History Main / NonLinearSequel

* ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' is all over the place, partially owing to [[ConstructedWorld the Strangereal setting]] not being [[{{Worldbuilding}} extensively fleshed out]] until the fourth game and Project Aces having to retroactively [[CanonWelding fit previous entries into the universe]]. Even so, [[AnachronicOrder the chronology can be hard]] [[SequelNumberSnarl to keep track of]] if you're not familiar with the series. ''[[VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar Zero]]'' [[EpisodeZeroTheBeginning is the first entry]], and from there the order goes ''[[VideoGame/AirCombat 1]]'' (which takes place during an unknown point in 1995, the same year as the Belkan War) > ''[[VideoGame/AceCombat2 2]]'' (and its [[VideoGameRemake remake]], ''[[VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizonLegacy Assault Horizon Legacy]]'', which take place around 1997 or 1998) > ''[[VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies 04]]'' (2004-2005) > ''[[VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar 5]]'' (2010) > ''[[VideoGame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation 6]]'' (2015) > ''[[VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown 7]]'' (2019) > ''[[VideoGame/AceCombatXSkiesOfDeception X]]'' (2020), with ''Xi'' as an {{interquel}} occupying the same general time period as ''X''. Meanwhile, ''[[VideoGame/AceCombatNorthernWings Northern Wings]]'' [[DashedPlotLine is running concurrently with]] ''04'', ''5'', and ''6''. This leaves ''[[VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere 3]]'', set in 2040, as the DistantFinale, with ''[[VideoGame/AceCombatAdvance Advance]]'' (set around 2032) as ''its'' direct prequel. That's not even getting into ''[[VideoGame/AceCombatJointAssault Joint Assault]]'', ''[[VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon Assault Horizon]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/AceCombatInfinity Infinity]]'', all of which are instead set on Earth and appear to serve as {{Alternate Continuit|y}}ies to one another. Additionally, the arcade version of ''Ace Combat'' (also titled ''Air Combat'') and its arcade-exclusive sequel (''Air Combat 22'') share their own continuity.

** This timeline is complicated, however, by the inclusion of [=DLC=] worlds for ''The Sims 3'' that take place elsewhere on the timeline, and the various games that don't seem to fit in anywhere because they have no recurring characters present.

* All the numbered ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' sequels followed a linear chronology with one notable exception: ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' serves as a prequel to the entire ''Metal Gear'' canon, being set decades before the events of the very first ''VideoGame/MetalGear1''. ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPortableOps'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'', both for the PSP, serve as sequels to the plot of ''[=MGS3=]'' and follow Big Boss' further adventures before the first ''Metal Gear''. ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' is another game starring Big Boss set years before ''Metal Gear Solid'', or even the original ''Metal Gear'' for that matter, but is the fifth game in the ''MGS'' series to be numbered. Strangely, it is the first one to use a roman numeral instead of a numerical digit. It's also been confirmed by Kojima that ''Peace Walker'' was to be called ''Metal Gear Solid 5'' at one point during development, but the number was removed mainly on the basis that the game was a handheld release.

* The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series has, [[VideoGameLongRunners as of this writing]] [[note]]with ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Three Houses]]'' being the most recent release[[/note]], seven different [[TheVerse Verses]] (nine if one counts ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes Heroes]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriors Warriors]]''), each with their own characters, settings, mythologies, and plots. The MacGuffin in each universe is almost always the titular Fire Emblem, although it's called something completely different except for one line thrown in about how some people (who you'll never meet) call it the Fire Emblem. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' [[CanonWelding seems to tie everything together]]. The game definitely takes in the same universe as the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight Archanea]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem games]] (and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Gaiden]]''), but several thousand years later. From this, we can assume that the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Jugdral]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776 games]] are also in the same universe due to WordOfGod. One downloadable character is a descendant of Ike from the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Tellius]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn games]], and the DLC confirms that [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade the]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade remaining]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones two]] verses (at the time of ''Awakening''[='s=] release) exist at least as legends within that world, if not explicit history that just hasn't been placed yet. [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates The next installment]] similarly has a DLC chapter where the Avatar of that game meets the original traveling party in ''Awakening'' of Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick shortly before they encounter their game's Avatar, with Hoshido and Nohr described as "mythical kingdoms."

* ''VideoGame/BubbleBobble'' makes ''no'' sense. You got '''''three''''' second-installments and '''''two''''' third-installments, and chronological orders and release orders don't match.

