Cyberpunk is everywhere now, but back in 2000, it felt like a secret. Ion Storm released a game that changed everything, yet somehow, the franchise has become a tangled web of prequels, spin-offs, and cancelled projects. If you’re trying to figure out the Deus Ex games in order, you’ve basically got two choices: do you follow the release dates like we did back in the day, or do you follow the timeline of Adam Jensen and JC Denton?
Honestly, it's a mess.
You’ve got a protagonist in 2027 who looks more technologically advanced than the guy in 2052. That’s the "prequel problem" in a nutshell. Square Enix and Eidos-Montréal went all-in on a Renaissance-inspired aesthetic for the newer games, which makes the gritty, low-poly world of the original feel like a step backward if you play chronologically.
The Chronological Timeline: From Prequels to Nanotechnology
If you want the story to flow from start to finish, you aren't starting with the game that put the series on the map. You're starting in the "Golden Age" of augmentations.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Set in 2027)
This is where the modern era begins. You play as Adam Jensen, a security chief who gets blown up and rebuilt with mechanical parts he never asked for. It’s a world of gold tints and corporate conspiracies. Sarif Industries is the big player here. If you’re playing this today, make sure you grab the Director’s Cut. It fixes the boss fights, which were originally outsourced to a different developer and felt totally out of sync with the "play your way" ethos of the rest of the game.
Deus Ex: The Fall (Set in 2027)
Keep your expectations low here. This was originally a mobile game. It happens roughly alongside the early parts of Human Revolution. You play as Ben Saxon, an ex-SAS mercenary. It’s janky. It’s unfinished—literally, the story just stops. Most hardcore fans skip it, but if you’re a completionist looking for the Deus Ex games in order, it technically sits right here.
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Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Set in 2029)
Two years after the "Aug Incident" at the end of the previous game, the world hates "clanks." Jensen is back, working for Task Force 29 in Prague. This game is visually stunning but notoriously feels like half a story. The development was rushed, and Square Enix famously tried to shove "breach mode" and microtransactions into a single-player immersive sim. Still, the level design in the Golem City section is arguably the best the series has ever seen.
Deus Ex (Set in 2052)
The GOAT. The original. By this point in the timeline, mechanical augmentations are "old tech." Everyone who is anyone has nanotechnology. You are JC Denton, an UNATCO agent. While the graphics look like they were made in a blender (the kitchen appliance, not the software), the depth is staggering. You can kill your boss. You can save your brother. You can let a main antagonist live just to see what happens later.
Deus Ex: Invisible War (Set in 2072)
Twenty years after JC Denton changed the world, we get Alex D. This game is the black sheep. It was designed for the original Xbox, which meant the maps had to be tiny because of memory constraints. It consolidated all ammo into a single "universal" pool, which fans hated. But, it has some of the most wild branching endings in the series.
The Release Date Order: Why It Actually Might Be Better
There is a very strong argument that playing the Deus Ex games in order of their release is the only way to appreciate the evolution of the "Immersive Sim" genre. When Warren Spector and Harvey Smith designed the first game, they were reacting to the limitations of 90s shooters. They wanted a game where "crawling through a vent" was a legitimate tactical choice, not a scripted event.
- Deus Ex (2000)
- Deus Ex: Invisible War (2003)
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011)
- Deus Ex: The Fall (2013)
- Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016)
If you play this way, the jump in quality from Invisible War to Human Revolution feels like a miracle. You go from the cramped, purple-hued corridors of the early 2000s into the sweeping, orchestral cyberpunk masterpiece of the 2010s. It’s a massive leap. Plus, you’ll catch all the little Easter eggs. When you see a reference to the "Gray Death" virus in the prequels, it actually means something to you because you’ve already fought it in the 2052 setting.
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The Problem With Modern Hardware
Let’s be real: the original Deus Ex is a nightmare to run on a modern Windows 11 rig without help. You can’t just download it from Steam and hit "play" without expecting some flickering or weird resolutions. You need the "Kentie’s Launcher" or a mod like GMDX (Global Modification Deus Ex) or Deus Ex: Revision.
Revision is controversial. It changes the music and the level layouts. Some people think it ruins the original vibe. My advice? Use GMDX for a first playthrough. It keeps the soul of the game but fixes the AI and makes the physics feel less like a sponge.
Why the Order Matters for the Lore
The lore of this franchise is dense. We’re talking Illuminati, MJ12, Knights Templar, and AI entities that want to merge with the human consciousness.
If you play the prequels first, you see the rise of the corporations. You see how the world slowly broke itself through greed. If you play the original first, you see the world after it already broke. It’s a post-conspiracy world.
There is a specific character that appears across almost all of them: Bob Page. In the 2000 game, he’s the ultimate villain. In Human Revolution, he’s a shadowy figure in a post-credits scene. Watching his rise to power in reverse (by playing the prequels second) is actually a pretty cool narrative experience. It feels like you’re uncovering the roots of a cancer you’ve already fought.
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What Most People Get Wrong About Mankind Divided
People often say Mankind Divided is a bad game because it ends abruptly. That's a mistake. It’s actually a brilliant game that was cut short by corporate meddling. If you play the games in order, don’t skip the DLC for this one. A Criminal Past is basically a standalone prison break story that is better than most full games released that year.
Also, don’t bother with the mobile-to-PC port of The Fall unless you are writing a thesis on the series. It’s buggy and the mouse controls are just simulated touch swipes. It’s bad. Truly.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you are ready to dive in, don't just blindly click buy. Here is how you should actually approach this to get the best experience:
- Start with Human Revolution (Director's Cut): It is the most accessible entry point. The stealth mechanics are intuitive, and the story is self-contained enough that you won't feel lost.
- Install the "Transcended" mod for the original Deus Ex: If you decide to go back to the 2000 classic, this mod is a "vanilla plus" fix. It doesn't change the levels or the balance; it just fixes bugs that have existed for 25 years.
- Skip the "Breach" mode in Mankind Divided: It was a tacked-on arcade mode with microtransactions. It adds nothing to the story and will only burn you out.
- Read "The Icarus Effect": This is a tie-in novel by James Swallow. It actually explains who the "Tyrants" (the bosses in Human Revolution) are. Without it, they just seem like random angry cyborgs.
- Give Invisible War a chance: Yes, the loading screens are frequent. Yes, the "universal ammo" is silly. But the Cairo and Upper Seattle levels have some of the best atmospheric storytelling in the genre.
The tragedy of the Deus Ex series is that we are currently in a "long sleep." After Embracer Group acquired the IP from Square Enix and subsequently cancelled the unannounced project at Eidos-Montréal in early 2024, the future is uncertain. Playing through the Deus Ex games in order now isn't just a gaming marathon; it's a look at a series that predicted everything from the rise of surveillance states to the ethics of transhumanism long before they became daily news headlines.
Stick to the Jensen duology first if you want modern comfort, then brave the 2000s jank to see where the soul of the series truly lies. Just remember to always check the vents. There's always a way in through the vents.