Watch Order for the Maze Runner Films
You want to watch The Maze Runner movies in the right sequence. This is simpler than most people make it. There are three theatrical releases and one companion short. Here is the straightforward breakdown without the fluff. 1. The Maze Runner (2014) — The first film. Thomas arrives at the Glade. You need this one to understand anything that follows. It establishes the rules of the Maze, the Grievers, and the core mystery. Without it, the sequels feel disjointed. 2. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) — Set two years after the first film. The survivors leave the Glade and enter a wasteland called the Scorch. The pacing drops noticeably here. The lore expands but gets messier. This is where the franchise starts losing its grip on narrative coherence.
3. Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018) — The final theatrical installment. It ties up several threads from the first film and tries to resolve the larger conspiracy. The production had real problems during filming—Dwayne Cameron injured his leg, multiple reshoots happened, and the ending was reportedly shot differently than initially planned. What you see on screen is a compromised product, but it still functions as a conclusion. 4. Maze Runner: The Crime Society (2016) — A five-episode live-action short. It fills in the backstory of Janson before the events of the first film. You can watch this independently, but it hits harder if you have already seen The Maze Runner. I found this out the hard way when a friend recommended it as a prequel—I watched it first and half the emotional weight was lost on me. There is no spinoff series beyond The Death Cure. No Maze Runner 4. The book series by James Dashner has additional material, but nothing has been adapted past the third film.
How the Runtime Breaks Down
The Maze Runner runs about 113 minutes. The Scorch Trials is roughly 132 minutes. The Death Cure clocks in at 124 minutes. The Crime Society episodes average around 15 minutes each. Total commitment if you are doing everything in order is approximately 6.5 hours of content. If you skip The Crime Society, you save maybe an hour. The theatrical trilogy stands on its own. The short is nice-to-have background material, not essential viewing.
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Where to Watch Them
Availability shifts depending on your region and changes regularly. In the United States, The Maze Runner films have cycled through Hulu, Netflix, and Peacock at various points. Check JustWatch.com or Reelgood.com before you start—these sites update in real time and will tell you exactly which subscription or rental platform currently holds the rights. I recommend checking right before you sit down because licensing deals expire without warning and you do not want to be halfway through The Scorch Trials and discover you need to jump to a different service. Rental options exist on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu. Expect to pay around $3.99 per title if streaming isn't available in your area. Buying digital copies runs closer to $14.99 each.
Common Mistakes People Make
Starting with The Scorch Trials because they heard it was more intense. This is the most frequent error. The first film does crucial world-building in its opening hour. Jumping into the second film means you will be confused about why characters behave the way they do and what the WCKD organization actually represents. Binging all three in one sitting is possible but not ideal. The Scorch Trials in particular benefits from a break between it and The Death Cure. The tonal shift between those two films is jarring enough that watching them back-to-back makes the inconsistency more obvious.
What the Films Don't Explain Well
The Flare virus. The immune status of characters. The exact political structure behind WCKD. These gaps exist because the films had to condense Dashner's novels significantly. The Death Cure especially leaves several plot threads dangling, presumably to set up sequels that never materialized. If you want fuller answers, the books are considerably more detailed, though they diverge from the films in the final act. The chronological watch order is: The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure. Add The Crime Society wherever you have spare time after finishing the first film. That is the whole thing. No secret order tricks, no hidden fourth movie, no alternate timeline requiring you to rewatch anything.
