Summary

• YRF Spy Universe consists of 5 movies released in chronological order, with the latest installment being Tiger 3 in November 2023.
• The franchise has found success and two more films, War 2 and Tiger vs Pathaan, are confirmed for release in 2025 and 2026.
• Watching the movies in release order, starting with Ek Tha Tiger, is the best way to understand the storylines, character development, and relationships in the YRF Spy Universe.

As one of the most popular Indian action movie franchises, the YRF Spy Universe boasts a great collection of movies, yet watching the films in order isn't entirely straightforward. Like many extended crossover projects, the films feature a variety of shared characters and storylines. As a result, figuring out where certain movies sit in the overall YRF narrative is more complex than it is for some, more traditional series.

Starting with Ek Tha Tiger in 2012, the YRF Spy Universe has expanded to include no less than five released feature films. In release order, these include Tiger Zinda Hai, War, Pathaan in 2023 that characters and story elements from the War and Tiger series appeared together.

The YRF Spy Universe Movies In Release Order

The YRF Spy Universe franchise has now been going for 12 years. Since 2012, four further films have been released at regular intervals. The longest gap between installments actually came between films one and two, with Ek That Tiger releasing in 2012, followed by its sequel, Tiger Zinda Hai, in 2017. Since then, however, YRF Spy Universe movies have been more regular. After Tiger Zinda Hai, War debuted in October 2019. Pathaan followed in January 2023, before Tiger 3 hit theaters in November of the same year.

Now that the franchise appears to have fully found its feet, the series' future looks increasingly secure. After Tiger 3's successful release, two more films are already confirmed to follow in the next few years. War 2 is already slated to hit theaters on 14 August 2025 – nearly 13 years to the day after Ek That Tiger. This will, in turn, be followed by Tiger vs Pathaan – an even more ambitious crossover event – in 2026, though concrete details on the release date and story are unknown for now. Regardless, the YRF Spy Universe clearly remains popular enough to justify a slate of expensive action movies years into the future.

The YRF Spy Universe Movies In Chronological Order

In many extended universes, movies don't necessarily release in the correct chronological order, with events from later films often taking place before earlier releases in the official timeline. A prime example of this is major franchises such as Star Wars and the MCU. However, the YRF Spy Universe takes a very different approach.

Whether deliberately designed to make things as straightforward for the viewer as possible or not, the YRF Spy Universe movies' chronological order is the same as their release order. Ek That Tiger and Tiger Zinda Hai both tell a continuation of the same story, while War switches up the action to introduce Hrithik Roshan's Maj. Kabir Dhaliwal. It is not until the fourth film in the series, Pathaan, that characters from both storylines appear in the same movie. Tiger 3 rounds off the quintet, building on the relationships and events established in Pathaan.

The Best Order To Watch The YRF Movies

Both thanks to chronology and their original release schedule, the best order to watch the YRF movies is Ek That Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai, War, Pathaan, and finally Tiger 3. Not only will this help viewers understand the writers' vision as originally intended, but in later films it also helps explain key relationships and story elements. For example, Kabir Dhaliwal's introduction in War helps explain his character and actions in Tiger 3, which could become confusing if watched out of order.

There are several other recurring characters whose progression makes it necessary to watch the YRF movies in the right order. For example, between the events of Ek That Tiger and Tiger Zinda Hai, main characters Avinash Singh "Tiger" Rathore and Zoya Humaimi-Rathore get married and have a son – missing out on the genesis of their relationship by skipping out on the YRF Spy Universe's first installment could make their dynamic needlessly confusing. As the franchise expands, the YRF movies may take more risks with timelines and narrative. For now, however, the best watch order is relatively simple.