How to watch the Mission: Impossible movies in order

It’s time to light the fuse once more. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is now in cinemas and you’ll probably want to relive Ethan Hunt’s journey before getting to the mammoth two-parter.

If that’s the case, you’ll need to know how to watch the Mission: Impossible movies in order. While the franchise isn’t as extensive as Bond and certainly not as convoluted as something like the MCU, you still might need a refresher on the M:I watch order – should you choose to accept it.

Ready? Don’t worry, this guide won’t self-destruct in five seconds. Here’s how to watch the Mission: Impossible movies in order.

How to watch the Mission: Impossible movies in order

Don’t worry too much about chronological order here, it's all about the release dates. There are a handful of flashbacks – most notably, Dead Reckoning includes a brief look back at Ethan’s pre-IMF days – but the series should be watched beginning with 1996’s Mission: Impossible (which technically takes place six years after the TV series it’s based on) and concluding with Dead Reckoning Part One. Part Two will release on June 28, 2024.

• Mission: Impossible (1996)

• Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

• Mission: Impossible 3 (2006)

• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

• Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two (2024)

If you want to divide up your Mission: Impossible marathon, we’d recommend watching the first four movies in order and then watching Rogue Nation and Fallout in pretty close proximity before heading to the cinemas to see Dead Reckoning. The fifth and sixth movies are most closely connected. Both directed by Chris McQuarrie, they introduce villain Solomon Lane. Dead Reckoning then continues on with multiple relationships and alliances from that pair of missions, with various characters returning.

As for skippable entries: if you're short on time, Mission: Impossible 2 is by far the most disposable. It's a completely self-contained affair with essential no carry-over in future films - which can't be said of every other entry.

For more on Mission: Impossible, check out our latest Dead Reckoning interviews and coverage:

• How Mission: Impossible's Hayley Atwell brought her "scrappy" Dead Reckoning newcomer to life

• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’s Hayley Atwell spent 100 days on set before recording dialogue

• Mission: Impossible director on why Dead Reckoning is split into two parts

• Chris McQuarrie opens up on Dead Reckoning: "I’m more frightened now than I was on my first Mission: Impossible"