Fate watch order: where to start, the stay night routes and every Fate anime in order

Why start with Unlimited Blade Works, not Fate/Zero?

Fate began as a visual novel, Fate/stay night (2004), and the game unlocks its three routes in a fixed order: Fate, then Unlimited Blade Works, then Heaven's Feel ^{Japanese Wikipedia, Wikipedia}. Anime News Network's Fate guide says the routes "are best read in the order" Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, Heaven's Feel, and follows that order for the anime because Fate/Zero "is full of spoilers for 'Heaven's Feel'" ^{ANN, 2024}.

Crunchyroll's guide is looser. It suggests "starting with Fate/Zero and the two Stay Night TV adaptations in whatever order you please", and warns that Heaven's Feel "isn't as good of a starting point" because it skims the setup Unlimited Blade Works covers ^{Crunchyroll, 2024}. Both guides agree on the part that matters: watch Heaven's Feel after Unlimited Blade Works. Starting with Unlimited Blade Works and saving Fate/Zero for after Heaven's Feel follows the game's own order.

The three Fate/stay night routes

The routes retell the same Holy Grail War with a different heroine and ending each time, so the adaptations are alternatives, not sequels ^{Japanese Wikipedia}.

• Fate (Saber): only Studio DEEN's 2006 series adapts it, and it borrows from the other two routes. On whether to watch it, ANN's answer is "possibly, but with major caveats"; it says you could start there if you want the routes in order ^ANN.
• Unlimited Blade Works (Rin): adapted twice. Skip DEEN's 2010 film, which ANN's verdict sums up as "Absolutely not", and watch ufotable's 2014–15 series, episodes #00 to 25 ^{ANN, official site}.
• Heaven's Feel (Sakura): ufotable's three films, 2017 to 2020 ^{official site}.

The visual novel itself is available in English as Fate/stay night REMASTERED, released on Steam and Nintendo Switch on August 8, 2024 ^{TYPE-MOON, Crunchyroll}.

Fate chronological order

In story order the main timeline runs Fate/Zero, Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files, Fate/stay night, then Fate/strange Fake. Anime News Network writes that "Fate/Zero is the start of the main Fate timeline (and occurs 15 years before Fate/strange Fake)", that El-Melloi "takes place five years before Fate/strange Fake", and that Unlimited Blade Works is set "a few months after" El-Melloi ^{ANN, 2026}. Use the story-order switch on the line above to see it.

Fate/strange Fake: season 1 and what comes next

Fate/strange Fake, written by Ryohgo Narita, follows a false Holy Grail War in America. The one-hour special Whispers of Dawn aired in Japan in July 2023. Episode 1 aired first in a New Year's Eve special on December 31, 2024, and the TV series then ran 13 episodes from January 3 to March 28, 2026, opening with Whispers of Dawn and episode 1 back to back ^{official site, ANN}.

Aniplex announced a new season at Anime NYC in August 2026. As of October 25, 2026, it has no release date ^{ANN, Crunchyroll}. Crunchyroll streams season 1 and Whispers of Dawn ^Crunchyroll.

Fate/Apocrypha and Fate/Extra Last Encore

Fate/Apocrypha (2017, 25 episodes) is set in a parallel world where the wars of Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night never happen. ANN's advice: "best to watch at least F/SN and possibly Fate/Zero first" ^ANN. Fate/Extra Last Encore (2018, 13 episodes) is an original story in the world of the Fate/Extra games, "set in a very different universe to every other Fate property" ^ANN. Both stand alone.

Fate/Grand Order anime order

The Fate/Grand Order adaptations cover parts of the mobile game and form their own continuity. In game order ^{Japanese Wikipedia}:

1. First Order (2016), the game's prologue
2. Camelot: Wandering; Agateram (2020) and Paladin; Agateram (2021), the Sixth Singularity
3. Babylonia: Episode 0 (2019) and the Babylonia TV series (2019–20), the Seventh Singularity
4. Final Singularity: Solomon (2021), the end of part 1
5. Optional: Moonlight/Lostroom (2017), a bridge to part 2

ANN says "it's completely fine to jump from First Order to Camelot", and that Babylonia is "best watched after both Camelot movies, if possible" ^ANN. Crunchyroll's guide adds that once you have seen First Order, the rest can go in any order ^Crunchyroll.

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya order

Prisma Illya is a magical-girl spin-off set in an alternate world. Its release order is also its story order:

1. Prisma Illya (season 1) (2013)
2. Prisma Illya 2wei! (2014)
3. Prisma Illya 2wei Herz! (2015)
4. Prisma Illya 3rei!! (2016)
5. Prisma Illya: Oath Under Snow (Vow in the Snow) (2017)
6. Prisma Illya: Licht – The Nameless Girl (2021)
7. Prisma Illya FINALE (announced)

ANN's shortcut for the TV seasons: "Watch season one, skip seasons two and three, and jump straight to" 3rei!! ^ANN.

Every Fate anime in release order

All 34 released Fate anime by Japanese release date, plus the 2 announced ones, with recaps left out. "Yes" marks the main route on the line above.

Where to watch Fate

• Crunchyroll has the main route in the US and UK: Unlimited Blade Works, Fate/Zero, Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files and Fate/strange Fake, plus the three Heaven's Feel films, which it added on December 19, 2024 ^{Crunchyroll, ANN}.
• HIDIVE streams the Prisma Illya films in the US ^ANN.

The 2006 series, the Camelot films, Apocrypha and Last Encore have moved around since ANN's 2024 guide, and none of them has a confirmed US or UK stream in today's listings.

How long is the Fate series?

The main route on the line, from Unlimited Blade Works to Fate/strange Fake season 1, is about 41 hours. The 2006 series would add about 10 hours. Times come from Blu-ray listings where they exist; El-Melloi's episode 0 has no listed length and isn't counted.

Fate questions

What order should I watch Fate in?

Start with Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] (2014), then the three Heaven's Feel films, then Fate/Zero, Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files and Fate/strange Fake. That's about 41 hours. The 2006 Fate/stay night is optional, and Apocrypha, Grand Order and Prisma Illya are separate stories.

Should I watch Fate/Zero or Fate/stay night first?

Either works, but Fate/stay night first keeps Heaven's Feel's surprises intact. Anime News Network's Fate guide follows the visual novel order for that reason, since Fate/Zero is full of spoilers for Heaven's Feel. Crunchyroll's guide says Fate/Zero and the two stay night TV series can go in any order.

Are the Fate/stay night series sequels to each other?

No. The 2006 series, Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven's Feel each adapt a different route of the same visual novel, so they retell one Holy Grail War with different heroines and endings. The game unlocks them in the order Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, Heaven's Feel.

Where does Fate/strange Fake fit?

It is set after Fate/stay night: Anime News Network puts Fate/Zero 15 years before it and Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files five years before it. Watch it after the main stay night routes.

Is there a Fate/strange Fake season 2?

Yes. Aniplex announced a new season at Anime NYC in August 2026, after season 1 ended on March 28, 2026. As of October 25, 2026, it has no release date.