Hunger Games Reading Order: Including the Prequels

Suzanne Collins published the original Hunger Games trilogy between 2008 and 2010. She has since returned with two prequels — The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020) and Sunrise on the Reaping (2025) — which together expand the world of Panem considerably. New readers now face a genuine question: where do you start?

The Complete Reading Order

Original trilogy:

1. The Hunger Games (2008)

2. Catching Fire (2009)

3. Mockingjay (2010)

Prequels (in internal chronological order):

• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020) — set 64 years before the original trilogy; follows a young Coriolanus Snow

• Sunrise on the Reaping (2025) — set 24 years before The Hunger Games; follows Haymitch Abernathy during the 50th Hunger Games

The complete Hunger Games reading order is on the series page.

Should You Read the Prequels First?

This is the most-searched question about the Hunger Games series right now. The short answer: read the original trilogy first.

Why start with the trilogy:

• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows a young President Snow — his arc is significantly more complex if you already know who Snow becomes
• Sunrise on the Reaping follows Haymitch — his character in the original trilogy gains enormous depth from knowing his story, but only if you meet him first
• The prequels are written for readers who already know the world of Panem

The case for reading chronologically (prequels first):

• If you genuinely want to experience Panem’s history in order
• If you don’t mind the prequels spoiling some elements of the original trilogy’s world

For almost all new readers, Collins herself recommends starting with The Hunger Games.

Sunrise on the Reaping (2025)

Sunrise on the Reaping was published in March 2025 and became the biggest Hunger Games debut in the series’ history — over 1.5 million copies in its first week. It covers the 50th Hunger Games (a Quarter Quell), following Haymitch Abernathy from District 12.

The 50th Games are referenced in Catching Fire; reading the prequel expands an event that exists only as backstory in the original trilogy. This is why reading order matters: Sunrise on the Reaping rewards readers who already know Haymitch from the trilogy.

A film adaptation is in pre-production as part of Lionsgate’s expanding Hunger Games universe.

The Films

Both the original trilogy and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes have been adapted:

• The Hunger Games (2012) — Jennifer Lawrence; close adaptation
• Catching Fire (2013) — widely considered the best of the series; very faithful
• Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2 (2014/2015) — split unnecessarily; both together roughly equal the novel
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023) — Tom Blyth as young Snow; faithful adaptation

Sunrise on the Reaping is in development.

Where to Start

Read The Hunger Games (Book 1). It’s a perfect YA dystopian novel: fast, morally serious, and built around a protagonist whose voice is immediately compelling. If you’ve read it before and are returning for the prequels, read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes before Sunrise on the Reaping — they are written in that order for a reason.