Film · in order
The Matrix Movies in Order
The four Matrix films tell one continuous, linear story, so the simplest path is also the right one: watch them in release order, from The Matrix (1999) to The Matrix Resurrections (2021).
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Why this order?
The Matrix is one of the rare franchises where you don't need a flowchart. The four films form a single, unbroken timeline that picks up roughly where the last one left off, so release order and chronological order are identical. Start with The Matrix (1999), continue with The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (both 2003), and finish with The Matrix Resurrections (2021). That's the whole story, in the only order that makes sense.
Because there's no internal time-jumping or prequel trickery, we list a single default order and label it both ways. Reloaded and Revolutions were shot back-to-back and released the same year, so they function almost as one long middle chapter; Revolutions in particular leans on cliffhangers from Reloaded and is best watched soon after. Resurrections arrived eighteen years later as a legacy sequel that revisits Neo and Trinity, so it slots cleanly onto the end.
The one genuine gotcha is The Animatrix (2003), a companion anthology of nine animated shorts overseen by the Wachowskis. It is not part of the numbered movie list, but several segments, especially "The Second Renaissance," dramatize how the human-machine war began and how people ended up plugged into the Matrix. The sweet spot is to watch it after the first film and before Reloaded, when you're curious about the backstory but not yet committed to the trilogy's heavier plotting.
If you enjoy the Wachowskis' dense, idea-driven world-building, their later work on Cloud Atlas and the series Sense8 scratches a similar itch. But for The Matrix itself, keep it simple: press play on the 1999 original and go straight down the list.
Timeline 1999โ2021
Every entry plotted by release year โ see the gaps, clusters and revivals at a glance.
Where to play it today
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Frequently asked questions
How many Matrix movies are there?
There are four Matrix movies: The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), and The Matrix Resurrections (2021). The Animatrix (2003) is a separate animated anthology, not one of the four feature films.
What order should I watch The Matrix in?
Watch them in release order, which is also the story order: The Matrix, then Reloaded, then Revolutions, then Resurrections. The timeline is fully linear, so there's no alternate viewing order to worry about.
Is release order the same as chronological order for The Matrix?
Yes. The four films were released in the same sequence as their events occur, with no prequels or flashback-driven entries, so release order and chronological order are identical.
Where does The Animatrix fit in?
The Animatrix is a companion anthology of animated shorts that fills in backstory, including how the machine war began. Watch it after the first film and before Reloaded, but keep it off your main numbered list.
Do I need to watch the trilogy before Resurrections?
Ideally yes. The Matrix Resurrections (2021) is a direct continuation that revisits Neo and Trinity and frequently references the original three films, so watching the trilogy first makes it far more rewarding.
Were Reloaded and Revolutions filmed together?
Yes. The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions were shot back-to-back and both released in 2003, which is why they play almost like two halves of one continuous middle story.
Last updated · Sources: en.wikipedia.org, Wikidata
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