How do you watch the Saw movies in order? Would you like to play a game? The defining horror franchise of the 2000s, Saw quickly evolved from a clever chiller into an ever-expanding cavalcade of bloody murder and far-fetched twists.
But that's what makes Saw so much fun! These are the best horror movies if you just want to switch your brain off and enjoy some silly gore. Across the thriller movies, John Kramer (Tobin Bell) becomes the serial killer Jigsaw after the American healthcare system fails him, capturing victims and forcing them to confront their privilege.
Well, "Serial killer" is technically incorrect, because the movie villain never murders anyone. They just get decapitated or drown in pig entrails of their own accord! Philosophical misgivings aside, we've compiled the Saw movies in order, so you can avoid being caught yourself.
How to watch the Saw movies in chronological order:
- Jigsaw (first half) (2017)
- Saw (2004)
- Saw x (2023)
- Saw 2 (2005)
- Saw 3 (2006)
- Saw 4 (2007)
- Saw 5 (2008)
- Saw 6 (2009)
- Saw 3D (2010)
- Jigsaw (second half) (2017)
- Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
Jigsaw (first half) (2017)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+
The twisted games of Jigsaw start in his namesake installment, the eighth film in the franchise. An extended flashback that composes the entire first act shows his first experiment and the poor victims who suffered because of it. It's not the entire first half, but it's close enough, and if you want the full story from the start, this is where to go.
This is about as complicated as the Saw timeline gets, but even by most cinematic universe standards, it's all pretty digestible. The timeline, that is, not the content. …That's not so easy to watch.
Saw (2004)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+
James Wan's classic bottleneck detective movie that started it all. You know the premise by now: two men wake up chained to opposite sides of a bathroom, one of them is instructed to kill the other to save his family. As they try to figure out what to do, a parallel subplot has detectives hunting for the Jigsaw Killer, who's become well-known for his sadistic traps. Works as a stand-alone film or as part of this greater mythology.
All-in-all, it would be wrong of us not to acknowledge the power on pop culture that this movie had. It was the talking point of the era, and became one of the biggest 2000s movies. It could also be credited with putting James Wan on the map, the man who would go on to give us some of the best ghost movies of recent years.
Saw X (2023)
Where to watch: In theaters now
Set between the events of Saw and Saw 2, this installment focuses on John Kramer and his ongoing battle with cancer. When John falls victim to a scam claiming to have a miracle cure for cancer, he goes about picking off the tricksters one by one in a Mexican-set kill room. The most memorable of Saw X traps can be seen throughout the films marketing, and has the pretty self-explanatory name of 'The Eye Vacuum'.
You can read our Saw X review to find out what we thought of the newest release, but we'll save you the time and tell you that it wasn't the most well put-together movie we've seen. It doesn't interfere with the timeline too much, only including two legacy characters in brief capacity aside from John Kramer.
Saw 2 (2005)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+
Right after Saw, Jigsaw, otherwise known as John Kramer, is caught by Detective Eric Matthews. Always two steps ahead, John has Eric's son Daniel in one of his games. Daniel is locked inside an unidentified house with eight other people, and they all have two hours to live. Stressful. Flashbacks reveal that Jigsaw has terminal cancer, setting up his downward spiral.
Saw 2 is essentially Saw, but on steroids. More victims and more elaborate traps are all hints as to where this franchise would progress, and essentially began to establish the nature of the entire series.
Saw 3 (2006)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+
Amanda, from Saw 2, is now an apprentice Jigsaw Killer, along with detective Mark Hoffman. In Saw 3 and Saw 4, they each initiate different methods of torture, demonstrating what John taught them, at the same time, around six months on from the last film.
Amanda's charged John himself, keeping a doctor in charge of his fading body by strapping them into a headpiece that'll blast them with five shotgun shells if they run. Meanwhile, a grieving father is forced to punish those involved in the death of his son from a drink-driving accent. Grueling, and where the endings start to become truly obtuse.
Saw 4 (2007)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+
Away from all that, Mark puts an investigator on Jigsaw's case through utter hell. Lieutenant Daniel Rigg moves from victim to victim, all in a vain effort to finally apprehend John Kramer. He fails, and the rabbit hole of Jigsaw's influence gets deeper and deeper. The Saw movies have fully transitioned into 'gorenographic' territory by this point.
Saw 5 (2008)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+
In the aftermath of Saw 4, Mark sealed the case on Jigsaw and gets promoted. He doesn't have everyone convinced, though, and FBI agent Peter Strahm is on his trail.
