Steins;Gate is the reason most people have heard of the Science Adventure series, but it's one of six visual-novel worlds from MAGES (formerly 5pb.) and Chiyomaru Shikura, and nearly all of them have anime. Anime News Network published a full Science Adventure anime timeline on October 21, the same day it ran an interview with the team behind Steins;Gate RE:BOOT, which comes out in the West on October 29. So here's the whole franchise in order, with the SenpaiRanks score for each entry so you know which ones are worth your time.
Quick answer
According to SenpaiRanks, the Science Adventure anime in release order are Chaos;Head (2008), Steins;Gate (2011), Robotics;Notes (2012), the Steins;Gate film (2013), Occultic;Nine (2016), Chaos;Child (2017) and Steins;Gate 0 (2018). Steins;Gate is the place to start and is by far the best of them, with a 9.04 adjusted score. It's followed by the film (8.15) and Steins;Gate 0 (8.05). Robotics;Notes (7.25) is the best of the rest. Both Chaos entries sit in the mid-6s. Steins;Gate streams on Crunchyroll. For the older entries, check each show's SenpaiRanks page, since availability varies by region.
Release order
- Chaos;Head (2008, Madhouse, 12 episodes) — 6.44
- Steins;Gate (2011, White Fox, 24 episodes, plus the 2012 OVA Egoistic Poriomania) — 9.04
- Robotics;Notes (2012, Production I.G, 22 episodes) — 7.25
- Steins;Gate: Load Region of Déjà Vu (2013 film, White Fox) — 8.15
- Steins;Gate: The Sagacious Wisdom of Cognitive Computing (2014 ONA, 4 short episodes) — 7.14
- Steins;Gate episode 23β, Open the Missing Link – Divide By Zero (2015) — 7.95
- Occultic;Nine (2016, A-1 Pictures, 12 episodes) — 6.73
- Chaos;Child (2017, Silver Link, 12 episodes, plus Silent Sky film) — 6.37 / 6.53
- Steins;Gate 0 (2018, White Fox, 23 episodes) — 8.05
The order we'd actually recommend
- Steins;Gate, episodes 1-23
- Episode 23β, the alternate ending that leads into the sequel
- Steins;Gate 0
- Steins;Gate episodes 24-25, then the film Load Region of Déjà Vu
- Robotics;Notes, set in the same world a decade later
- Chaos;Head, then Chaos;Child, which is its direct sequel
- Occultic;Nine, optional. It's from the same creator, but its link to the rest is loose.
This order watches the two Steins;Gate worldlines back to back and saves the weaker Chaos pair for last. If you want to watch the Steins;Gate shows only, our Steins;Gate watch order and where-to-watch guide covers just those.
How the pieces connect
The franchise shares one timeline. Chaos;Head takes place in Shibuya in 2009, and Steins;Gate is in Akihabara in 2010. Chaos;Child returns to Shibuya six years after Chaos;Head. Robotics;Notes moves to Tanegashima in 2019 and keeps a few links back to Steins;Gate. The connections are mostly easter eggs and shared organizations, so you can watch any one of them on its own. They just reward you more if you watch them all.
What RE:BOOT changes
Steins;Gate RE:BOOT is a remake of the original visual novel, out October 29 on Switch 2, Switch and PS5 (release details). In the ANN interview, producer Tatsuya Matsubara and scenario writer Naotaka Hayashi say it goes back to a classic text-adventure format and adds a new ending for Moeka, based on a 2010 drama CD. They also say that if they get the resources, Chaos;Head would be the next game to get the RE:BOOT treatment. Nothing new for the anime was announced.
Is it good?
The main Steins;Gate show is still one of the highest-scored anime on SenpaiRanks. The farther you get from that core, the lower the scores go, which matches what fans usually say about the franchise. For more shows like it, see our best time-travel anime ranking and the best video-game and visual-novel adaptations.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What is the Science Adventure series?
A: It's a shared-universe franchise of visual novels from MAGES and Chiyomaru Shikura: Chaos;Head, Steins;Gate, Robotics;Notes, Chaos;Child and Anonymous;Code, with Occultic;Nine loosely linked. Most have anime adaptations.
Q: What order should I watch Steins;Gate and the Science Adventure anime?
A: Start with Steins;Gate episodes 1-23, then episode 23β and Steins;Gate 0, then episodes 24-25 and the film. After that, watch Robotics;Notes, then Chaos;Head and Chaos;Child.
Q: Do I need to watch Chaos;Head before Steins;Gate?
A: No. Steins;Gate stands on its own, and Chaos;Head is the weakest-rated entry on SenpaiRanks at 6.44.
Q: Which Science Adventure anime is the best?
A: Steins;Gate, with a 9.04 adjusted score on SenpaiRanks, followed by the 2013 film at 8.15 and Steins;Gate 0 at 8.05.
Q: When does Steins;Gate RE:BOOT come out?
A: October 29, 2026 in the West, on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5.