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How to watch James Bond films in order and where to watch online

Everything to know about watching the James Bond films in release date and chronological order

James Bond no time to die

Published: Wednesday, 5 October 2022 at 12:10 pm

Is there a better way to celebrate the Bond franchise's 60th anniversary than to watch all the films it has yielded? If you agree, but have no time to figure out how to watch all of the 007 films in the right order, RadioTimes.com has you covered.

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As it turns out, 'in order' can mean a few different things (more on that below), so there are plenty of rewatch styles fans can enjoy while they wait for a new and 'refreshed' James Bond.

Whether you're watching by classic release date, Cold War era films or Post-Cold War era films, there are many ways to get to the sprawling franchise's latest release, No Time To Die.

Once you're done with that, or while you're at it, you can also check out who played James Bond in order.

Now, without further ado, here is all you need to know about the order of James Bond films.

James Bond films in release date order

Of course, the best way to view the James Bond films in the official franchise would be to watch them in release date order.

You would be able to enjoy the historical, production and storyline context to all of the entries in the series.

The James Bond films in release date order can be seen below.

  1. Dr. No (1962)
  2. From Russia with Love (1963)
  3. Goldfinger (1964)
  4. Thunderball (1965)
  5. You Only Live Twice (1967)
  6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
  7. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
  8. Live and Let Die (1973)
  9. The Man with the Golden (1974)
  10. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
  11. Moonraker (1979)
  12. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
  13. Octopussy (1983)
  14. A View to a Kill (1985)
  15. The Living Daylights (1987)
  16. Licence to Kill (1989)
  17. Goldeneye (1995)
  18. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
  19. The World is Not Enough (1999)
  20. Die Another Day (2002)
  21. Casino Royale (2006)
  22. Quantum of Solace (2008)
  23. Skyfall (2012)
  24. Spectre (2015)
  25. No Time To Die (2021)

Sean Connery was, naturally, the first Bond in the series, followed by George Lazenby, then Roger Moore, then Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan before finally Daniel Craig.

1. Dr. No (1962)

Joseph Wiseman as Dr. No

Actor Joseph Wiseman on the set of "Dr No". (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

What's Dr. No about?

In 007's big-screen debut, Bond decides to battle against an eccentric scientist, Dr No, who is determined to ruin the US space programme. For this purpose, he journeys to Jamaica to nip in the bud this megalomaniac peril.

Who's in the Dr. No cast?

Where can I watch Dr. No?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

2. From Russia with Love (1963)

From Russia with Love

From Russia with Love Getty

What is From Russia with Love about?

In From Russia with Love, James Bond is sent to steal a top-secret Soviet decoding machine and ends up helping its operator defect to the West. However, he discovers the mission is really a trap set by international crime syndicate Spectre, and struggles to evade his would-be assassins

Who is in the From Russia with Love cast?

Where can I watch From Russia with Love?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

3. Goldfinger (1964)

Goldfinger

Getty

What is Goldfinger about?

In Goldfinger, James Bond is assigned to investigate a notorious German gold smuggler and discovers his quarry has ambitions much greater than first suspected. Pursuing the criminal mastermind around the world, Bond uncovers the villain's audacious scheme to destroy the global economy with a daring attack on Fort Knox.

Who is in the Goldfinger cast?

Where can I watch Goldfinger?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

4. Thunderball (1965)

Thunderball

Getty

What is Thunderball about?

In Thunderball, James Bond travels to the Bahamas on the trail of two nuclear warheads stolen from a British aircraft. The lethal weapons have fallen into the hands of international crime syndicate Spectre, which plans to fire them at the US coast unless an exorbitant ransom is paid.

Who's in the Thunderball cast?

Where can I watch Thunderball?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

5. You Only Live Twice (1967)

You Live Only Twice

Getty

What is You Only Live Twice about?

You Only Live Twice sees James Bond sent on a mission to uncover the truth behind the disappearances of Soviet and American space capsules before the mutually suspicious superpowers go to war. The trail leads to Japan, where Bond finally comes face to face with his arch-enemy Blofeld.

Who is in the You Only Live Twice cast?

Where can I watch You Only Live Twice?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

George Lazenby in On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

What is On Her Majesty's Secret Service about?

In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, James Bond prevents a young woman - Teresa `Tracy' Draco - from committing suicide. Her father is Marc-Ange Draco, the head of a powerful crime syndicate who is impressed by Bond and wants him to protect his daughter by marrying her. In exchange, he offers Bond information that will lead him to master criminal and arch-enemy Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who is intent on destroying world peace by means of a lethal virus unless he receives an international amnesty for his crimes.

