The Purge Movies in Order
Twelve hours, no laws, one siren: the New Founding Fathers' annual night, from its Staten Island trial run to a Purge that refuses to end.
The Purge began in 2013 as a home-invasion thriller about one family locked inside on the single night each year when every crime is legal, and James DeMonaco's idea has since grown into five films and a two-season TV series. Each chapter widens the view, from a gated home to the open streets, the capital in an election year, the Staten Island experiment where it all started and a Texas ranch where the killing won't stop at dawn.
Release order lets the world unfold the way audiences first met it, with the prequel landing once you know what it leads to. Chronological order starts with that late-2010s experiment and runs to 2049, with the USA Network series filling the years between Anarchy and Election Year.
The quick answer
There are 5 Purge films, plus a two-season TV series. By story year they run The First Purge, The Purge, Anarchy, the TV series, Election Year and The Forever Purge.
Chronological order
- The First Purge · The Staten Island experiment
- The Purge · A gated Los Angeles neighborhood
- The Purge: Anarchy · Out on the streets of Los Angeles
- The Purge TV series · Between Anarchy and Election Year
- The Purge: Election Year · Washington, D.C., in an election year
- The Forever Purge · Texas, eight years after Election Year
First time watching? Either order works. Release order shows the films the way audiences first met them, surprises intact; chronological order follows the story’s own timeline and suits a rewatch.
The complete timeline
The Purge
A security salesman's family expects a quiet lockdown until their son lets a wounded stranger inside and a masked gang comes to the door.
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The Purge: Anarchy
An off-duty sergeant on a revenge mission ends up shepherding strangers who were caught outside when the siren sounded.
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The Purge: Election Year
Leo Barnes has to keep a presidential candidate sworn to end the Purge alive once she becomes the night's top target.
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The First Purge
The New Founding Fathers pay Staten Island residents to stay put for a twelve-hour test of a night without laws.
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The Purge TV series
Season 1 follows strangers through the 2027 Purge, and Season 2 jumps ahead to the year between two later Purges.
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The Forever Purge
Mexican immigrants and the ranching family they work for are forced together when purgers refuse to stop at dawn.
Read entryThe First Purge goes back to the beginning
The First Purge was the fourth film released but tells the earliest story: the New Founding Fathers' one-night trial run on Staten Island in the late 2010s, before the Purge went national. The original film is set in 2022 and Anarchy a year later. The TV series covers the 2027 Purge in Season 1 and the year between the 2036 and 2037 Purges in Season 2, which places it between Anarchy and Election Year (2040). The Forever Purge follows eight years after Election Year, in 2048 and 2049. Frank Grillo's Leo Barnes links Anarchy and Election Year.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Purge
How many Purge movies are there?
There are five: The Purge (2013), The Purge: Anarchy (2014), The Purge: Election Year (2016), The First Purge (2018) and The Forever Purge (2021). The franchise also includes The Purge TV series, which ran for two seasons on USA Network in 2018 and 2019, and a sixth film has been in development.
What order should I watch The Purge movies in?
For a first watch, release order: The Purge, Anarchy, Election Year, The First Purge and The Forever Purge. For story order, start with The First Purge, then The Purge (2022), Anarchy (2023), the TV series (2027 to 2037), Election Year (2040) and The Forever Purge (2048 to 2049).
Do I need to watch The Purge movies in order?
Not really. Each film follows mostly new characters through a different Purge night, so any of them works on its own. Election Year gains the most from a prior watch, because Leo Barnes returns from Anarchy, and The Forever Purge is a direct follow-up to Election Year.
Is The First Purge a prequel?
Yes. Released fourth, in 2018, it goes back to the experiment that started everything: a single lawless night on Staten Island, run by the New Founding Fathers of America years before the 2022 Purge of the original film. It is the first film in the series not directed by James DeMonaco; Gerard McMurray directed from DeMonaco's script.
Is The Purge TV series canon, and where does it fit?
Yes. Franchise creator James DeMonaco created the series for USA Network, and it shares the films' world and rules. Season 1 (2018) covers the 2027 Purge across ten episodes, and Season 2 (2019) follows the year between two later Purges, so both seasons fall between Anarchy and Election Year. The show was canceled after its second season.
Which Purge movies is Frank Grillo in?
Frank Grillo plays former police sergeant Leo Barnes in The Purge: Anarchy and The Purge: Election Year, where he becomes head of security for a presidential candidate. He signed on in 2021 to return for a planned sixth film.
Is there a new Purge movie coming?
A sixth film has been in development for several years. James DeMonaco has written the script and is set to direct, with Frank Grillo returning, but as of October 2026 no production start or release date has been announced. The Forever Purge (2021) is still the latest film.