How To Watch ‘The Walking Dead’ Shows In Order on Netflix in 2025

Thanks to a new deal in the United States, a whole lot of AMC shows landed on Netflix last Summer, including a large chunk of The Walking Dead Universe. With hundreds of episodes across the main show and numerous spinoff projects, getting invested in AMC’s zombie apocalypse drama can be daunting. Here’s our definitive watching guide for The Walking Dead, when they’re coming to Netflix as of 2025.

Note: This article only applies to Netflix in the United States, as most of the other series don’t stream in international regions. 

Based on the graphic novels by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead was the biggest cable show in the world for several years running. Its fanbase is legion. Even today, after the conclusion of the mothership show, AMC continues to invest heavily in the franchise’s future. With shows set in France and post-apocalyptic Manhattan, now is a fantastic time to be a Walking Dead fan. And now that AMC has set a deal with Netflix to license shows, the series is more accessible to our readers than ever. 

So, where do you begin if you want to start with The Walking Dead? Well, if you’re a complete newcomer to the franchise, we recommend watching the series in release order. Chronological order is a fantastic way for returning viewers to experience the franchise. However, if you’re starting out, watching chronologically will leave you confused more often than not — you’d be starting with spinoff Fear the Walking Dead, for instance. So, let’s keep things (relatively) simplistic. 

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Which The Walking Dead shows are on Netflix?

With The Walking Dead, AMC has created one of the industry’s largest, most sprawling ‘cinematic universes’. That’s even rivaling the Arrowverse, much of which is also on Netflix. 

There are seven shows in the universe in total: The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, Tales of the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Dead City, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.

To put that into numbers, that’s 25 seasons and over 330 individual episodes. However, not every series is coming to Netflix in the US.

All eleven seasons of the main show are already streaming on Netflix in the US. Those 11 seasons will remain on Netflix through 2027.

Over the Summer of 2024, Netflix added the entire Fear the Walking Dead collection and Daryl Dixon season 1. Now, a few months later, Netflix added The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. Although also scheduled for January 2025, The Walking Dead: Dead City did not make its way onto the service.

This deal omits spinoffs World Beyond and Tales of the Walking Dead. But to be completely honest, those two shows are the least necessary to watch.

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How to watch The Walking Dead in Release Date Order

By watching the series in release order, you’ll occasionally be jumping up and down the timeline, but trust me; this way is better than not understanding cameos and character motivations if you were to experience the series chronologically.

For example, Fear The Walking Dead takes place before season 2 of The Walking Dead, right at the outbreak of the apocalypse. But then, after season 3, Fear takes a 6-month time jump, putting it level with season 8 of The Walking Dead, and that’s where the crossovers begin. Given the number of time jumps and crossovers, release order allows you the best possible understanding of the story.

Here’s the release order, from its humble beginnings in 2010 to the most recent, The Ones Who Live:

• The Walking Dead S1
• The Walking Dead S2
• The Walking Dead S3
• The Walking Dead S4
• The Walking Dead S5
• Fear the Walking Dead S1
• The Walking Dead S6
• Fear the Walking Dead S2
• The Walking Dead S7
• Fear the Walking Dead S3
• The Walking Dead S8
• Fear the Walking Dead S4
• The Walking Dead S9
• Fear the Walking Dead S5
• The Walking Dead S10
• The Walking Dead: World Beyond S1
• Fear the Walking Dead S6
• The Walking Dead S11
• The Walking Dead: World Beyond S2
• Fear the Walking Dead S7
• Tales of The Walking Dead (Not on Netflix)
• Fear the Walking Dead S8
• The Walking Dead: Dead City (Not on Netflix)
• The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
• The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

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Alternative Watch Order For The Walking Dead on Netflix

If you do want to watch the series in the most efficient chronological order of story, we’ve split up the shows into different segments to take into account all of the connections and crossovers.

Core The Walking Dead Timeline

The original series starts here, focusing on Rick Grimes and the survivors navigating the apocalypse.

• The Walking Dead Season 1
• The Walking Dead Season 2
• The Walking Dead Season 3
• The Walking Dead Season 4
• The Walking Dead Season 5

Fear The Walking Dead Introduction

A prequel and parallel story exploring the early days of the apocalypse, set on the West Coast.

• Fear the Walking Dead Season 1
• Fear the Walking Dead Season 2

Continue with Main Series and Fear the Walking Dead Crossovers

As the timelines begin to converge, we switch between the original series and its spin-off.

• The Walking Dead Season 6
• Fear the Walking Dead Season 3

Morgan’s Journey and Expanded Universe 

Morgan’s crossover links the two series as Fear becomes more integrated with the main story.

• The Walking Dead Season 7
• Fear the Walking Dead Season 4 (connects to Morgan’s journey)

The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead Parallel Developments

The two shows run alongside each other with interconnected themes and evolving storylines

• The Walking Dead Season 8
• Fear the Walking Dead Season 5

Later Seasons and Spinoffs (Major Shifts and New Threats)

The main series heads toward its conclusion while Fear continues to explore evolving story arcs.

• The Walking Dead Season 9
• Fear the Walking Dead Season 6
• The Walking Dead Season 10

Introduce World Beyond and Wrap Core Series

The story expands into other regions and introduces new characters and communities.

• The Walking Dead: World Beyond Season 1
• Fear the Walking Dead Season 7
• The Walking Dead Season 11
• The Walking Dead: World Beyond Season 2

Anthology and Recent Spinoffs

Exploring unique tales and perspectives across the Walking Dead universe

• Tales of The Walking Dead (Not on Netflix)
• Fear the Walking Dead Season 8
• The Walking Dead: Dead City (Not on Netflix)
• The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon S1
• The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (Rick and Michonne’s story continuation)

This deal comes at a good time for The Walking Dead fans. AMC continues to grow and develop the franchise. Daryl Dixon’s season 2, “The Book of Carol,” will premiere later this year. Dead City’s season 2 is expected to air sometime in 2025, though no release date has been set. 

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Which other AMC shows are coming to Netflix?

The deal won’t just see The Walking Dead shows find a new home at Netflix. Several other coveted AMC shows are landing on the streamer too. These include:

• Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire
• Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches
• Monsieur Spade
• A Discovery of Witches
• Dark Winds
• Gangs of London
• Into the Badlands
• Kevin Can F*** Himself
• Preacher
•  That Dirty Black Bag
•  The Terror 

This isn’t the first time Netflix has licensed AMC shows. Most notably, both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul had immense success on Netflix—so much so that Netflix even made a sequel film, El Camino. Will The Walking Dead share this success? Only time will tell.