Five more victims are locked in an explosive, deadly game in n underground bunker, and Peter finds the Jigsaw case a crushing one to follow – literally and figuratively. Mark, in contrast to Jigsaw, clearly enjoys the cruelty, breaking away from the ethos of offering a "fair" escape for the subject.
Saw 6 (2009)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+
Mark takes over another game at the posthumous request of Jigsaw, targeting William Easton, the head of a dubious health insurance company that refused to cover John for his cancer. In the end, Jill, Jigsaw's widow, reveals a plan to take out Mark, but he survives, setting up a big clash for Saw 7.
Many considered Saw 6 to be a bit of a step up from a floundering series at that point, and it seems to be working towards something big. The set up of Jigsaw still creating traps after his death is a cool one, and makes for a slightly unusual change to the format.
Saw 3D (2010)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+
Remember when Avatar came out and 3D was inescapable for a few years? Even Saw got involved. All this meant that the visuals and the kills themselves became even more over the top and gruesome. Jill trades information on Mark and Jigsaw for immunity from the FBI.
As detective Matt Gibson searches for Mark, another game involving white supremacists takes place. In a massive twist, Dr Lawrence Gordon, a survivor from the first movie, is revealed to be another apprentice, and he traps Mark as the credits roll.
Jigsaw (2017) (second half)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+
And we're right back into Jigsaw, where, a decade after Saw 3, another of John's dedicated followers emerges. Logan Nelson, who survived another Saw trap, is now carrying on the criminal mastermind's work. Yet more history on John's master plan is revealed. Ultimately, it's just about all the gore.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+
The latest chapter of Saw is Spiral, the Chris Rock-fronted spin-off about a copycat Jigsaw. Samuel L. Jackson joins the franchise as well. Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed Saw 2, Saw 3, and Saw 4, helms the film, which mostly serves to give us a brand new Jigsaw, who outwits and outsmarts everyone to maximum bloody results.
We had high hopes for this installment, but unfortunately, it fell flat to expectations and didn't stand out amid the rest of the Saw collection. What could have been a cool detective story recalling back to the first movie turned out to be a forgettable thriller.
How to watch the Saw movies in release order:
- Saw (2004)
- Saw 2 (2005)
- Saw 3 (2006)
- Saw 4 (2007)
- Saw 5 (2008)
- Saw 6 (2009)
- Saw 3D (2010)
- Jigsaw (2017)
- Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
- Saw X (2023)
Unlike Jigsaw's heinous puzzles, the Saw timeline is straightforward regardless of what way you watch it. If you choose release order, the Saw movies are exactly the same bar the first act of Jigsaw.
Then you're into seven installments of John Kramer's particular brand of justice, and then Jigsaw and Spiral, and the next era of Saw. And another sequel is likely coming! Check out our guide on the Saw 11 release date for more.
Saw movies in order of Rotten Tomatoes score
You can play a game with your own mental well being by watching the Saw movies in order of their Rotten Tomatoes score. Reviews were definitely harsh on some entries, but audiences were a bit too forgiving on others as well. 89% for Jigsaw? Absolutely not.
The Saw movies in order of Rotten Tomatoes score from highest to lowest:
- Saw X (85% Critics Score/Audience Score TBC)
- Saw (50% Critics Score/96% Audience Score)
- Saw 6 (39% Critics Score/45% Audience Score)
- Spiral: From The Book of Saw (37% Critics Score/75% Audience Score)
- Saw 2 (37% Critics Score/59% Audience Score)
- Jigsaw (32% Critics Score/89% Audience Score)
- Saw 3 (30% Critics Score/71% Audience Score)
- Saw 4 (18% Critics Score/62% Audience Score)
- Saw 5 (13% Critics Score/52% Audience Score)
- Saw 3D (9% Critics Score/41% Audience Score)
Watch this space as our favorite imprisonment franchise continues to grow! In the meantime, why not have a look at our guides to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre timeline, the Halloween movies, and The Purge movies in order for more bloodlust? Perhaps our lists of the best zombie movies, best vampire movies, and best werewolf movies, as well?
We've even got deep dives into Freddy Kreuger and Michael Myers, if you want to see Jigsaw's biggest rivals. We have a list of all the new movies coming out in 2023 if you want to see what else is on the horizon, such as The Exorcist: Believer release date or the Five Nights at Freddy's release date. Or for more classics, here is our list of the best movies of all time.