By Thomas Ling

Published: Monday, 29 November 2021 at 12:00 am

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Is there a more high-octane series of films than The Fast Saga?

The series of films began in 2001 with the rather low-stakes street-racing and gangster thriller The Fast and the Furious and focused on the difficult relationship between Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and undercover cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker).

However, since then the franchise has only increased in scope, size, preposterousness, and heart.

The seventh instalment in the series, Furious 7, saw fans and the cast and crew of the films bid farewell to Brian O’Conner with the tragic death of actor Paul Walker, with the film proving a critical and commercial hit.

Since then we have been treated to the bombastic eight outing and then the spin-off film Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw, which starred Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham.

Finally, 2021 saw the release of Fast and Furious 9 with the series delving deeper into the backstory of the central Toretto family.

So, if you are wondering where you can watch all of these films and in what order, here are the details below.

• Read More: Fast & Furious 9 review

How to watch the Fast and Furious movies: chronological timeline order

Although most of the Fast films follow on from each other, there is one standout exception: you guessed it, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Although it was the third Fast film to be released in cinemas, Tokyo Drift is actually set between Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7. Swerving away from the story of Brian and Dom, the film follows a completely new set of characters led by Sean Boswell (Lucas Black), a student forced to move to Japan to avoid jail time.

Here’s the movies in chronological order:

1. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
2. 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
3. Fast & Furious (2009)
4. Fast Five (2011)
5. Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
6. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
7. Furious 7 (2015)
8. The Fate of the Furious (2017)
9. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
10. F9 (2021)

Tokyo Drift also marks the first appearance of Han Lue, a fan favourite who (SPOILER ALERT) appeared to be killed in a chase near the end of the film.

Fortunately, Universal decided Han was so popular he would be resurrected with a clever workaround: all subsequent Fast films would be set before Toyko Drift.

This meant Han was able to return alive and well in Fast & Furious, the next film in the franchise.

Fast and Furious timeline

Just to make things even more complicated, the Fast and Furious franchise also features several high-speed prequels, sequels and midquels. Most of these shorts were created for DVD releases of the original movies, shining light on unknown areas of the high-speed saga’s timeline.

First released on the DVD of 2 Fast 2 Furious (the next film on this list), the short film Turbo-Charged Prelude shows exactly how Brian (Paul Walker) went from being an LAPD cop to criminal. The reason is the one you’d expect: after assisting Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) evade law enforcement, Brian himself becomes a wanted man.

Los Bandoleros, the next short film, focuses on Dom and was served up to fans via a DVD bonus feature. No, it doesn’t explain how Brian became a fully-fledged FBI agent by the next film but does introduce audiences to Han (Sung Kang), Rico (Don Omar) and Tego (Tego Calderon). Including all of these mini-movies, the Fast and Furious timeline looks like this:

• The Fast and the Furious
• Turbo-Charged Prelude
• 2 Fast 2 Furious
• Los Bandoleros
• Fast & Furious
• Fast Five
• Fast & Furious 6
• The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
• Furious 7 
• The Fate of the Furious
• Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
• F9

How to watch the Fast and Furious movies: release order

If you’re new to the Fast and Furious, sticking to the simplest route may be the best. After all, most of the movies follow a chronological order, with only really the third instalment in the franchise, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), causing some confusing pile-ups in the timeline as discussed.

Here’s how you watch Fast & Furious movies in order of release:

1. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
2. 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
3. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
4. Fast & Furious (2009)
5. Fast Five (2011)
6. Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
7. Furious 7 (2015)
8. The Fate of the Furious (2017)
9. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
10. F9 (2021)

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

The first episode in the saga, The Fast and the Furious (2001), follows undercover cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), who integrates himself into a heist crew run by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel).

Where to watch: Amazon

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

2 Fast 2 Furious doesn’t feature Vin Diesel, but it does star Walker and follows on from the events of The Fast and the Furious. This one introduces Ludacris as Tej and Tyrese Gibson as Roman, who went on to become two main characters.

Where to watch: Amazon 

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

This is where things take a turn. This one was seen as a ‘reboot’ of sorts for the whole franchise. There was no Paul Walker or Diesel… or Ludacris, or Michelle Rodriguez, or Gibson. Basically no core characters here. The movie was set in Japan and featured Han (Sung Kang). Luckily, fans took to Han, but the movie did confuse the timeline somewhat.

Where to watch: Amazon

Fast & Furious (2009)

Not to be confused with the first film in the franchise (these titles are confusing!) this one comes fourth. Set after 2 Fast 2 Furious, we ignore The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift for now.

Where to watch: Amazon

Fast Five (2011)

The Rock first appears in Fast Five as Luke Hobbs, and we finally see Ludacris and Tyrese return to the franchise. Sung Kang also appears as Han – and Gal Gadot pops up too.  The movies start ramping up and steering into the ridiculousness here.

Where to watch: Amazon

Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

We have a new villain introduced, or a whole villain family with Luke Evans starring as Owen Shaw. We also have a post-credits scene to introduce Jason Statham’s character Deckard Shaw, who appears to kill Han in a scene first glimpsed in Tokyo Drift. Now we’ve caught up – phew.

Where to watch: Amazon

Fast & Furious 7 (2015)

The team reunite for this one that sees us say goodbye to Paul Walker. Statham is back after that credits scene for his first proper starring role in the FF franchise which saw him clash with Diesel and The Rock.

Where to watch: Amazon

• For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides.

The Fate of the Furious (2017)

2017 Universal City Studios Productions LLLP

We carry on the franchise with this eighth movie. We say hello to Charlize Theron here as villain Cipher.

Where to watch: Amazon

Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019)

A little detour here, as it’s not really part of the core franchise, but a spin-off. The Rock and Statham return to team up against Idris Elba’s super-soldier. Shaw transitions from villain to hero. Vanessa Kirby also stars as Statham’s sister.

Where to watch: Amazon

Fast and Furious 9 (2021)

In the most recent instalment of The Fast Saga, Dominic and Letty find their retirement interrupted as a dangerous new threat emerges: Dom’s younger brother, Jakob Toretto, played by John Cena.

Dwayne Johnson is absent from this film, but we do get the return of Charlize Theron as Cipher and Helen Mirren as Queenie Shaw.

Where to watch: Amazon

Where to watch the Fast and Furious movies

Universal

Until recently, most of the Fast and Furious franchise could be viewed on streaming service NOW with a cinema pass (£11.99 a month), however, the majority of the films have now left the platform – with only Fast & Furious 7 (2015) and Fast & Furious: Hobbes and Shaw (2019) remaining.

Hobbs and Shaw is also available on Netflix.

As for the first 6 films and the Fate of the Furious and F9, they are not currently streaming as part of any subscription service, but you can rent or purchase them of Amazon Prime Video, with prices ranging from £2.49 to £4.99.

The director’s cut of Fast and Furious 9 is also available on the service.

If you’re looking for something to watch on TV tonight or what to watch now then check out our TV guide.

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