->''"So any belief that Nintendo will make a sequel to VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink is deader than shit. They can't even make them follow consecutive order! We have a sequel to the original, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast a prequel]] to the original, ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening a sequel]]'' to the prequel, '''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime a prequel]]''' to the prequel, and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask a sequel]] to the [[AlternateTimeline young Link]] of the prequel's prequel! [-WHAT THE FUCK!?-]"''
-->-- '''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd''' on ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''[[note]]The video where he said this was made in 2008, so he wisely neglected to mention that we also had [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames two sequels]] to the sequel of the prequel, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords a prequel]] to the prequel's prequel, the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker sequel]] to the adult Link of the prequel's prequel, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures a sequel]] to the [[BuffySpeak prequel's prequel's prequel]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap a prequel]] to the prequel's prequel's prequel, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess a sequel]] to the sequel of the young Link of the prequel's prequel, and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass a sequel]] to the sequel of the adult Link of the prequel's prequel. And that's ''before'' Nintendo [[RetCon decided to reorder some of these]].[[/note]]

** ''[[VideoGame/YoshisIsland Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island]]'', although numbered, is a prequel to the main ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' games instead of a sequel to ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''. In Japan, the game is known simply as ''Super Mario: Yoshi Island''.

Some video games do not have a strict sense of a linear {{sequel}}. The game may -- ''may'' -- take place in the same continuity, but not necessarily in the same time period. Occasionally the only thing similar is the system of play or shared tropes and references.

* The ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' games, due to starting out as yet another UsefulNotes/WorldWarII series, have chronology all over the place. ''Call of Duty 2'' in particular has at least half of its missions taking place before most of the original's -- though this also meant they could bring back Captain Price after his death on board the Tirpitz in the first game without having to explain a thing. Later games eventually split up the timeline into as many as ''five'' alternate timelines: the ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' timeline with ''[[VideoGame/CallofDutyInfiniteWarfare Infinite Warfare]]'' being a distant sequel, the ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps Black Ops]]'' timeline that also includes ''[[VideoGame/CallofDutyWorldAtWar World at War]]'', the standalone timelines of ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyGhosts Ghosts]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyAdvancedWarfare Advanced Warfare]]'', the ''[[VideoGame/CallOfDutyZombies Zombies]]'' timeline, and the WWII games that can go anywhere. The series could almost be seen as a ThematicSeries at this point.

* The ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' series is the reigning king of bouncing around in the timeline, though the games all take place in the same continuity. Games have been set as far back as [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence the year 1094]] and as far forward as [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow 2036]]. Creator/{{Konami}} didn't even wait till the series left the NES before starting this habit -- ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse'' was set more than 200 years before [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaI the first game]].

* Though the various ''Franchise/MegaMan'' games are released roughly in chronological order within their own series, the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series -- which takes place after the end of the ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX X]]'' series and before the ''[[VideoGame/MegaManLegends Legends]]'' series -- began and ended years after the last ''Legends'' game came out. The newer ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' series takes place after ''Zero'' but still before ''Legends''. Also, in the time between ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass'' and ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'''s releases, the ''Zero'' series came and gone, as well as 2 ''Legends'' games, 2 ''ZX'' games and 4 mainline ''X'' games (as well as 2 handheld ''X'' games), and the series has stuck to the ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' era ever since.

** Then there's the early ''VideoGame/DragonQuestMonsters'' games -- one's a prequel to ''VI'', another had a ''VII'' character wind up in the Erdrick Trilogy world long after the events of ''I - III''.

** The spin-offs are a bit looser with chronology -- the two ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak Outbreak]]'' games take place roughly concurrently with the greater Raccoon City outbreak from ''2'' and ''3'', the final chapter of ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles The Umbrella Chronicles]]'' takes place a year before ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 4]]'', and the main story of ''[[VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheDarksideChronicles The Darkside Chronicles]]'' shows Leon in South America two years before ''4'', which shows what happened between Leon and [[spoiler:Krauser (before his FaceHeelTurn)]].

** ''Zelda'' is the biggest example of this in video games, as fans attempted for years to find some coherent continuity between the games, with one of the bigger points of contention being whether there was a linear timeline or if the ending of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' actually split the timeline in two. When the official timeline was revealed for the series' 25th anniversary through the ''Literature/HyruleHistoria'' artbook, it turned out timeline did split in ''[=OoT=]''... ''into three branches''. [[note]]The Adult Timeline (where Adult Link went back in time to properly live his childhood, leaving this branch unable to have a "true" reincarnation of the hero), the Child Timeline (where Young Link and Zelda manage to have Ganondorf imprisoned before he can enter the Temple of Time), and the unexpected Fallen Hero/Downfall Timeline ([[TheHeroDies where Adult Link dies fighting a now bestial Ganon]]).[[/note]] Since Creator/{{Nintendo}} is very much a "gameplay-first" developer, with story being one of the last things tackled in any of their games, the timeline reveal was prefaced with a request for fans to [[MST3KMantra ignore any odd discrepancies]] the official order may cause as being a result of the games being "legends" that have been constantly retold and embellished.

