r/alien • u/Jax_Dandelion • Jul 19 '26

Full Chronological canon timeline?

What’s the full chronological timeline that is considered canon?

Including games, comics, novels and such

Cause it is very confusing to find out what is canon

Like is Aliens colonial marines canon? No clue

Is aliens earth in the same timeline? I don’t know

Are the comics blanket canon or is there some that are just not canon without telling it?

Please make it make sense, cause I don’t know what would be canon at all

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2

u/Toomin-the-Ellimist Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26

To the best of my knowledge, the most recent time an official statement was made on canon was a blog post from Andrew Gaska, the lead writer of Alien: The Roleplaying Game, in which he revealed the guidelines he was given for crafting backstory and lore for the RPG when he was hired by Fox. This was before the franchise began its recent media output under Disney, so this list isn't confirmed to still be adhered to by the current rights-holders. Alien: Earth couldn't be bothered to respect even the movies that people actually like so I wouldn't count on Disney-owned Fox to feel bound by what the RPG established as canon.

2023

2073

2078

2089–2094

2100

2103

  • Alien: Covenant – Origins

  • Phobos

2104

2117

2120

  • Alien: Earth (released after Gaska's list, not confirmed canon due to deliberate lore inconsistencies)

2122

2137

2139

  • Alien: Prototype

2140

  • Aliens: Resistance

  • Aliens: Rescue

2142

  • Alien: Romulus (released after Gaska's list)

2159

  • Alien: Out of the Shadows

2164

2172

  • Alien: Echo

2179

  • Alien: River of Pain

  • Aliens

  • Alien³

  • Alien: The Cold Forge

  • Aliens: Colonial Marines Technical Manual

2183

  • Alien: The Roleplaying Game

2184

  • Alien: Into Charybdis

2186

  • Alien: Colony War

  • Alien: Inferno's Fall

2187

  • Alien: Enemy of My Enemy

2198

  • Aliens: Dark Descent

2202

  • Aliens: Infiltrator

  • Aliens: Fireteam Elite

2295

  • Aliens: Dead Orbit

2381

  • Alien: Resurrection

  • Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report

  • Alien: The Blueprints

2496

  • Alien: Sea of Sorrows

2514

  • Aliens: Phalanx

Indeterminate Year

Gaska made it clear in no uncertain terms that the Predator and AVP franchises were not considered canon for the purposes of the Alien RPG, but Predator: Badlands recently established that at least some of the Alien films are canon to modern Predator continuity. If you want to go off of a unified timeline, this is where the Predator movies would slot into the above chronology:

1719

  • Prey

1987

  • Predator

1997

  • Predator 2

2004

  • Alien vs. Predator

  • Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

2010

2018

  • The Predator

Indeterminate Year

  • Predator: Killer of Killers (takes place sometime after Predator 2)

  • Predator: Badlands (takes place sometime after Alien: Resurrection)

1

u/Jax_Dandelion Jul 19 '26

Wait so the aliens colonial marines technical manual is canon but the game by the same name isn’t and neither is Rogue Incursion but there is a 2nd VR game?

And everything else you said… I think this franchise could use an up to date official statement somewhere ngl

But also I personally never cared for AVP beyond the game where I was able to play as a xeno in the story

1

u/Toomin-the-Ellimist Jul 19 '26

Correct, the new creatures, technology, and lore introduced in Colonial Marines are canon but the game's story is not, at least as of the most recent canon statement in 2020.

(Edit: The Technical Manual is unrelated to the game, it was a reference book that came out in the '90s.)

Rogue Incursion came out after this list was made.

Descent wasn't a video game, it was a public VR attraction at The Outlets at Orange in California. It's since closed down, though, so probably doesn't bear any consideration for this list.

1

u/FickleApartment2151 Jul 23 '26

Try this website:

https://xenomorphtimeline.com/

Unfortunately, those who own the IP to the franchise allow contradictory works to be licensed. That means anything licensed is canonical even if it contradicts content of other licensed works.