Who's in the On Her Majesty's Secret Service cast?

Where can I watch On Her Majesty's Secret Service?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

7. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Diamonds Are Forever

Getty

What is Diamonds Are Forever about?

In Diamonds Are Forever, James Bond masquerades as Peter Franks to uncover a diamond smuggling conspiracy. He must also deal with his old rival Ernst Stavro Blofeld who wants to use the diamonds to build a giant laser.

Who is in the Diamonds Are Forever cast?

Where can I watch Diamonds Are Forever?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

8. Live and Let Die (1973)

Live And Let Die

Getty

What is Live and Let Die about?

In Live and Let Die, James Bond is sent to New York to investigate the mysterious deaths of British agents. On his journey he meets a voodoo master and a tarot card reader.

Who is in the Live and Let Die cast?

Where can I watch Live and Let Die?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

9. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

The Man With The Golden Gun

Getty

What is The Man with the Golden Gun about?

James Bond's investigation into the death of a world-renowned scientist working on solar technology draws him into a battle of wits with a stealthy assassin, the Man with the Golden Gun, who dispatches his victims with a golden bullet and has the British secret agent next in his sights.

Who's in the The Man with the Golden Gun cast?

Where can I watch The Man with the Golden Gun?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

10. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

The Spy Who Loved Me

Getty

What is The Spy Who Loved Me about?

After the Royal Navy Polaris submarine carrying sixteen nuclear warheads mysteriously disappears, James Bond teams up with Major Anya Amasova, whose lover he had killed in Austria, in The Spy Who Loved Me.

Who is in the The Spy Who Loved Me cast?

Where can I watch The Spy Who Loved Me?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

11. Moonraker (1979)

Moonraker

Getty

What is Moonraker about?

In Moonraker, James Bond's investigations into the mysterious disappearance of a space shuttle lead him to a sinister industrialist, who is plotting to wipe out most of the human race. The secret agent also faces a rematch with his old enemy, metal-toothed hitman Jaws.

Who is in the Moonraker cast?

Where can I watch Moonraker?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

12. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

For Your Eyes Only

Getty

What is For Your Eyes Only about?

In For Your Eyes Only, James Bond goes in search of a British weapons system aboard a sunken vessel before it falls into the hands of enemies who will use it to deactivate all Western submarines. Unfortunately, his mission is hindered by a crossbow-toting woman out to avenge her father's murder.

Who is in the For Your Eyes Only cast?

Where can I watch For Your Eyes Only?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

13. Octopussy (1983)

Octopussy

Getty

What is Octopussy about?

James Bond investigates the mysterious death of a British agent in East Berlin, a mission that leads him to a glamorous, international jewel thief named Octopussy. He discovers one of her criminal cohorts, an Indian gangster, is in league with a crazed Soviet general who plans to heat up the Cold War by detonating a nuclear bomb in an American Air Force Base.

Who is in the Octopussy cast?

Where can I watch Octopussy?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

14. A View to a Kill (1985)

A View To A Kill

Getty

What is A View to a Kill about?

Max Zorin, a menacing microchip manufacturer, develops a scheme to exterminate all of his Silicon Valley competitors. Now it is up to James Bond, agent 007, to put an end to the maniac's lethal plot in A View to a Kill.

Who is in the A View to a Kill cast?

Where can I watch A View to a Kill?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

15. The Living Daylights (1987)

The Living Daylights (1987)

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

What is The Living Daylights about?

In The Living Daylights, James Bond crosses the continents to help a KGB agent to defect to the West. While protecting him from an unknown assassin, the super-spy is drawn into the world of arms dealing and a plot to trade millions of pounds' worth of diamonds for weapons to supply mercenaries around the world.

Who is in the The Living Daylights cast?

Where can I watch The Living Daylights?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

16. Licence to Kill (1989)

License to Kill

Getty

What is Licence to Kill about?

After his friend, Felix Leiter, is gravely injured by a drug lord, James Bond seeks revenge. With the MI6 refusing to back him, Bond takes matters into his own hands in Licence to Kill.

Who's in the Licence to Kill cast?

Where can I watch Licence to Kill?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

17. GoldenEye (1995)

Goldeneye

SEAC

What is Goldeneye about?

James Bond heads for Russia to investigate the connection between the theft of an experimental helicopter and an orbital satellite weapon, Goldeneye, with the power to devastate entire cities. He discovers both have fallen into the hands of a mysterious criminal mastermind with a grudge against Britain and a connection with 007's past.

Who is in the Goldeneye cast?

Where can I watch Goldeneye?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

18. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Michelle Yeoh and Pierce Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies on a motorbike.