* While ''VideoGame/BravelySecond'' is a direct sequel to ''VideoGame/BravelyDefault'', the series' third game takes the ''Final Fantasy'' sequel route, being a numbered sequel (''Bravely Default II'') that takes place in a separate world from the previous two games.

** ''Sonic'' fans have had more than a few arguments trying to sort this one out. Though there are some things that are commonly agreed upon.

** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' takes place shortly after ''Sonic & Knuckles'' despite coming out in 2010.
** The ResetButton ending of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' and inclusion in ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' already make its place in continuity somewhat confusing. However, the game says that Blaze the Cat is from the same future as Silver the Hedgehog. The ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Rush|Series}}'' series directly contradict this by saying that Blaze is from AnotherDimension. At the end of Silver's story in ''Sonic '06'' [[spoiler:Blaze absorbs Iblis and seals it and herself away disappearing in a flash of light]]. Which [[WildMassGuessing may suggest]] ''Rush'' takes place after ''Sonic '06'', had WordOfGod not reaffirmed that her ''Rush'' backstory is the correct one.
** ''VideoGame/SonicChronicles'' takes place "[[TimeSkip two years]] after the last game in the series." However, what is meant by that is unknown. Its ending [[spoiler: has Robotnik take over the world]]. This doesn't sit well with the next game in the series, ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed''. [[CanonDiscontinuity The game was eventually declared non-canon anyway]], which is backed by Tails not remembering Green Hill in ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations''.

* The games in the ''[[VideoGame/AtlantisTheLostTales Atlantis]]'' series take part, in order: In prehistoric times, in the middle ages, in 2020, in the eary 20th century, and in 1937.
* ''VideoGame/MysteriousJourneyII'' is a far, far cry from what ''VideoGame/SchizmMysteriousJourney'' was. It takes place on an entirely different planet called Saarpedon, bearing no relation to Argilus, and the 2-character playing mode is dumbed back to one. In fact, the only relation to Schizm is a ShoutOut to its living ships, as buildings in the ocean which look similar on the outside, but work and look nothing alike on the inside.

** The third is the ''[[VideoGame/TalesOfXillia Xillia]]'' timeline. The second game has a new protagonist, but the entire cast of the previous game returns as playable characters, as its been only been a year in between games.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' games all take place in the same world (except for ''[[VideoGame/SuikodenTierkreis Tierkreis]]''), but all take place in different regions and, more importantly, different times. To be specific, the first game to occur chronologically was ''VideoGame/SuikodenIV''. One hundred and fifty years later, we experience the events of ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'', then we get the original ''VideoGame/SuikodenI'' five years later, with ''VideoGame/SuikodenII'' following it up with the shortest time span between games (a mere three years), then we get ''VideoGame/SuikodenIII'' 15 years after that. One strange thing about this series is the character Viki, who is well-known for not only teleporting to different regions, but through time as well (though this is not intentional, as she just has very bad luck and is a huge klutz). What's interesting is that she teleports through the games in ''numerical'' order, rather than chronologically. In other words, she teleports from the events of ''Suikoden I'' to ''Suikoden II'', then to ''Suikoden III'', and so on. Also, there are events that occur in ''Suikogaiden'' with Viki that, if she moved in numerical order, would imply her having knowledge of events that occurred (or knowing people she met) in earlier games. Her lack of knowledge of who Lorelai is in ''Suikoden V'', even though they are both members of the Hero's army in ''I'' and ''II'', is telling. ''And'' there are two different versions of Viki in ''III''.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' does this. Not counting ''Gold and Silver'', which were direct sequels to the first games, ''Red and Blue'', every iteration since has been part of a jumbled up timeline that can only be explained by in-game functions. ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' start off the series. At the same time that these are happening, the events of ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'', games released six years later as part of the third generation, take place. Three years later, the events of ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' take place. Starting around when the red Gyarados business goes down, the events of ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' occur. (It helps if you consider the remakes; ''Ruby and Sapphire'' and ''[=FireRed and LeafGreen=]'' are part of the same generation and take place at roughly the same time, as are ''Diamond and Pearl'' and ''[=HeartGold and SoulSilver=]''.) And then, some unknown time later (possibly multiple years later; see the following note for more details) the events of ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite''[[note]]All we know is that between games, the FunnyForeigner Rocket Grunt you find in Gold/Silver moved back to Unova, spent some time attempting to revive Team Rocket there, before falling in love and marrying someone, abandoning his prospects and settling down and fathering a child with her, said child likely at least being preschool aged or close to that by the time you find them in Black/White. Anywhere from 3 to 6 years could have passed when accounting for that while still allowing Red to be in his early 20s by the time of Sun/Moon, and accounting for the fact that over 10 years have passed by then.[[/note]] take place, followed by ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' (2 years later [[note]]Red, the player character in ''R/B/Y/FR/LG'', is canonically 11 in his games, which would make him 14 during Gen II/IV; as his age is given as [[VagueAge 16-17+]] in ''[=B2/W2=]'', this would suggest that ''B/W'' is set only, at most, a year after the events of ''[=HG/SS=]'' and ''Platinum'', [[CuttingOffTheBranches which is implied to be the "canon" version by Cynthia]] in her ''B/W'' cameo[[/note]]). ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' then takes place around the same time as ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2''. ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' are a few years down the road from ''[=B2/W2=]'' and ''X/Y'', as Red (see the above note) is officially said to be [[VagueAge in his early twenties]]. [[note]]Concept art for Grimsley, a character appearing in both the [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Unova]] [[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 titles]] and ''S/M'', mentions that he is two years older in the latter, however.[[/note]] ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'' and ''[[VideoGame/PokemonXDGaleOfDarkness Pokémon XD]]'' go wherever you want them to.

