How to Watch All 7 ‘Mission Impossible’ Movies In Order

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to watch all of the Mission: Impossible movies in order before Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One opens in theaters. Unfortunately, that gives you (checks calendar) one day to watch the entirety of the franchise. Fortunately, Decider is more than happy to help you achieve this particular impossible mission. Cue the iconic theme song!

Of course, true Mission: Impossible fans know that it all started with the ’60s TV show created by Bruce Geller, but the franchise didn’t become the mega-hit we all know and love until star Tom Cruise suspended himself from the ceiling in 1996. That first Mission: Impossible movie, directed by Brian de Palma, was a major success, and the rest is history.

Now, over twenty years and billions of dollars in profits later, Cruise is once again stepping into the shoes of agent Ethan Hunt. This time around, Ethan and his team are facing off against a mysterious, all-powerful enemy known as “the Entity.” Ominous!

Hollywood has Mission: Impossible fever this week, and we know you do, too. Here’s how to catch up on the franchise.

How many Mission Impossible movies are there?

There are currently seven Mission: Impossible movies, including the one opening in theaters this weekend. However, as the title of the newest film suggests—Dead Reckoning Part One—there is at least one more movie in the bank.

Here’s a list of all the Mission: Impossible movies, including the upcoming eighth movie, in order:

1. Mission: Impossible (1996)
2. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
3. Mission: Impossible III (2006)
4. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
5. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
6. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
7. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
8. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two (2024)

Do you have to watch the Mission Impossible movies in order?

If you want to skip around while watching the Mission: Impossible movies, that’s perfectly fine. With the exception of this upcoming two-parter, each movie comes with a new mission for Tom Cruise, and each movie is self-contained and self-explanatory enough that you will be able to follow it. It’s all about the individual missions, baby! We’re sure you won’t be too confused.

That said, if you are planning to watch every film, you might as well go in chronological order.

How to watch the Mission Impossible movies in order by release date:

The best way to watch the Mission: Impossible movies are in the order they were released. All of the movies are available on Paramount+, which is the streaming service for ViacomCBS and features content from CBS All Access, CBS, Showtime, BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, Pluto TV, and more company brands. Subscribers in the U.S. can get a premium plan for $9.99/month, or an ad-supported plan for $5.99/month.

Scroll down to find out where to watch every Mission: Impossible movie on streaming.

1. Mission: Impossible (1996)

   It’s the movie that started it all, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Brian De Palma. If you only watch one Mission Impossible movie before the new one in theaters, you should probably make it this one. Nothing beats the OG! (Well, nothing beats the OG, which is technically a spin-off continuation of the ’60s TV series and ’80s sequel series of the same name. Whatever!)

   WHERE TO STREAM MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE

2. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

   Director John Woo took over for the second Mission: Impossible movie, which hit theaters four years after the first film was a box office success. Critics didn’t love the sequel, but audiences sure did. Mission: Impossible 2 was the highest-grossest film of the year 2000.

   WHERE TO STREAM MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II

3. Mission: Impossible III (2006)

   Who knew that J.J. Abrams directed a Mission: Impossible movie? Well, you do, now that you’ve bothered to read this little blurb! The Star Trek and Star Wars director took on the third film in the Impossible franchise, and Abrams’s take on the film was much more well-received by critics than the second movie.

   WHERE TO STREAM MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III

4. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

   The fourth Mission: Impossible movie is the first film in the franchise to bring on Christopher McQuarrie, who handled re-writes for Ghost Protocol and would go on to direct the next four Impossible films. The film was directed by Brad Bird, and was well-received by audiences and critics alike. If you’re only interested in the McQuarrie era of the franchise, you can start here.

   WHERE TO STREAM MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL

5. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

   The fifth film in the franchise is where Christopher McQuarrie (also known for his Oscar-winning screenplay for The Usual Suspects) truly took over. He is credited both as the director and the writer of Rogue Nation, and his take on the franchise was once again well-received by audiences and critics.

   WHERE TO STREAM MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION

6. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

   In the most recent Mission: Impossible movie, before the current one in theaters, Agent Ethan Hunt and his team take on the terrorist group previously known as the Syndicate, now known as the Apostles. Written and directed by McQuarrie, it’s also the first film to feature Henry Cavill as a trained assassin.

   WHERE TO STREAM MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT

7. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

   Right now, you can only watch Mission Impossible 7 in theaters. It’s not streaming anywhere, yet, and we don’t want to give too much away, because it’s about to open in theaters this weekend! You can buy tickets to a showing near you via Fandango. That said, you can expect Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One to stream on Paramount+ later this year.

   WHERE TO STREAM MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE