The Correct Order To Watch The Fast & Furious Franchise

It might seem obvious, but the best way to experience these movies is to go by order of release. That means starting with the simply and aptly-titled “The Fast and the Furious,” then moving on to “2 Fast 2 Furious,” and continuing with “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.” From there, you continue with the one where they go back in time and drop the “The” because it’s cleaner, “Fast & Furious.” Keep going with the one that reinvented the franchise, “Fast Five,” “Fast & Furious 6,” and the one where James Wan had the incredibly tough job of carrying on without Paul Walker, “Furious 7.” Despite what you might think, the franchise continues to be just as good in “The Fate of the Furious.” Then we finally get the moment where the family goes to space in “F9: The Fast Saga” and, at long last, “Fast X.” 

Do the titles make sense? No, but that is part of the fun.

There’s also “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” which came out in 2019 after “The Fate of the Furious.” That spinoff is too much of a detour and doesn’t really tie into the main story in the slightest. You can watch it if you so choose, but it’s not essential. 

There’s also the completely unnecessary yet fun idea of actually starting not with this franchise, but with “Better Luck Tomorrow.” Though not a part of the series, it is technically the official introduction to Han, the best character in the franchise.

Going by release order means you get to see the ridiculous meta ways in which the franchise evolved with the years, and the reveals and twists are preserved for the right moment for maximum emotional impact.