** Between the release of ''2'' and ''3'', there was also ''[[GaidenGame Dino Stalker]]'', a LightGunGame that, in fact, serves to tie together the those games, however nebulously ([[spoiler:the Mother Computer in charge of the Noah's Ark Plan, due to its ability to genetically engineer dinosaurs, is suggested to be the precursor to the MTHR computers featured in ''3'']]). In spite of this, the cliffhanger from the second game remains unaddressed even though [[spoiler:Dylan and Paula are shown to have survived]].

* ''VideoGame/DeadToRights'' was released in 2002 and follows Jack Slate, a cop in Grant City. ''Dead to Rights 2'' was released in 2005, and despite it being a numbered actually takes place before the original game. A third game ''Dead to Rights: Reckoning'' was released for the PSP shortly after ''2''. It also precedes ''2''. And then the fourth game, ''Retribution'', is a re-imagining of the first game. So, four "sequels" and we haven't even got past the first storyline. Whoopie...

* The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series has, [[VideoGameLongRunners as of this writing]] [[note]]with ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Three Houses]]'' being the most recent release[[/note]], seven different [[TheVerse Verses]] (nine if one counts ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes Heroes]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriors Warriors]]''), each with their own characters, settings, mythologies, and plots. The MacGuffin in each universe is almost always the titular Fire Emblem, although it's called something completely different except for one line thrown in about how some people (who you'll never meet) call it the Fire Emblem. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' [[CanonWelding seems to tie everything together]]. The game definitely takes in the same universe as the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight Archanea]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem games]] (and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Gaiden]]''), but several thousand years later. From this we can assume that the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Jugdral]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776 games]] are also in the same universe due to WordOfGod. One downloadable character is a descendant of Ike from the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Tellius]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn games]], and the DLC confirms that [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade the]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade remaining]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones two]] verses (at the time of ''Awakening''[='s=] release) exist at least as legends within that world, if not explicit history that just hasn't been placed yet. [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates The next installment]] similarly has a DLC chapter where the Avatar of that game meets the original traveling party in ''Awakening'' of Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick shortly before they encounter their game's Avatar, with Hoshido and Nohr described as "mythical kingdoms."

* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' was written with each story assumed to be the last (as admitted by the author) so as such several of the later ones answer questions rather then continuing the story. As such ''Literature/TheMagiciansNephew'' was written and published 6th but takes place first. ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', which was first, is second. ''Literature/TheHorseAndHisBoy'' was written fourth, published fifth, and set during a TimeSkip in ''[=LW&W=]''. With those three sorted out, however, the rest follow order of publication: ''Literature/PrinceCaspian'' (set centuries after ''[=LW&W=]''), ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'', ''Literature/TheSilverChair'', and ''Literature/TheLastBattle''. It helps that time shifts in-universe because Narnia is a parallel world [[NarniaTime not perfectly synced with ours]]. After the author's death, his estate rearranged all subsequent editions of the books by chronological order, though fans will generally recommend the original reading order based on publication instead.
* ''Film/TheScorpionKing'' is a prequel to ''Film/TheMummyTrilogy'', the second film of which introduced the Scorpion King and showed his final fate. They then made ''The Scorpion King 2'', which was a prequel to the prequel. There are also plans for ''The Scorpion King 3'' which will be a sequel to the prequel of the prequel. There's also a video game of dubious canon that serves as a prequel to the prequel. Perhaps confusing things even more is that WordOfGod is that the Scorpion King featured in the prequel series ''is not'' the same Scorpion King featured in ''Film/TheMummyReturns'', but rather his IdenticalGrandfather. While this makes sense given their wildly different characterizations (the prequel Scorpion being far more heroic), it's never actually established in series.
* The "[[Film/RoadTo Road Pictures]]" of Creator/BobHope and Music/BingCrosby. Hope, Crosby and Dorothy Lamour play different characters with different names in each, and at least one is set in a wildly different time period, but they all have the same cast, the same style of madcap humor, and much the same formula. It is common for there to be references to their past adventures, albeit usually during one of the many instances of BreakingTheFourthWall.

