Where to Watch All the 'Saw' Movies in Order in the Wake of 'Saw X'

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"If it's Halloween...it must be Saw," the commercials said. And for almost a decade, it was — Saw movies came out, like clockwork, every October from 2004 to 2010. And then after a break, the Jigsaw rose anew and the franchise was revived. And revived again. And revived again.

This Halloween will be Saw once more, when Saw X comes to theaters on September 29. But while the series is known for many things — gore, complicated traps, a villain that continues to show up in the sequels despite his own (probable) death — having a clear chronology isn't one of them. If you want to re-watch the films to remind yourself how, like Jigsaw's traps themselves, the movies all loop around and turn in on each other, here's where and how to stream all the Saw movies in order.

Like most franchises, if you're new to the series, the release order is best. But if you've seen them already and want to mix them up, a possible chronological order — one of many — is presented at the end. As for where to watch them, most of them are on Peacock, but the last couple you'll have to find on other streaming services. Will you watch? Make your choice.

Looking for more great horror franchises to watch? Check out these Good Housekeeping guides:

The Conjuring Movies in Order | The Purge Movies in Order | Nightmare on Elm Street Movies in Order | Child's Play Movies in Order | Halloween Movies in Order

Saw (2004)

This is the start of it all: The little, low-budget horror flick, shot in just over two weeks and made for little more than a million dollars, went on to spawn a movie that's 10 movies deep and counting. It also launched the careers of its creators, James Wan — who went on to direct movies in The Conjuring, The Fast and the Furious and Aquaman franchises — and Leigh Whannel, who had another horror hit with 2020's The Invisible Man. The premise is appropriately small, too: Two men wake up chained inside a dingy bathroom with a dead body between them, and they have to figure out why (and who) brought them there.

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Saw II (2005)

"The Jigsaw Killer" is still on the loose in Saw II, and this time he has his eyes on a cop, Detective Eric Matthews, kidnapping the policeman's son and forcing him into one of his traps. Will the detective find his son in time? This one proved that, even though the first movie had such an incredible twist, the franchise still had more tricks up its sleeve.

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Saw III (2006)

With his health in decline, and Detective Matthews and his partner still on his trail, Jigsaw decides to take on an apprentice. But will the student be able to adhere to Jigsaw's rules? Though the franchise continues after this one, this is the last entry to be written by Wan and Whannell, the original creators, ending a mini-trilogy-within-a-franchise.

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Saw IV (2007)

Jigsaw is dead...or is he? At the beginning of this one, a cassette is found inside Jigsaw's body with the promise that the games have only just begun. After Wan and Whannell's exit, this one was written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, who horror fans will know from writing the movie Feast, the subject of season three of HBO's Project Greenlight; they will go on to write the next three Saw movies.

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Saw V (2008)

Jigsaw's disciples are still out there carrying on the work of their master — and one is also on the police force. When the other officers start to become suspicious, can this new Jigsaw carry out his nefarious plans before he's discovered?

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Saw VI (2009)

Jigsaw-style traps continue to ensnare victims, this time targeting the employees of a health-insurance company. As they try to fight for their lives, certain facts come to light that shed light on Jigsaw's backstory.

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Saw 3D: The Final Chapter (2010)

The final chapter? Hardly! However, after this one, the franchise does go dormant for seven years, with 2011 marking the first time since 2004 that a Halloween arrives without a new Saw movie. This one sent the series off with fine theatrical fanfare, with lots of traps that were designed to look good in 3D.

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Jigsaw (2017)

You can't keep a good Jigsaw down: After seven years, the franchised is revived with a new creative team. The Spierig Brothers, known for other cool, low-budget indie genre movies Predestination and Daybreakers, took over behind the camera. This time, not only do the investigators in the movie have to deal with Jigsaw and his possible disciples, enough time has passed that the police have to contend with Jigsaw fans, too.

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Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)

More Jigsaw-like killings return, but is he really back, or is it a copycat? This time, Chris Rock is the detective investigating his case — and why he might be targeted by the Jigsaw killer.

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Saw X (2023)

Producers have taken things back to basics — and back to the beginning of the timeline. According to pre-release press, this is said to take place directly after Saw and before Saw II. One excellent thing about that? Tobin Bell can return as Jigsaw. It hits theaters September 29.

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Jigsaw Timeline (a Possible Chronological Interpretation)

First off: Saw is one of the few franchises that knowing when the movies take place could construe a spoiler, so read on at your own peril.

The whole thing about the Saw franchise is that Jigsaw eventually becomes decentralized — meaning he and his minions could be working simultaneously — making it hard to fit the movies into a strict chronological order. Add in multiple flashback subplots, and it becomes near-impossible to watch the events as they unfold, unless you want to constantly toggle between different films from scene to scene.

However, if you want to go from watching the events as the audience experienced them to watching the events as Jigsaw experiences them, well, that's a little more do-able. (Possible, but advisable? Release order is probably still best.) This order takes a stab (pun intended) at putting the life and times of Jigsaw in a sort-of chronological order. Even then, what we know about John Kramer's life skips around, so there's probably more than one way to set this up. Here's one, with brief, spoilery descriptions of why they were placed this way.

1. Saw IV (John Kramer and his wife learn they are having a baby)

2. Saw VI (Kramer seeks approval for an experimental cancer treatment in Norway and is denied)

3. Saw IV (Jigsaw sets his first trap)

4. Jigsaw (Jigsaw's traps get bigger, including a five-person, multi-room trap)

5. Saw V (Jigsaw recruits an apprentice)

6. Saw (Amanda is placed in a reverse bear-trap and survives)

7. Saw II (Jigsaw and an apprentice carry out more traps)

8. Saw III (Jigsaw nears the end of his life)

9. Saw 3D (Two apprentices are in conflict)

10. Spiral: From the Book of Saw (Jigsawy's copycat emerges)

Where Saw X fits in is anyone's game.

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