MGM

What is Tomorrow Never Dies about?

In Tomorrow Never Dies, James Bond joins forces with a Chinese agent to foil a media mogul's scheme to start a war between their countries - a case complicated by the fact that an old flame is now married to his new enemy. Using an undetectable stealth ship, the press baron plans to launch an undetectable sneak attack on both nations' navies, knowing they will blame each other - giving him exclusive global media coverage of the resulting conflict.

Who is in the Tomorrow Never Dies cast?

Where can I watch Tomorrow Never Dies?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

19. The World Is Not Enough (1999)

The World is Not Enough

Getty

What is The World Is Not Enough about?

In The World Is Not Enough, James Bond is assigned to protect the heiress of an oil dynasty after her father is killed in a bombing at MI6 headquarters. The attack is the work of an infamous terrorist who is unable to feel pain after surviving a gunshot to his head, and who now intends to destroy the world's supply of oil.

Who is in the The World Is Not Enough cast?

Where can I watch The World Is Not Enough?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

20. Die Another Day (2002)

What is Die Another Day about?

James Bond is suspended from duty in Die Another Day after being taken hostage in North Korea but goes against orders to track down those who betrayed him. During the pursuit of the terrorist he was investigating before his capture, he discovers a connection with a British billionaire who has constructed a devastating orbital weapon.

Who is in the Die Another Day cast?

Where can I watch Die Another Day?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

21. Casino Royale (2006)

What is Casino Royale about?

James Bond achieves his '00' status and is dispatched on the trail of Le Chiffre, an international criminal financing terrorist organisations across the world. Bond's investigation leads to Casino Royale in Montenegro, where he takes part in a high-stakes poker game in a bid to bankrupt Le Chiffre and put an end to his plans.

Who is in the Casino Royale cast?

Where can I watch Casino Royale?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

22. Quantum of Solace (2008)

Daniel Craig and Judi Dench in Quantum of Solace

Danjaq, LLC, United Artists Corporation, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc

What is Quantum of Solace about?

In Quantum of Solace, James Bond sets out on a personal mission of vengeance as he pursues the secret criminal organisation Quantum. His search leads him to the head of an ecological corporation that is plotting to orchestrate a coup in a Latin American country to get his hands on a precious natural resource.

Who is in the Quantum of Solace cast?

Where can I watch Quantum of Solace?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £9.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

23. Skyfall (2012)

Daniel Craig as James Bond in Skyfall

Skyfall ©2012 Danjaq, LLC, United Artists Corporation, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved. © MGM

What is Skyfall about?

In Skyfall, James Bond pursues a mysterious criminal mastermind who has orchestrated a terrorist attack on MI6 headquarters and exposed the identities of undercover agents around the world. The trail leads to a rogue former operative who has a personal vendetta against the intelligence organisation's leader.

Who is in the Skyfall cast?

Where can I watch Skyfall?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £9.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

24. Spectre (2015)

Lea Seydoux as Madeleine Swann and Daniel Craig as James Bond in Spectre.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Danjaq, LLC and Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.

What is Spectre about?

James Bond goes rogue after receiving a cryptic message that sets him on the trail of a secretive criminal network. While his colleagues face a new threat closer to home, Bond embarks on a globetrotting journey in search of the elusive mastermind behind the syndicate, Spectre, whom he discovers may have links to his own past.

Who is in the Spectre cast?

Where can I watch Spectre?

Available on Amazon Prime Video. £3.49 for rental, £7.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

25. No Time to Die (2020)

What is No Time To Die about?

After the events of Spectre and a heartbreaking opening sequence, James Bond is retired in Jamaica when he is approached by old ally Felix Leiter to aid him in retrieving a kidnapped scientist from an evil new foe with dangerous new technology. Along the way, Bond is reunited with his former lover Dr. Madeleine Swann and old foe Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Who is in the No Time To Die cast?

Where can I watch No Time To Die?

Available on Amazon Prime Video, £4.99 for rental, £13.99 for purchase. Also available for rent or purchase on Sky Store, YouTube, Google Play and Microsoft.

Read our full review

Read More: When is No Time to Die out on DVD and streaming?

James Bond films in chronological order

All of the EON films prior to Casino Royale (2008) take place in the same timeline and follow each other but are so loosely serialised that they require little knowledge of prior entries.

However, there are numerous references or follow-up plot points to previous films in the franchise, including films where Bond is played by previous actors.

For example, For Your Eyes Only’s (1981) opening title sequence features Roger Moore’s Bond visiting the grave of his the character’s late wife Tracy (Diana Rigg), who was killed in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) opposite George Lazenby’s James Bond.