** ''Kamen Rider'' as a whole is in a ''very'' odd place regarding this trope, since originally each series seemed to exist in their own worlds with nary a reference to anything that came before[[note]]Exceptions: There are a few references to "Number 4" (Kuuga) in ''Agito'', and one of the major characters in ''Blade'' is researching the UrbanLegend of the Kamen Riders at the outset of the series[[/note]]. Then things got complicated by a number of factors, including ''Decade'' introducing the concept of {{Alternate Universe}}s, {{Crossover}}s and {{Early Bird Cameo}}s becoming an annual tradition in the movies, and a shadowy villain faction (Foundation X) that's had its fingers in every series starting with TheNewTens '''and''' is implied to somehow be affiliated with Shocker, the evil organization that menaced the original Series/KamenRider. Whew!

* ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' film series ended up non-linear [[BreakoutCharacter because of the popularity of one character]] played by Creator/SungKang. Street racer Han [[PunnyName Seoul-Oh]] [[MentorOccupationalHazard dies]] in ''Tokyo Drift'' (the third installment, a BTeamSequel with only a cameo from the stars of the previous two). The fourth film, ''Fast & Furious'', brought him back by setting itself a few years before his death in Tokyo.[[note]]Incidentally, this shunts ''Tokyo Drift'''s events nearly a decade into the future - the movie came out in 2006, but retroactively takes place in 2014![[/note]] Kang then starred in the fourth, fifth and sixth films, the epilogue of which [[BookEnds finally catches up to Han's death]] (now revealed to be [[ArcWelding a murder]]) and kicks off the plot of the seventh, finally making the series linear again.

* ''Mysterious Journey II'' is a far, far cry from what ''VideoGame/SchizmMysteriousJourney'' was. It takes place on an entirely different planet called Saarpedon, bearing no relation to Argilus, and the 2-character playing mode is dumbed back to one. In fact, the only relation to Schizm is a ShoutOut to its living ships, as buildings in the ocean which look similar on the outside, but work and look nothing alike on the inside.

* ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' film series is {{bookend|s}}ed by the original movie and ''Tokyo Drift'' (the third installment). The second movie (''2 Fast 2 Furious'') is a direct sequel to the first and the fourth (''Fast & Furious''), fifth (''Fast Five'') and sixth (''Fast & Furious 6'') follow that one [[spoiler:and the post-credit scene of ''Fast & Furious 6'' sets things up for the plotline of the eventual seventh film to potentially begin during ''Tokyo Drift'' and carry on from there]].

* ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'', though there are a few recurring characters. The fact that all the games take place in different Netherworlds helps. ''[[VisualNovel/DisgaeaInfinite Infinite]]'' messes some stuff up, but most fans agree that Mao and Beryl's appearances are before ''[[VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice D3]]'' even though the canon best ending of ''Infinite'' doesn't match up with why Etna was in ''[[VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories D2]]''.

* ''Series/KamenRiderAgito'': The creators considered making this series a direct sequel to ''Series/KamenRiderKuuga'', but were concerned that a continuity might put off new fans. Ultimately they left the decision up to the fans, saying that whether the two shows are explicitly linked or not is up to the individual viewer. That said, the shows are still ''implicitly'' linked by a number of references, like off-hand mentions of the Grongi (Kuuga's enemies) and the G3 PoweredArmor being based off of data the Tokyo Police collected from "Unidentified Lifeform #4" (their callname for Kuuga). It's also said that the Grongi and the Lords (Agito's enemies) are mortal enemies, and the latter wiped out last vestiges of the former in a GreatOffscreenWar before the events of ''Agito'' started.
** This all gets referenced in ''Series/KamenRiderDecade'', where the AlternateUniverse Agito World they visit is also an alternate Kuuga World, with the GreatOffscreenWar actively happening and an alternate version of Decade!Kuuga's CoolBigSis mentor showing up as the head scientist behind the G3 Project.
** ''Franchise/KamenRider'' is in a ''very'' odd place regarding this trope, since originally each series seemed to exist in their own worlds with nary a reference to anything that came before[[note]]Exceptions: There are a few references to "Number 4" (Kuuga) in ''Agito'', and one of the major characters in ''Blade'' is researching the UrbanLegend of the Kamen Riders at the outset of the series[[/note]]. Then things got complicated by a number of factors, including ''Decade'' introducing the concept of {{Alternate Universe}}s, {{Crossover}}s and {{Early Bird Cameo}}s becoming an annual tradition in the movies, and a shadowy villain faction (Foundation X) that's had its fingers in every series starting with TheNewTens '''and''' is implied to somehow be affiliated with Shocker, the evil organization that menaced the original Series/KamenRider. Whew!

