How to Watch the Arrowverse: Chronological & Release Order

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Plus, where to watch all your favorite DC shows

Co-authored by Raven Minyard, BA

Last Updated: November 20, 2025 Fact Checked

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Best Watch Order

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Release Dates

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What is the Arrowverse?

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Where to Watch

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The Arrowverse is a universe of interconnected television shows following some of DC’s most popular superheroes. Because there are so many crossover events, it can be a bit tough to figure out what order you should watch everything in. Don’t worry—we’re here to help! In this article, we’ll explain the preferred watch order for all the shows in the Arrowverse, as well as their release dates and where you can watch them. You’ll be an Arrowverse expert in no time!

How should you watch the Arrowverse?

Most DC fans prefer to watch the Arrowverse TV shows in chronological order. DC released the seasons and episodes of each show in the order they wanted them to be watched, starting with the first two seasons of Arrow. This order is important if you want to watch all the crossover events.

Section 1 of 4:

The Best Arrowverse Watch Order

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DC recommends watching the Arrowverse in chronological order. DC released each show in the Arrowverse in the order they’re meant to be watched. This is because there are many crossover events in which the characters from different shows interact. Here’s the preferred watch order for each show, miniseries, and crossover event in the franchise:^{[1]
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- Arrow seasons 1 and 2
- The Flash season 1 (up to episode 7)
- Arrow season 3 (up to episode 7)
- Flash vs Arrow crossover event (The Flash and Arrow episode 8)
- Arrow remaining episodes of season 3
- The Flash remaining episodes of season 1
- Constantine
- Vixen season 1
- The Flash season 2
- Arrow season 4
- Legends of Tomorrow season 1
- Supergirl season 1
- Vixen season 2
- The Flash season 3 (up to episode 7)
- Arrow season 5 (up to episode 7)
- Legends of Tomorrow season 2 (up to episode 6)
- Supergirl season 2 (up to episode 7)
- Invasion! crossover event (episode 8 of Supergirl, followed by episode 8 of The Flash, episode 8 of Arrow, and finally episode 7 of Legends of Tomorrow)
- The Flash remaining episodes of season 3
- Arrow remaining episodes of season 5
- Supergirl remaining episodes of season 2
- Legends of Tomorrow remaining episodes of season 2
- Supergirl season 3 (up to episode 7)
- Arrow season 6 (up to episode 7)
- The Flash season 4 (up to episode 7)
- Legends of Tomorrow season 3 (up to episode 6)
- Crisis on Earth-X crossover event (episode 8 of Supergirl, followed by Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow)
- Freedom Fighters: The Ray season 1
- Supergirl remaining episodes of season 3
- Arrow remaining episodes of season 6
- The Flash remaining episodes of season 4
- The Legends of Tomorrow remaining episodes of season 3
- Black Lightning season 1
- Freedom Fighters: The Ray season 2
- The Flash season 5 (up to episode 8)
- Arrow season 7 (up to episode 8)
- Supergirl season 4 (up to episode 8)
- Elseworlds crossover event (episode 9 of The Flash, followed by Arrow, then Supergirl)
- The Flash remaining episodes of season 5
- Black Lightning season 2
- Arrow remaining episodes of season 7
- Supergirl remaining episodes of season 4
- Legends of Tomorrow season 4
- Supergirl season 5 (up to episode 8)
- Black Lightning season 3 (up to episode 8)
- Batwoman season 1 (up to episode 8)
- The Flash season 6 (up to episode 8)
- Arrow season 8 (up to episode 7)
- Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event (episode 9 of Supergirl, followed by Black Lightning, Batwoman, The Flash, and Arrow)
- Supergirl remaining episodes of season 5
- Black Lightning remaining episodes of season 3
- Batwoman remaining episodes of season 1
- The Flash remaining episodes of season 6
- Arrow remaining episodes of season 8
- Legends of Tomorrow season 5
- Batwoman season 2
- Black Lightning season 4
- Superman & Lois season 1
- The Flash season 7
- Supergirl season 6
- Legends of Tomorrow season 6
- Batwoman season 3
- Legends of Tomorrow season 7
- The Flash season 8
- Superman & Lois season 2
- The Flash season 9
- Superman & Lois season 3
- Superman & Lois season 4

Section 2 of 4:

The Arrowverse Shows in Order of Release Date

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Watch each show independently, if you prefer. While chronological order is generally considered the best way to watch the Arrowverse in its entirety, it can get a bit complicated. If you want to watch each show on its own, here’s the release order:^{[2]
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- Arrow (2012-2020): October 10, 2012
- The Flash (2014-2023): October 7, 2014
- Constantine (2014-2015): October 24, 2014
- Supergirl (2015-2021): April 18, 2016
- Vixen (2015): August 25, 2015
- Legends of Tomorrow (2016-2022): May 19, 2016
- Freedom Fighters: The Ray (2017-2018): December 8, 2017
- Black Lightning (2018-2021): April 17, 2018
- Batwoman (2019-2022): October 6, 2019
- Superman & Lois (2021-2024): February 23, 2021

Section 3 of 4:

What is the Arrowverse?

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The Arrowverse refers to the DC superhero TV universe. The franchise follows several interconnected TV series based on DC Comics superheroes. It’s called the Arrowverse because the franchise began with the release of Arrow in 2012. As more shows were added to the franchise, there were several crossover events in which the characters from each show interacted. The Arrowverse includes both live-action and animated series.^{[3]
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Section 4 of 4:

Where to Watch Arrowverse Shows

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The Arrowverse shows are available on different streaming services. While the shows originally aired on the CW, they are now available across different streaming platforms. These platforms are subject to change, but here’s where you can currently find the main shows in the franchise:
- Superman & Lois: HBO Max and The CW’s website
- Supergirl: Netflix
- The Flash: Netflix
- Arrow: Netflix
- Batwoman: HBO Max
- Legends of Tomorrow: Netflix
- Black Lightning: Netflix