'Real order' you should watch all of the Harry Potter films in

Warning: This article contains spoilers.

If you have been following the wizarding world for the last two decades, you might not know that you’ve been watching it all wrong.

Yes, even though they came out in what appeared to be chronological order, there were the pesky instalments of the Fantastic Beasts franchise, which threw it all out of the mix.

So, if you want to properly binge-watch the Harry Potter movies properly, here’s the list you need in your life.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Warner Bros.)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Released in 2016, this film is actually set in 1926.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was the first of the three Harry Potter spin-offs, set almost 70 years before Harry, Ron, and Hermione set foot in the school.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

The second film in the Fantastic Beasts trilogy was released to theatres in 2018, and actually gives us a peek at a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Minerva McGonagall (Fiona Glascott).

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

As the last movie to be released in the HP world, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) is set five years after the last film, which focuses on Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) and Dumbledore’s history.

Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone

Finally, we get to the original movies.

The 2001 Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, while filmed in the 1990s, is set in 1980, when Harry was born and sent to live with the horrid Dursleys before going to Hogwarts.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Warner Bros.)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) is the second film of the original saga. It sees Harry meeting a young Voldemort and navigating school life.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) is where things start to get dark in the wizarding world, as the characters are introduced to crime, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), and Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall).

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) is set in Harry’s fourth year of schooling and shows the absolutely mental Hunger Games-esque Goblet of Fire tournament which claims the life of Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson).

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Bros.)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) shows Harry beginning to take on the establishment, and dive into Voldemort’s agenda.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The sixth film to be released sees Harry in his sixth year at Hogwarts, and shows a new side of Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) and Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton).

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1

This is the first time where a book has been split up into two parts, but the 2010 part one was so jam-packed with action, you can see why they had to cut it up.

This film follows Harry's seventh year at Hogwarts, and his mission to destroy Horcruxes.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

Finally, you’re left with part two, which is the final movie to end your binge-watching session.

You’ll see some of the best characters fight and die, in their bid to defeat Voldemort once and for all.

There you have it, the entire chronological list for you to enjoy.