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' is the biggest example of this in video games, as fans attempted for years to find some coherent continuity between the games, with one of the bigger points of contention being whether there was a linear timeline or if the ending of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' actually split the timeline in two. When the official timeline was revealed for the series' 25th anniversary through the ''Literature/HyruleHistoria'' artbook, it turned out timeline did split in [=OOT=]... ''into three branches''.[[note]]The Adult Timeline (where adult Link went back in time to properly live his childhood, leaving this branch unable to have a "true" reincarnation of the hero), the Child Timeline (where young Link and Zelda manage to have Ganondorf imprisoned before he can enter the Temple of Time), and the unexpected Fallen Hero/Downfall Timeline (where adult Link dies fighting a now bestial Ganon.[[/note]] Since Creator/{{Nintendo}} is very much a "gameplay-first" developer, with story being one of the last things tackled in any of their games, the timeline reveal was prefaced with a request for fans to [[MST3KMantra ignore any odd discrepancies]] the official order may cause as being a result of the games being "legends" that have been constantly retold and embellished.

* The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series has, [[VideoGameLongRunners as of this writing]], six different [[TheVerse Verses]] (eight if one counts ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes Heroes]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemWarriors Warriors]]''), each with their own characters, settings, mythologies, and plots. The MacGuffin in each universe is almost always the titular Fire Emblem, although it's called something completely different except for one line thrown in about how some people (who you'll never meet) call it the Fire Emblem. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' [[CanonWelding seems to tie everything together]]. The game definitely takes in the same universe as the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia Archanea]] games, but several thousand years later. From this we can assume that the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Jugdral]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776 games]] are also in the same universe due to WordOfGod. One downloadable character is a descendant of Ike from the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Tellius]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn games]], and the DLC confirms that [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade the]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade remaining]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones two]] verses (at the time of ''Awakening''[='s=] release) exist at least as legends within that world, if not explicit history that just hasn't been placed yet. [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates The next installment]] similarly has a DLC chapter where the Avatar of that game meets the original traveling party in ''Awakening'' of Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick shortly before they encounter their game's Avatar, with Hoshido and Nohr described as "mythical kingdoms."

** ''[[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD Sonic CD]]'' was developed at the same time as ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'', and takes place either before it or after ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic & Knuckles]]''.
** ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4'' takes place shortly after ''Sonic & Knuckles'' despite coming out in 2010. Furthermore, Episode II happens after ''Sonic CD'', owing to Metal Sonic returning from his defeat on Little Planet.

* The ''VideoGame/ArmoredCore'' series is a great example of this. Each successive game takes place several years, sometimes even decades after previous one and casts the player in the role of a new {{AFGNCAAP}} with no connection to the previous one. Usually [[CapcomSequelStagnation the presence of a number in the title indicates]] a ContinuityReboot. So far, ''Armored Core'', ''Project Phantasma'', ''Master of Arena'', ''Armored Core 2'' and ''Another Age'' take place in one continuity. ''Armored Core 3'', ''Silent Line'', ''Nexus'', ''[[FanonDiscontinuity Nine Breaker]]'', and ''Last Raven'' take place in a second continuity. ''Armored Core 4'' and ''for Answer'' take place in a third. And ''Armored Core V'' takes place in a fourth continuity. There's also the GaidenGame ''Formula Front'', which uses elements from the ''Armored Core 3'' universe, but it clearly not set in it. It's really just a FightingGame [[HumongousMecha with Robots]]... [[VideoGame/VirtualOn No, not that one]].

* The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series has five different [[TheVerse Verses]], each with their own characters, settings, mythologies, and plots. The MacGuffin in each universe is almost always the titular Fire Emblem, although it's called something completely different except for one line thrown in about how some people (who you'll never meet) call it the Fire Emblem. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' [[CanonWelding seems to tie everything together]]. The game definitely takes in the same universe as the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia Archanea]] games, but several thousand years later. From this we can assume that the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Jugdral]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776 games]] are also in the same universe due to WordOfGod. One downloadable character is a descendant of Ike from the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Tellius]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn games]], and the DLC confirms that [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade the]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade remaining]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones two]] verses exist at least as legends within ''Awakening''[='s=] world, if not explicit history that just hasn't been placed yet. [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates The next installment]] similarly has a DLC chapter where the Avatar of that game meets the original traveling party in ''Awakening'' of Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick shortly before they encounter their game's Avatar, with Hoshido and Nohr described as "mythical kingdoms."

