Riddick movies are some of the best Sci-Fi/action, sometimes even horror movies. But, there were filmed in a bit strange way, especially if we include animated movies and games into it as well. This is why we have decided to make this article and give you the chronological order of watching the whole Riddick franchise.
So let’s start first with how many Riddick movies are there, we will let you know if it is important to watch them in order and of course, give you the chronological order of watching Riddick movies. We won’t forget about the games either, and how they fit into the timeline.
How many Riddick movies and games are there?
There are currently three Riddick movies, with a fourth in development (and I really hope it will see the light of day). Those movies are:
- Pitch Black (2000)
- The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
- Riddick (2013)
There is also a short animated movie called The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (2004), which acts as a connection between the live-action movies Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick.
We also have three games from Riddick world, and they are:
- The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004)
- The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (2009)
- Riddick: The Merc Files (2013)
You will soon have a chance to see how they fit into the whole franchise.
The Chronicles of Riddick Movies and Games in Order – Chronologically
The chronological order of Riddick movies is as follows:
- Pitch Black (2000)
- The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (2004)
- The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
- Riddick (2013)
Pitch Black (2000)
The first movie in the Riddick franchise, and still the best one, actually had a much lower budget than all the future movies. It was also the combination of Sci-fi and horror, something (horror) the future movies didn’t have so much in them.
When a spaceship crashes due to a meteor shower, it descends to an abandoned desert planet, and among the few survivors is the hardened cold-blooded assassin Riddick (V. Diesel). After finding an abandoned plant and water, the rest of the crew seem to face the only danger on a planet with three suns and no nights from Riddick. They will soon find it difficult to realize that there are deadly monsters in the underworld that do not come to light, and almost at the same time, they learn that an eclipse of all three suns is coming soon that will wrap the planet in darkness for several days and they will become prey. And the only one who can help them is Riddick.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (2004)
The next one is a short animated movie that acts as a connection between the live-action movies Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick.
It takes place shortly after Pitch Black and involves Riddick and the other two survivors of Pitch Black, Jack and Imam, and their run-in with a mercenary ship. Fugitive prisoner Riddick finds himself at the mercy of a wicked woman with a unique hobby – gathering the most wanted criminals in the galaxy.
The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
The second live-action movie in the series, The Chronicles of Riddick had a much bigger budget and was more action-oriented than its predecessor.
After avoiding a violent abduction from the planet on which he had been hiding for years, the Fury outlaw Riddick (V. Diesel) steals the spacecraft and heads for the planet Helion Prime. There he broke into the house of his old acquaintance Imam Abu al-Walid (K. David) who was the only one who knew where he had disappeared after they both survived the monsters from the Pitch Black.
But the Imam has not betrayed Riddick but desperately wants to involve him in the fight against the invasion of the Necromonger race that threatens humanity throughout the universe. Although Riddick initially rejects both the Imam’s call and the explanations of his ally Aereon (J. Dench) who levitates between the world of the living and the spirit world, the invasion of the Necromonger and the cruelty of their lord (C. Feore) will be reason enough for the fearless Furian to change his mind.
Conceptually similar to “Star Wars,” and has the aesthetics of “The Matrix,” the second part of the story of Riddick’s adventures stands out with bravura special effects and brilliant production design inspired by various mythologies. Unfortunately, critics didn’t like it so much, and it didn’t justify its budget, so we didn’t immediately get the third live-action installment we so desperately wanted to see.
Still, there was hope…
Riddick (2013)
Riddick starts five years after Kyra’s death, seeing him as a Lord Marshal of the Necromonger fleet. Soon after, he will be strained on a similar-looking world as seen in Pitch Black.
Left on the sun-scorched planet, Riddick faces an alien species of predator. By activating the safety beam, its signal is received by two spaceships. One carries a new kind of mercenary, and the other is managed by a man from Riddick’s past.
If we also include the games in the chronological order, then Riddick movies and games order looks like this:
- The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004)
- The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (2009)
- Pitch Black (2000)
- The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (2004)
- The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
- Riddick (2013)
There is one more game, Riddick: The Merc Files (2013), made for Android and iOS devices, but it almost doesn’t have any story, so it is impossible to put it anywhere in order, and it really offers nothing in terms of the story.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004)
Escape from Butcher Bay is a video game based on the Riddick series, released for the Xbox and Windows PC. It acts as a prequel to Pitch Black and involves Riddick’s escape from the eponymous prison, Butcher Bay. The game was very well received and it is often listed among “the greatest Xbox games of all time”.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (2009)
Assault on Dark Athena is a video game for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Mac OS X computers. It includes an enhanced remake of Escape from Butcher Bay and covers events between the previous game and Pitch Black. Reviews were mostly positive.
Do you need to watch Riddick in order?
No you don’t need to watch Riddick movies in order, but if you do, you will find some nice connections between the movies and games as well.
Are Riddick movies on Netflix US?
Unfortunately, currently they are not. Still, Netflix Canada seems to be having them.
Are Riddick movies On Amazon Prime?
Yes, Riddick movies are on Amazon Prime, and we have included links above in this article.
Will there be a fourth Riddick movie?
As things are currently standing, yes there will be a fourth Riddick movie called Riddick 4: Furya. It was first announced in 2014 that there will be the fourth movie, In 2015, the director David Twohy confirms the film would be rated R and would be an origin story. On July 21, 2019, Vin Diesel announced on his Instagram account that he had received Twohy’s script for Riddick 4: Furya!
Not much is currently known about the movie, but the synopsis on IMDb says, “When Riddick finally finds his home planet, he has no idea what’s in store for him.”
