XENOMORPH TIMELINE
All the Alien novels, novelizations and anthologies, ordered by the year their story takes place in the Alien universe. Legacy books from before the Marvel/Titan era have their own timeline. Open a media to see what comes right before and after it, or switch to the vertical timeline for a condensed view.
August 2012 / In-Universe year : 2093
In 2089, archaeologist Elizabeth Shaw discovers 35,000-year-old cave paintings on a Scottish island. The mural depicts a mysterious giant.
September 2018 / In-Universe year : 2103
Before Alien Covenant, David was stranded alone on the Engineers' planet and--left to his own dark devices--he began to push the boundaries of creation. Delve into this exclusive collection, containing two books, to gain an insight into the android's descent into madness.
September 2017 / In-Universe year : 2103
The Covenant mission is the most ambitious endeavor in the history of Weyland-Yutani. A ship bound for Origae-6, carrying 2,000 colonists beyond the limits of known space, this is a make-or-break investment for the corporation - and for the future of all mankind.
May 2017 / In-Universe year : 2104
The crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape.
March 1979 / In-Universe year : 2122
The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating a mysterious transmission of unknown origin.
April 2017 / In-Universe year : 2122
When the Colonial Marines set out after their deadliest prey, the Xenomorphs, it's what Corporal Hicks calls a bug hunt - kill or be killed.
July 2019 / In-Universe year : 2137
The action-packed official adaptation of Alien: Isolation and a revealing look into the lives of Ellen Ripley and her daughter, Amanda Ripley.
August 2024 / In-Universe year : 2137
An unofficial guide to Alien: Isolation, the greatest, scariest horror game ever made.
October 2019 / In-Universe year : 2139
When an industrial spy steals a Xenomorph egg, former Colonial Marine Zula Hendricks must prevent an alien from killing everyone on an isolated colony planet.
January 2014 / In-Universe year : 2159
As a child Chris Hooper dreamed of monsters. But in deep space, he found only darkness and isolation. Then, on planet LV178, he and his fellow miners discovered a storm-scoured, sand-blasted hell - and trimonite, the hardest material known to man.
November 2022 / In-Universe year : 2166
A groundbreaking Latinx Aliens novel by a rising star Latina author, featuring the fan-favorite character PFC Jenette Vasquez from the hit movie Aliens and the family she is forced to leave behind.
April 2019 / In-Universe year : 2172
Olivia and her twin sister Viola have been dragged around the universe for as long as they can remember. Their parents, both xenobiologists, are always in high demand for their research into obscure alien biology.
March 1995 / In-Universe year : 2179
The United States Colonial Marines. Ultimate troubleshooters equipped with state-of-the-art firepower, capable of power projection across the vast expanse of deep space. They can sharpshoot a man at a thousand meters or obliterate an entire world from the safety of orbit. They reckon they are unbeatable.
June 1986 / In-Universe year : 2179
Returned to Earth, Ellen Ripley learns that a colony has been established on LV-426, the planet where the crew of the Nostromo found the original Alien.
June 1992 / In-Universe year : 2179
Returning from LV-426, Ellen Ripley crash-lands on the maximum-security prison Fiorina 161, where she discovers that she has unwittingly brought along an unwelcome visitor.
November 2014 / In-Universe year : 2179
When Ellen Ripley finally returns to Earth, she learns that the planet LV-426 - now called Acheron - has been colonised. But LV-426 is where Ripley and the crew of the Nostromo found the original Xenomorph - the killing machine known as the Alien.
April 2018 / In-Universe year : 2179
Weyland-Yutani seeks to recover from the failure of Hadley's Hope and successfully weaponize the Xenomorphs
December 2023 / In-Universe year : 2180
Massively damaged in Aliens and Alien3 , the synthetic Bishop asked to be shut down forever. His creator, Michael Bishop, has other plans.
February 2021 / In-Universe year : 2184
"Shy" Hunt and the tech team from McAllen Integrations thought they’d have an easy job — set up environmental systems for the brand new Hasanova Data Solutions colony, built on the abandoned ruins of a complex known as "Charybdis".
April 2022 / In-Universe year : 2186
Political conflicts on Earth erupt into open hostilities between their colonies in space, with Xenomorphs as the ultimate weapon.
July 2022 / In-Universe year : 2187
A gargantuan, horseshoe-shaped ship appears over the mining planet Shānmén, unleashing a black rain of death that creates Xenomorph-like monsters worse than the darkest of nightmares.
February 2023 / In-Universe year : 2188
While a moon hurtles toward certain destruction, taking with it a Weyland-Yutani bioweapons lab, talks on a nearby colony could lead to all-out war among the colonies.
January 2025 / In-Universe year : 2188
As human colonies are obliterated by the dark pathogen and hideous monstrosities proliferate, a family of scavengers find an amnesiac who may hold the secrets to the forces tearing apart the galaxy.
April 2021 / In-Universe year : 2201
The official prequel leading into the upcoming Aliens cooperative third-person survival shooter video game, Aliens: Fireteam, from Cold Iron Studios.
November 1997 / In-Universe year : 2381
Two centuries after her death, a powerful human/alien hybrid clone of Ellen Ripley aids a crew of space pirates in stopping the aliens from reaching Earth.
September 2019 / In-Universe year : 2381
Technical drawings of all the major ships and vehicles from the Alien movies, presented in incredible detail. Includes iconic spacecraft like the Nostromo, the Sulaco and the Covenant.
April 2016 / In-Universe year : 2381
For hundreds of years now, scientists at the Weyland-Yutani Corporation have been monitoring the behavior of an alien life-form so powerful that its potential for military application appears limitless.
July 2024 / In-Universe year : 2382
After narrowly escaping a Xenomorph attack and crash landing on the wrong planet, former military man Chris Temple just wants a peaceful life with his daughters. He just needs to deal with the brewing civil war and a Xenomorph on the loose.
July 2014 / In-Universe year : 2496
As a deputy commissioner for the ICC, Alan Decker’s job is to make sure the settlements on LV178 follow all the rules, keeping the colonists safe.
February 2020 / In-Universe year : 2514
ATAEGINA WAS AN ISOLATED WORLD of medieval castles and rich cultures — vibrant until the demons rose and slaughtered ninety percent of the planet's population.
April 2016 / In-Universe year : 2722
The second original novel in an Alien vs. Predator: Rage War series, continuing from Predator: Incursion as Colonial Marines units are being wiped out - and not by the Predators. This is an attack by organized armies of Aliens.