When you think of Christmas movies, Home Alone is undoubtedly one of the first films that comes to mind. At the time of its release, it became the highest-grossing film of the year globally and even received two Academy Award nominations. While the film didn’t end up winning either award, it cemented itself as one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time, becoming a timeless holiday tradition beloved by families around the world.
But while it’s hard to find someone who hasn’t heard of Home Alone, even many longtime fans of the original film aren’t fully aware of all the sequels that followed over the years. If you’re looking for the correct viewing order, release order works best, since the first two films are directly connected. After the second, each entry functions more like a spiritual sequel, meaning you don’t need to watch the earlier films to grasp the concept, since each introduces an entirely new cast. Here’s how to watch all the Home Alone movies in order:
Home Alone (1990)
Nothing beats the original Home Alone movie. The film that first introduced the world to Kevin McCallister, the sly as a fox 8-year-old who transformed his entire house into a giant booby trap to trap Chicago’s infamous Cat Burglers. Home Alone is pure sugar rush in the form of a film, filled with over-the-top stunts, mischievous chaos at every scene, and enough heart to warm you into holiday spirit even if you have seen it over a dozen times.
If slapstick, pranks, and chaotic hijinks are your thing, Home Alone is very hard to beat. It’s an easy choice for families looking for a film to enjoy together, but if you like your Christmas movies a little more traditional, then Home Alone might not be the right choice for you.
Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992)
If you thought Kevin eating unlimited junk food, while watching non-stop television was peak childhood fantasy, wait till you see him do all of this and more, in a fancy suite in New York’s finest Plaza Hotel. Very few sequels are able to hold up to the hype of the original film, but Home Alone 2: Lost In New York does not have this problem.
The movie amps up the chaos, irrational antics, and mischief to a whole new level, with Kevin turning all of New York City into his personal playground with his dad’s credit card in tow. This was the last film to feature Macaulay Culkin as the main protagonist so it's obviously essential viewing for fans of the original film. It’s equal parts fun, chaotic, and Christmassy, and the change of setting keeps the novelty alive making it a good choice for anyone who loved the first film, and is looking for more mischief. While Home Alone 2 works as a standalone watch as well, we would recommend watching the first one first to fully appreciate all the characters and callbacks.
Home Alone 3 (1997)
Home Alone 3 has the same plot, the same booby-trap mayhem, but with a totally different cast—and for the first time no Christmas backdrop. Instead of Kevin, we get Alex, a chicken pox stricken kid with a parrot, a remote controlled car, and a squad of international burglars on his tail.
It’s a clear departure from the earlier films, so if you’re looking for the same holiday spirit and emotional beats of the last two films, Home Alone 3 might not sit well with you. But if you’re only after a lighthearted kids caper that cranks up the silliness, and cartoonish antics, Home Alone 3 fits the bill, especially for younger audiences who’ll happily watch bad guys get clobbered again and again.
Home Alone 4 (2002)
The franchise tries to retain the same charm of the earlier Home Alone movies by shifting the focus back to the McCallister family in Home Alone 4, but with a completely new cast playing the roles of Kevin and the parents and the whole ‘separation angle,’ Home Alone 4 feels like it's taking place in an alternate universe.
Unsurprisingly, the film wasn’t very well received, with many longtime fans finding the recasting distracting, the traps repetitive, and the holiday charm all but gone. That said, if you’re a completist, or just curious about how far off the rails the franchise can go, Home Alone 4 might be worth a watch.
Home Alone 5: The Holiday Heist (2012)
After the strange detour of Home Alone 4, the franchise tried to bounce back with Home Alone 5: The Holiday Heist. This time, we leave the McCallisters behind for good, meeting an all new Baxter family. The Holiday Heist brings back the Christmas galore, with the inventive twist of the child accidentally burglar-proofing his house because of the fear of ghosts.
It’s a lot sillier, over-the-top, and cartoonish than the original two films, but it still stands as the closest the franchise has come to recapturing that same family-festive energy. That said, it’s really aimed at younger viewers who just want pratfalls, goofy villains, and Christmassy chaos. But for longtime fans who were let down by the misguided direction the franchise took with Home Alone 3 and Home Alone 4, Home Alone 5 comes as a welcome return to form—sillier and more charming than its direct predecessors, even if it doesn’t quite reach the standards set by the original classics.
Home Sweet Home Alone (2021)
Coming in almost ten years after the last sequel, Home Sweet Home Alone arrives as a modern festive addition to the Home Alone franchise. Using the same prank-laden Christmas backdrop, the sixth film tries to reinvent the formula slightly by removing the traditional burglars and replacing them with a couple instead.
But without the “bad guys,” many fans found the pranks a little mean-spirited rather than funny. That said, it still delivers the festive setting and over-the-top slapstick, and given its more recent release, it serves as a more relatable entry point for Gen Alpha to discover the playful antics and holiday charm of the Home Alone franchise, especially if the older films feel a little dated to them.
