How to Watch theSawMovies in Order: From Jigsaw’s First Trap to His Shocking Demise

Mar. 15, 2025

Left: Cary Elwes in ‘Saw’. Right: Octavio Hinojosa in ‘Saw X’.Photo:Evolution/Saw Prods Inc/Kobal/Shutterstock ; Lionsgate / Courtesy Everett Collection

Evolution/Saw Prods Inc/Kobal/Shutterstock ; Lionsgate / Courtesy Everett Collection

2004’sSawremains one of the most influential horror movies of the modern era.

In the film, a sadistic killer known as Jigsaw kidnaps his victims and forces them to suffer through elaborate traps and games. What made the movie so complex was the revelation that Jigsaw picks his victims based on their terrible past choices which he believes they need to “atone” for.

With a budget of $1.2 million,Sawbecame a smash hit and grossed over $103 million at the box office. This spurred a series of sequels that ultimately turned the franchise into one of horror’s longest-running series.

Over the years, theSawfranchise has enlisted a bevy of big actors includingChris Rock,Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Danny Glover andDonnie Wahlberg.

The franchise now has 10 films, an 11th on the way in 2025 and even a theme park attraction in England. The movies were released from 2004 to 2023 but their premiere order doesn’t follow the same timeline as the story. Instead, the films bounce around in time and connect in compelling ways.

To find out how to watch theSawfranchise in chronological order, keep reading.

Jigsaw(2017)

Saw 3D(2010) was originally deemed “The Final Chapter," which put 2017’sJigsawin a unique position to revive a franchise that had been dormant for seven years — not to mention the fact that Jigsaw died in the third film.

Jigsawcleverly divided its story into two parts, making it both a prequel and a sequel. One half takes place in the modern day after the events of the other movies, with a copycat killer on the loose torturing his victims in traps resembling Jigsaw’s.

The other half is a prequel, revealing one of Jigsaw’s games that took place before the first film.

Saw(2004)

Leigh Whannell in ‘Saw’.Evolution/Saw Prods Inc/Kobal/Shutterstock

Evolution/Saw Prods Inc/Kobal/Shutterstock

The original film reveals Jigsaw’s sadistic methods. When fans met the serial killer for the first time his game was to chain two men in a bathroom and force them to compete for survival.

Saw X(2023)

Octavio Hinojosa in ‘Saw X’.Lionsgate

Lionsgate

Anthony Stabley, the movie’s production designer, explained the reasoning for this timeline choice. “I think a lot of this comes down to the fact thatwe love the first twoSawfilms. We wanted to go back to that world,” he told PEOPLE in 2023.

The movie sees John Kramer (a.k.a. Jigsaw) head to a Mexican medical facility to receive treatment for his advancing cancer. However, upon arrival, he discovers the facility is a con being used to rob the sick. He then works alongside Amanda to teach the criminals what it’s like to fight for their lives.

Saw II(2005)

‘Saw II’.Twisted Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock

Twisted Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock

InSaw II, a group of eight people wake up trapped together. Jigsaw informs them that nerve gas is slowly being pumped in through the vents and will kill them in two hours — unless they can follow the rules and find a way to escape.

One of the victims is Amanda, who, at the start of the movie, reveals she relapsed back into drug use, which is what she thinks Jigsaw is punishing her for this time. However, at the end of the movie, it’s revealed that Amanda was actually part of the game and had been helping the serial killer the entire time.

This time around,7th HeavenstarBeverly Mitchellstarred as one of Jigsaw’s victims and Wahlberg starred as detective Eric Matthews.

Saw III(2006)

Shawnee Smith and Bahar Soomekh in ‘Saw III’.Lions Gate Films/Kobal/Shutterstock

Lions Gate Films/Kobal/Shutterstock

Taking place shortly after the events ofSaw II, more victims find themselves in more traps, but this time something is different. Many of the traps are rigged and have no actual way for the victims to escape.

At the end of the movie, both Amanda and Jigsaw are murdered for their crimes.Saw IIIremains the highest-grossing film in the franchise, raking in over $164 million.

Saw IV(2007)

‘Saw IV’.Lions Gate/Twisted/Kobal/Shutterstock

Lions Gate/Twisted/Kobal/Shutterstock

Saw IVbegins with a medical team performing an autopsy on Jigsaw’s body. Being the sadistic mastermind that he is, it turns out that shortly before his death, Jigsaw swallowed a micro cassette which reveals a message: The games aren’t over. In fact, they’re just beginning.

Like all thingsSaw, victims once again begin waking up in traps — and we later learn the new killer is Jigsaw’s other apprentice, Detective Mark Hoffman fromSaw III.

Despite the original villain being dead, Bell reprises the role through flashback scenes that reveal his tumultuous past and why he started creating these twisted games.

Saw V( 2008)

Scott Patterson in ‘Saw V’.Twisted Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock

Picking up right after the events of the fourth film,Saw Vshows Detective Hoffman getting promoted for his work solving the Jigsaw murders, while simultaneously being the one committing them.

Saw VI(2009)

Tobin Bell in ‘Saw VI’.Twisted Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock

Hoffman continues his maniacal rampage inSaw VI, which picks up just days after the events ofSaw V. This time around, the main victim is an insurance broker who denied coverage to Jigsaw during his cancer battle.

Intensifying things even further is that Jigsaw had given his ex-wife Jill a task before he died: to place his apprentice Hoffman through a test of his own. Near the end of the movie, Jill ambushes the detective and straps him into a reverse bear trap, which he only narrowly escapes.

Saw 3D (2010)

‘Saw 3D - The Final Chapter’.Lions Gate/Kobal/Shutterstock

Lions Gate/Kobal/Shutterstock

Saw 3D, also known asSaw: The Final Chapter, continued the Hoffman and Jill duel while also treating audiences to more gruesome traps and kills. The movie centers around a man who pretends to be a survivor of Jigsaw’s games only to find himself actually caught up in one of his traps.

As the seventhSawmovie to be released consecutively,Saw 3Dclosed out the franchise’s original run.

Spiral: From the Book of Saw(2021)

2021’sSpiraldoesn’t directly say when it takes place in theSawtimeline, but based on the movie’s plot, it’s certainly sometime after the events of the main series.

source: people.com