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Saw films in order: Where does Saw X fit in the timeline?

The 10th entry in the long-running horror franchise has recently arrived in UK cinemas.

Tobin Bell as John Kramer in Saw X looking angry in blue light

Lionsgate

Published: Tuesday, 3 October 2023 at 9:46 am

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Since it all began with the first film in 2004, the Saw franchise has become one of the biggest horror film series going – and now a 10th entry in the saga has just arrived in UK cinemas.

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Excitingly for long-term fans, Saw X is the first film to feature Tobin Bell's John Kramer as the main character for a very long time, taking place before the character's death in Saw III.

It follows Kramer as he travels to Mexico to undergo an operation that he has been told will miraculously cure his advanced cancer, only for him to unleash some of his familiar sadistic games when he discovers he's been scammed by conmen.

Of course, with the film taking place earlier in the timeline, that means that the waters have been slightly muddied when it comes to the series chronology – so if you need a little help planning your Saw movie marathon, we've provided a handy list below as to the best way to watch the movies.

Read on to find out how to watch the Saw films both chronologically and in release order.

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Saw movies in chronological order: Where does Saw X fit in the timeline?

Jigsaw on a tricycle in a dark hallway

Saw X. Alexandro Bolaños Escamilla

Watching the Saw films in chronological order is actually rather a tricky task – in large part due to the fact that many of the later films in the franchise include flashbacks to earlier in the timeline.

This is not noticeable in the case of Jigsaw (the eighth film in the franchise), which takes place both after the events of Saw 3D and before the events of the very first film.

Therefore, if you were truly to watch the films in chronological order, you'd have to splice each of them into different parts – but given that's far more hassle than it's worth, we've instead provided the closest thing to a chronological order below.

We recommend that it would be more rewarding to watch Jigsaw in the order it was released – although, if you're already familiar with the films, there's no harm in sticking it at the beginning instead.

It's also worth noting that the events of Saw III and Saw IV actually occur simultaneously – with each film ending with the same key scene – so we've put them side by side in the below list.

However, unless you want to be a complete maverick and watch them both on separate screens at the same time, you'd be best to just stick with Saw III first.

Saw X is, therefore, the first entry in the franchise which takes place entirely in flashback form, with the events unfolding taking place roughly three weeks after the events of Saw, and therefore serving as an 'in-between-quel' rather than a prequel or a sequel.

How to watch the Saw movies in release order

If you'd rather just watch them in the more simple release date order, you can check that out below:

Where to watch the Saw movies in the UK

The films are currently available to stream on a variety of platforms – with the first eight entries currently all available on NOW. You can find out the exact streaming details for each film below:

Saw X is now showing in UK cinemas. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on tonight.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Patrick Cremona, smiling against a lime green background.

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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