Rings merch.