The Matrix Movies in Order

There are four Matrix movies: The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003), and The Matrix Resurrections (2021). Watched back to back that is 551 minutes, or about 9 hours 11 minutes. The Animatrix (2003) is a separate animated anthology, not one of the four feature films.

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.

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.

Not if you want the full story. Each film picks up from the one before it: Reloaded ends on a cliffhanger that Revolutions immediately resolves, and Resurrections is built entirely on how the trilogy ended, so there is no entry you can drop without losing the thread. The honest exception is stopping early rather than skipping ahead. The Matrix (1999) tells a complete story with a real ending, so if you only ever watch one, watch that one. Everything outside the four films, meaning The Animatrix, the comics, and the games, is optional.

It is a sequel, the fourth film in the series, set 60 years after The Matrix Revolutions, with Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss returning as Neo and Trinity. People call it a reboot because it restages scenes from the 1999 original and recasts two famous roles, with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Morpheus and Jonathan Groff as Smith, but everything in the first three films still happened and Resurrections depends on it.

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.

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.

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.

All four are Warner Bros. films, so their subscription home moves around and they cycle on and off HBO Max. In the US as of mid-August 2026 the original trilogy is streaming on Peacock, though listings show that window closing at the end of the month, and Resurrections has no subscription home at all. All four can be rented or bought from Apple TV, Amazon Video, and Fandango at Home, which is the one route that does not depend on the current licensing deal. Availability differs by country and changes often, so check a listings site such as JustWatch for your region before you start.

The four films on this page are the whole story so far, but the franchise is not closed. Warner Bros. announced a fifth Matrix movie in April 2024, with Drew Goddard writing and directing and Lana Wachowski executive producing, which would make it the first film in the series not directed by a Wachowski. As of August 2026 Goddard has said he is still writing the script, and there is no title, release date, or confirmed cast.