The same sequence also features the return of Ernst Stravro Blofeld (albeit not named and not credited) and Bond appears to take revenge on the villain.

Following Die Another Day (2002), however, the franchise is rebooted for Casino Royale (2008) which takes place at the beginning of the character’s career as 007.

The Daniel Craig films, therefore, take place in their own timeline as Bond meets the likes of Q and Moneypenny for the first time.

Albeit somewhat confusingly, Judi Dench returns after the Brosnan era to play M opposite Craig, but here she is the first M that Bond serves under until she is replaced by Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes).

Craig’s era - and presumably timeline - as Bond ends with No Time To Die.

As such, the order in which to watch the James Bond reboot films is as follows:

James Bond films in Spectre storyline order

A number of James Bond movies, both pre- and post-reboot, see 007 go up against the nefarious organisation SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion) and its leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

The movies charting the SPECTRE storyline, to a greater or lesser degree, are as follows:

Pre-reboot

Note: for completists, a figure who appears to be Blofeld, but is never formally identified as such, also appears in the pre-titles sequence of For Your Eyes Only (1981)

Post-reboot

James Bond films in Cold War and post Cold War era movie order

The Cold War looms large in the early Bond movies, serving as a backdrop to 007's adventures right up until 1995's Goldeneye, which features a pre-titles sequence set during the period before a time jump takes us into post-Cold War territory.

As such, here's how the Bond movies divide into pre- and post-Cold War eras.

Bond movies in Cold War era

Bond movies in post-Cold War era

Unofficial Bond films

There are also two non-official James Bond films available to watch - 1967's Casino Royale starring David Niven, and 1983's Never Say Never Again which saw Sean Connery reprise his role as the double agent. Both films are available to rent and buy on Amazon Prime Video.

Watch Casino Royale (1967) on Amazon Prime Video

Watch Never Say Never Again (1983) on Amazon Prime Video

James Bond films in IMDb score order

CASINO ROYALE - Armed with a licence to kill, Secret Agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007 and must defeat a weapons dealer in a high stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, but things are not what they seem.

2006 Danjaq, LLC and United Artists

The James Bond films are naturally a big hit with films fans, but just how do audiences weigh up the various entries into the franchise?

Here is the official Bond film series in order of their IMDb score.

  1. Casino Royale - IMDb score 8.0
  2. Skyfall - IMDb score 7.8
  3. Goldinger - IMDb score 7.7
  4. No Time To Die - IMDb score 7.4
  5. From Russia with Love - IMDb score 7.4
  6. Dr. No - IMDb score 7.2
  7. Goldeneye - IMDb score 7.2
  8. The Spy Who Loved Me - IMDb score 7.1
  9. Thunderball - IMDb score 7
  10. You Only Live Twice - IMDb score 6.8
  11. Spectre - IMDb score 6.8
  12. Live and Let Die - IMDb score 6.8
  13. The Man with the Golden Gun - IMDb score 6.7
  14. For Your Eyes Only - IMDb score 6.7
  15. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - IMDb score 6.7
  16. The Living Daylights - IMDb score 6.7
  17. Diamonds Are Forever - IMDb score 6.6
  18. Quantum of Solace - IMDb score 6.6
  19. Licence to Kill - IMDb score 6.6
  20. Octopussy - IMDb score 6.5
  21. Tomorrow Never Dies - IMDb score 6.5
  22. The World Is Not Enough - IMDb score 6.4
  23. Moonraker - IMDb score 6.3
  24. A View to a Kill - IMDb score 6.3
  25. Die Another Day - IMDb score 6.1

Well, we're sure everyone has their own favourites!

James Bond books in order

The Bond movies are, of course, based on the works of author Ian Fleming who, prior to his death in 1964, wrote 12 novels and a number of short stories featuring agent 007.

In publication order, the Fleming books run as follows:

Following Fleming's death, a number of different authors have written continuation novels featuring 007, including Kingsley Amis (writing as Robert Markham), John Gardner, Raymond Benson, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffery Deaver, William Boyd, and Anthony Horowitz.

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Lewis KnightNews and Trends Editor

Lewis is the news and trends editor at Radio Times and leads our approach to news, reactive content, and serving audience demands and interests. An obsessive fan of television and film, Lewis is a Nicole Kidman fanatic with a side of passion for science-fiction, art-house cinema and the latest HBO drama. Lewis has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Film Studies. After working in advertising, Lewis worked at The Mirror for three years in community management and SEO, showbiz, film and television reporting.

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Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer

Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.

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