Every Middle-earth story on one timeline: Tolkien's books, Peter Jackson's films, The Rings of Power, the animated films, the video games, the BBC radio drama and the stage musical. Sort them by in-universe date, by release date or alphabetically, and filter by media type.
Three timelines, every Age
Not every adaptation tells the same story, so the works are split into three timelines. The Tolkien timeline holds his own books and the adaptations that follow them closely, like the BBC radio drama. The cinematic timeline is the world of the Peter Jackson films and of the games made from them. Everything else, from The Rings of Power to Ralph Bakshi's animated film, sits on the standalone timeline.
The Age buttons narrow the list to one part of the history of Arda: the days before the First Age, the First Age and the wars against Morgoth, the Second Age and the fall of Númenor, the Third Age of the Hobbit and the War of the Ring, and the Fourth Age that follows. A work that spans several Ages shows up under each of them.
Each work has its own page with a synopsis, its release date and its place in the chronology, with links to the stories that come just before and after it.
Looking for something specific? See the Lord of the Rings watch order, the Tolkien books reading order, the games in chronological order, or where The Hunt for Gollum fits. You can also try to draw Frodo's road to Mordor.
Frequently asked questions
What is the chronological order of the Lord of the Rings stories?
The First Age tales (The Silmarillion, The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, The Fall of Gondolin) come first, then the Second Age (The Fall of Númenor, The Rings of Power). The Third Age follows with The War of the Rohirrim, The Hobbit and finally The Lord of the Rings.
When is The Hobbit set compared to The Lord of the Rings?
The Hobbit takes place in the year 2941 of the Third Age. Frodo leaves Bag End in 3018, 77 years later.
Does the timeline follow the books or the films?
Both. Each entry is placed at the in-universe date of its own story, and the films, series and games that do not follow Tolkien closely are grouped on a separate standalone timeline.