* Every 2D ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' has been a non-linear sequel since ''Samurai Shodown II''. ''III'' and ''IV'' are set after the original game but before ''II'', ''V'' is a prequel to the first game, and ''VI'' is a "{{dream match|Game}}" game with everyone from the previous numbered entries. Oddly enough, the 3D games are all set after ''Samurai Shodown II'', although the PS version of ''Warriors Rage'' (which is a different game from the arcade version) takes place in the distant future of the other games. The 2019 ''[=SamSho=]'' entry (simply titled ''[[RecycledTitle Samurai Shodown]]'') is a SoftReboot sandwiched between ''V'' and the original, though it also features a handful of characters who were not originally active at that point in history (such as Shiki from the ''64'' titles).

* The ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}}'' series has been doing this as far back as the second installment, ''Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins''- a prequel to the original. The order goes: ''Tenchu 2'' (2000); ''Tenchu: Dark Secret'' (2006); the original ''Tenchu: Stealth Assassins'' (1998); ''Tenchu: Fatal Shadows'' (2004); ''Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven'' (2003); ''Tenchu: Time of the Assassins'' (2005); ''Tenchu: Shadow Assassins'' (2008) and ''Tenchu Z'' (2006).

** ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 5|AllianceOfVengeance}}'' adds more confusion; the ending strongly ''implies'' that it's actually a prequel to the rest of the series (and that Christo will go on to become [[spoiler:Seraph Lamington from the first game]]), but doesn't make this ''explicit'', so it may just be another game in the same universe. To make matters more questionable, there are post-game and DLC encounters that involve encountering characters from previous entries in the series, and these clearly take place ''after'' those respective games (Laharl knows his sister Sicily, Mao and Raspberyl run Evil Academy together, etc). This is entirely possible even assuming 5 is a prequel, since demons are immortal and these scenarios could be taking place [[DistantSequel long after]] the main story... except that in the case of the DLC ones there's nothing stopping you from running them ''during'' the main story. [[MST3KMantra It's probably best]] that you just assume some form of time travel is happening.

* Every 2D ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodown'' has been a non-linear sequel since ''Samurai Shodown II''. ''III'' and ''IV'' are set after the original game but before ''II'', ''V'' is a prequel to the first game, and ''VI'' is a "{{dream match|Game}}" game with everyone from the previous numbered entries. Oddly enough, the 3D games are all set after ''Samurai Shodown II'', although the PS version of ''Warriors Rage'' (which is a different game from the arcade version) takes place in the distant future of the other games.

* In chronological order of the plotline, the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series goes as follows: ''Devil May Cry 3'', ''Devil May Cry'', ''Devil May Cry 4'', then ''Devil May Cry 2''. Then there's ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'', which was originally ''another'' prequel (more like ContinuityReboot in some aspects) set ''before'' ''3'' [[FlipFlopOfGod until it was relegated to]] [[AlternateContinuity a parallel universe]]. ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' returns to the setting of the first four games, taking place several years after not only ''[=DMC4=]'', but also the oft-ignored ''2''.

* The ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' series is the reigning king of bouncing around in the timeline, though the games all take place in the same continuity. Games have been set as far back as [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaLamentOfInnocence the year 1094]] and as far forward as [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow 2036]]. Konami didn't even wait till the series left the NES before starting this habit -- ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse'' was set more than 200 years before [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaI the first game]].
** There are five games that retell Simon Belmont's assault on Dracula's Castle in 1691, with only ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania II|SimonsQuest}}'' serving as a continuation of Simon's journey.
** Two other exceptions are the ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow'' duology (with ''Dawn'' being a direct sequel to ''Aria'' with the same protagonist,) and ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'' being a direct sequel to ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaRondoOfBlood'', with Richter and Maria from the previous game playing a major role (the two games were eventually rereleased together as ''The Dracula X Chronicles''.)
* Though the various ''Franchise/MegaMan'' games are released roughly in chronological order within their own series, the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series -- which takes place after the end of the ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX X]]'' series and before the ''[[VideoGame/MegaManLegends Legends]]'' series -- began and ended years after the last ''Legends'' game came out. The newer ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' series takes place after ''Zero'' but still before ''Legends''. Also, in the time between ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass'' and ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'''s releases, the ''Zero'' series came and gone, as well as 2 ''Legends'' games, 2 ''ZX'' games and 4 mainline ''X'' games (as well as 2 handheld ''X'' games,) and the series has stuck to the ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' era ever since.

** ''[[VideoGame/YoshisIsland Super Mario World 2 Yoshis Island]]'', although numbered, is a prequel to the main ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' games instead of a sequel to ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''. In Japan, the game is known simply as ''Super Mario: Yoshi Island''.

