How to Watch All the ‘Saw’ Movies in Order

If you love gore, then the Saw movies are the horror franchise that just keeps giving. It’s been nearly 20 years since the first Saw movie—a little DIY indie horror movie that could—burst onto the scene. Now, the tenth installment in the franchise, Saw X, is coming to movie theaters this weekend.

The good news is that you don’t need to watch all of the Saw movies in order to understand Saw X. That said, it probably would be a good idea to watch the first two films in the franchise. The new film will take place between Saw and Saw II, and will likely reference the events of the second film. (And may possibly even spoil some twists from the second movie. You’ve been warned!)

If you really want to be an overachieving, of course, you’re more than welcome to binge all the Saw movies.

For those who want to watch the Saw movies in chronological order—as in, in the order of events as they happen in the universe, rather than by the film’s release date—here’s how to do that.

How to watch the Saw movies in chronological order:

1. Saw (2004)
2. Saw X (2023)
3. Saw II (2005)
4. Saw III (2006)
5. Saw IV (2007)
6. Saw V (2008)
7. Saw VI (2009)
8. Saw 3D (2010)
9. Jigsaw (2017)
10. Spiral (2021)

That said, it probably makes more sense to watch the Saw movies in the order they were released because each subsequent movie tends to reference the ones that preceded it. Here’s how to watch the Saw movies online.

1. ‘Saw’ (2004)

   The movie that started this whole twisted franchise, Saw, was once but a humble indie horror movie that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It was the directorial debut of James Wan, who would go on to create The Conjuring franchise. And the screenplay was written by Leigh Whannell, who also starred in the film as Adam. The premise was simple: Two guys ( Whannell and Cary Elwes) wake up chained to the wall in a room, and are forced to inflict extreme (and creative) physical pain on themselves in order to survive. This was a true, DIY, scrappy, low-budget horror ge. If you’re only going to watch one Saw movie before the new film, it should definitely be this one. There are a few places you can stream the first Saw movie right now, including Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Starz.

   WHERE TO WATCH SAW

2. ‘Saw II’ (2005)

   The first Saw film was a box-office success—taking home $103.8 million worldwide, making it the most profitable horror film after Scream (1996)—so, naturally, Lionsgate ordered up a sequel the very next year. Darren Lynn Bousman stepped in as director, while Leigh Whannell returned to co-write the screenplay with Bousman. Shawnee Smith returned as Detective Amanda Young, and Tobin Bell was back as the criminal mastermind, Jigsaw, who comes up with a whole new set of torture ideas for a new crop of victims. If you have time, it’s a good idea to watch Saw II before the newest film, too. Saw X is said to take place between the first and second movies, but will likely reference events of the second film.

   WHERE TO WATCH SAW II

3. ‘Saw III’ (2006)

   More! Torture! Porn! After the success of the first two films, Lionsgate popped out the third Saw movie the very next year. Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith returned for their roles as Detective Amanda Young and the evil mastermind Jigsaw once again, and the movie picks up right where the second film left off. Critics didn’t like it, but by this point, fans were just watching to see how the third movie could up the gore. On that front, Saw III delivered. That said, you likely don’t need to watch this one before the new movie, because Saw X will take place before it, canonically.

   WHERE TO WATCH SAW III

4. ‘Saw IV’ (2007)

   Another year, another Saw movie. For the the fourth year in a row, Lionsgate managed to grind out yet another sequel in this low-budget, high-return franchise in time for Halloween, It was the third and final Saw movie directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, and introduced Scott Patterson (aka Luke from Gilmore Girls) as Agent Strahm. It’s also the first Saw film without Shawnee Smith, and the first film in the franchise not be written by Leigh Whannell or James Wan.

   WHERE TO WATCH SAW IV

5. ‘Saw V’ (2008)

   They just keep coming. The fifth Saw movie, now directed by David Hackl, was written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. Scott Patterson returned as Agent Strahm. Costas Mandylor, who played Mark Hoffman in the third film, also came back, to solve yet another case of “Jigsaw is torturing people in creative ways.”

   WHERE TO WATCH SAW V

6. ‘Saw VI’ (2009)

   By the time the sixth Saw movie rolled around—making it the sixth year in a row Lionsgate had cranked out a film in the franchise—it seems both critics and audiences were tired of watching Jigsaw torture folks. It was the lowest-grossing film in the Saw franchise at the time and panned by critics. But it later gained respect in the franchise from fans who appreciated the political message—at a time when the country was reeling from a financial crisis, it was cathartic to see insurance executives getting the torture porn treatment.

   WHERE TO WATCH SAW VI

7. ‘Saw 3D’ aka ‘Saw: The Final Chapter’ (2010)

   After nearly a full decade of one Saw movie per year, Lionsgate finally decided to (temporarily) call it quits thanks to the poor box office performance of the previous film, with one (not so) final hoorah. Directed by Kevin Greutert, and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, Saw 3D came out the same year as Avatar, back when all the industry professionals believed 3D technology was the future of cinema. Notably, Cary Elwes reprised his role from the first movie, as Dr. Lawrence Gordon.

   WHERE TO WATCH SAW: THE FINAL CHAPTER

8. ‘Jigsaw’ (2017)

   After a seven-year hiatus, the Saw franchise realized that the secret to franchise success isn’t sequels—it’s reboots! Detectives Brad Halloran and Keith Hunt (actors Callum Keith Rennie and Clé Bennett) uncover a series of murders that seems suspiciously like the one committed by Jigsaw nearly a decade prior. But that guy is totally dead! …Right?

   WHERE TO WATCH JIGSAW

9. ‘Spiral’ (2021)

   The Saw franchise can have a star-powered spin-off movie, as a treat. Starring Chris Rock as a headstrong detective, Max Minghella as his rookie partner, and Samuel L. Jackson as a seasoned police officer, this ninth movie in the Saw franchise finds authorities investigating a series of murders that are all too similar to the crimes committed by the long-dead Jigsaw Killer. Not considered to be a direct sequel to the 2017 movie, you can watch Spiral as a stand-alone.

   WHERE TO WATCH SPIRAL

10. ‘Saw X’ (2023)

    All of this brings us to the tenth and latest film in the Saw franchise, Saw X, coming to theaters this weekend. If you’re behind on your binge, there’s no need to panic, because Saw X is intended as a direct sequel to the first 2004 Saw film and a prequel to the 2005 sequel, Saw II. Tobin Bell is back as Jigsaw and Shawnee Smith is back as Amanda Young. We can’t wait to see what sort of sick, twisted games Jigsaw has cooked up this time around. Right now, the only way to watch Saw X is in a movie theater. A Saw X digital release date has not yet been announced. You can find a screening of Saw X near you via Fandango.

    WHERE TO WATCH SAW X