What is the best order to watch The X-Files?

For first-timers, we recommend Release Order as it's the intended experience. For rewatches, Timeline/Chronological Order offers a fresh perspective by following the in-universe chronology.

How many titles are in The X-Files?

The X-Files currently includes content across multiple formats. Use the section filters to view specific content types and the order variants to choose your preferred viewing order.

Should I watch The X-Files in release order or chronological order?

Release order is best for first-time viewers as it preserves the creators' intended narrative reveals. Chronological order is great for rewatches and understanding the timeline better.

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The X-Files

edited 2026-05-21

A complete viewing and reading order for The X-Files franchise — FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully's investigation of paranormal cases across eleven seasons (1993–2002, 2016–2018), two theatrical films, creator Chris Carter's spinoff series Millennium and The Lone Gunmen, and the canonical IDW Comics continuation. Includes both full release order and a mythology-only variant for viewers who want to follow the alien colonization conspiracy arc.

sections4items20completed0 / 20 · 0%first1993latest2018

Tags · [mythology][monster-of-the-week][spinoff][idw-comics]

page order

the x-files11 items · 11 unwatched

01TV

1993The 24-episode debut season of The X-Files, created by Chris Carter and broadcast on Fox from September 10, 1993, to May 13, 1994. FBI Speci…

02TV

1994The 25-episode second season of The X-Files, broadcast on Fox from September 16, 1994, to May 19, 1995. The mythology arc escalates dramatic…

03TV

1995The 24-episode third season of The X-Files, broadcast on Fox from September 22, 1995, to May 17, 1996. The mythology arc deepens with revela…

04TV

1996The 24-episode fourth season of The X-Files, broadcast on Fox from October 4, 1996, to May 18, 1997. The mythology arc confronts the human c…

05TV

1997The 20-episode fifth season of The X-Files, broadcast on Fox from November 2, 1997, to May 17, 1998. The season was shortened to allow concu…

06TV

1998The 22-episode sixth season of The X-Files, broadcast on Fox from November 8, 1998, to May 16, 1999. The season picks up after the events of…

07TV

1999The 22-episode seventh season of The X-Files, broadcast on Fox from November 7, 1999, to May 21, 2000. The mythology arc addresses the fate…

08TV

2000The 21-episode eighth season of The X-Files, broadcast on Fox from November 5, 2000, to May 20, 2001. Following Mulder's alien abduction at…

09TV

2001The 20-episode ninth and final original season of The X-Files, broadcast on Fox from November 11, 2001, to May 19, 2002. With Mulder in hidi…

10TV

2016The 6-episode revival miniseries of The X-Files, broadcast on Fox from January 24 to February 22, 2016, produced fourteen years after the or…

11TV

2018The 10-episode eleventh and final season of The X-Files, broadcast on Fox from January 3 to March 21, 2018. The season continues directly fr…

films2 items · 2 unwatched

spin-offs4 items · 4 unwatched

comics — idw3 items · 3 unwatched