* The ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series has five different [[TheVerse Verses]], each with their own characters, settings, mythologies, and plots. The MacGuffin in each universe is almost always the titular Fire Emblem, although it's called something completely different except for one line thrown in about how some people (who you'll never meet) call it the Fire Emblem. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' [[CanonWelding seems to tie everything together]]. The game definitely takes in the same universe as the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia Archanea]] games, but several thousand years later. From this we can assume that the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral Jugdral]] games are also in the same universe due to WordOfGod. One downloadable character is a descendant of Ike from the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Tellius]] games, and the DLC confirms that the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemElibe remaining]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones two]] verses exist at least as legends within ''Awakening''[='s=] world, if not explicit history that just hasn't been placed yet. [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates The next installment]] similarly has a DLC chapter where the Avatar of that game meets the original traveling party in ''Awakening'' of Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick shortly before they encounter their game's Avatar, with Hoshido and Nohr described as "mythical kingdoms."

** Disgaea 5 adds more confusion; the ending strongly ''implies'' that it's actually a prequel to the rest of the series (and that Christo will go on to become [[spoiler:Seraph Lamington from the first game]]), but doesn't make this ''explicit'', so it may just be another game in the same universe. To make matters more questionable, there are post-game and DLC encounters that involve encountering characters from previous entries in the series, and these clearly take place ''after'' those respective games (Laharl knows his sister Sicily, Mao and Raspberyl run Evil Academy together, etc). This is entirely possible even assuming 5 is a prequel, since demons are immortal and these scenarios could be taking place [[DistantSequel long after]] the main story...except that in the case of the DLC ones there's nothing stopping you from running them ''during'' the main story. [[MST3KMantra It's probably best]] that you just assume some form of time travel is happening.

** ''[[VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagicAshan After]]'' Ubisoft's reboot, even the main games move around. ''VI'' was a centuries-earlier prequel to ''V''. ''VII'' was a sequel to ''VI'', still centuries before ''V''. V's expansions follow on one another, but the ones for the sequels jump around, sometimes to even earlier.

-->-- '''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd''' on ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''[[note]]The video where he said this was made in 2008, so he wisely neglected to mention that we also had [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames two sequels]] to the sequel of the prequel, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords a prequel]] to the prequel's prequel, the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker sequel]] to the adult Link of the prequel's prequel, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures a sequel]] to the [[BuffySpeak prequel's prequel's prequel]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap a prequel]] to the prequel's prequel's prequel, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess a sequel]] to the sequel of the young Link of the prequel's prequel, and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass a sequel]] to the sequel of the adult Link of the prequel's prequel. And that's ''before'' Nintendo [[ContinuitySnarl decided to reorder some of these]].[[/note]]

-->-- '''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd''' on ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''[[note]]The video where he said this was made in late 2006, so he wisely neglected to mention that we also had [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames two sequels]] to the sequel of the prequel, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords a prequel]] to the prequel's prequel, the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker sequel]] to the adult Link of the prequel's prequel, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures a sequel]] to the [[BuffySpeak prequel's prequel's prequel]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap a prequel]] to the prequel's prequel's prequel, and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess a sequel]] to the sequel of the young Link of the prequel's prequel. And that's ''before'' Nintendo [[ContinuitySnarl decided to reorder them]].[[/note]]

-->-- '''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd''' on ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''[[note]]The video where he said this was made in late 2006, so he wisely neglected to mention that we also had [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames two sequels]] to the sequel of the prequel, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords a prequel]] to the prequel's prequel, the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker sequel]] to the adult Link of the prequel's prequel, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures a sequel]] to the [[BuffySpeak prequel's prequel's prequel]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap a prequel]] to the prequel's prequel's prequel, and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess a sequel]] to the sequel of the young Link of the prequel's prequel. Got all that?[[/note]]

-->-- '''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd''' on ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''[[note]]By the time he made this video in late 2006, we had also gotten [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames two sequels]] to the sequel of the prequel, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords a prequel]] to the prequel's prequel, the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker sequel]] to the adult Link of the prequel's prequel, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwordsAdventures a sequel]] to the [[BuffySpeak prequel's prequel's prequel]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap a prequel]] to the prequel's prequel's prequel, and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess a sequel]] to the sequel of the young Link of the prequel's prequel. Got all that?[[/note]]

-->-- '''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd''' on ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''

->''"So any belief that Nintendo will make a sequel to VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink is deader than shit. They can't even make them follow consecutive order! We have a sequel to the original, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast a prequel]] to the original, ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening a sequel]]'' to the prequel, '''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime a prequel]]''' to the prequel, and [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask a sequel]] to the young Link of the prequel's prequel! [-WHAT THE FUCK!?-]"''

* Though the various ''Franchise/MegaMan'' games are released roughly in chronological order within their own series, the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series -- which takes place after the end of the ''[[VideoGame/MegaManX X]]'' series and before the ''[[VideoGame/MegaManLegends Legends]]'' series -- began and ended years after the last ''Legends'' game came out. The newer ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' series takes place after ''Zero'' but still before ''Legends''.