You're sitting on the couch. It’s late. You have that specific itch for some high-concept, dystopian chaos that only James DeMonaco’s universe can provide. But then you hit the wall. You search your favorite app and—nothing. The frustration is real because the licensing for this franchise is a total mess. If you're wondering where is The Purge streaming on currently, the answer depends entirely on which specific night of lawlessness you want to witness.
Streaming rights move fast. One day a movie is on Peacock, the next it's migrated over to Max or Hulu because of some back-end deal made five years ago.
Tracking Down the Original 2013 Classic
The movie that started it all—Ethan Hawke trapped in a high-tech house while a polite stranger knocks on the door—is often the hardest one to pin down. Right now, your best bet for the original The Purge (2013) is often Peacock. Since Universal Pictures is the muscle behind these films, they tend to keep the family together on their own platform. However, don't be shocked if you find it missing for a month here or there.
Sometimes it pops up on DIRECTV or FuboTV for those who still have those legacy-style logins. If you don’t have those, you're looking at a $3.99 rental on Amazon or Apple. Honestly? Just buying the digital copy during a sale is smarter. These movies cycle in and out of "free" libraries so often it’ll give you whiplash.
The Sequels: Anarchy and Election Year
Most fans agree that The Purge: Anarchy is actually the peak of the series. Frank Grillo as Leo Barnes is basically a modern-day Punisher, and the scale expansion from a single house to the entire city of Los Angeles changed everything.
Currently, Anarchy and The Purge: Election Year are frequently bundled together on streaming services. You’ll usually find them living on Peacock, but they have a weird habit of wandering over to Hulu for short stints. Election Year is particularly interesting to rewatch lately given how much it leaned into the real-world political imagery of the mid-2010s. It’s loud. It’s angry. It’s very 2016.
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If you are a Netflix subscriber, you might be out of luck in the United States. While the franchise frequently hits Netflix in regions like the UK or Canada, the US licensing is locked down tight by NBCUniversal.
The Prequel and the "Forever" Problem
The First Purge (2018) took us back to Staten Island to show how the New Founding Fathers of America (NFFA) actually tested this "social experiment." It’s more of an action-heavy socio-political commentary than a straight horror flick. Then you have The Forever Purge (2021), which tried to flip the script by asking: what if the violence just... didn't stop at 7:00 AM?
These two are the nomads of the group.
- The First Purge is often available on FXNow or the Bravo app if you have a cable provider.
- The Forever Purge spent a long time on HBO Max (now Max) but has recently been seen back in the Universal fold.
Check Freevee too. Every once in a while, one of these titles will drop onto Amazon’s ad-supported service. You have to sit through a few commercials for insurance, but hey, it’s free.
What About the TV Show?
People forget there was a two-season TV show. It’s actually pretty decent because it has the breathing room to show what "normal" life looks like the other 364 days of the year.
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The Purge TV series is almost exclusively on Peacock and USA Network's digital platforms. It hasn't been renewed for a third season, so those 20 episodes are all we're getting for now. If you want to see the "Purge World" outside of just the sirens and the masks, the show is where the real world-building happens.
Regional Restrictions and the VPN Factor
Location is everything. If you're in the UK, you might find the whole collection on Sky Go or Now TV. In Australia, Binge is usually the go-to spot.
If you're traveling and find your home library blocked, using a VPN like ExpressVPN or NordVPN to set your location back to your home country usually fixes the "this content is not available in your region" headache. Just make sure the streaming service's Terms of Service doesn't have a meltdown about it.
Quick Breakdown of Where to Look First:
- Peacock: The "Home Base" for the franchise.
- Hulu/Max: The "Vacation Homes" where the movies stay for a few months.
- Rent/Buy: The only way to guarantee a watch tonight without the hunt.
Why the Search is So Complicated
The reality is that streaming is a fractured landscape. Universal (the distributor) wants you on Peacock. But they also like the massive check Netflix or Max writes to borrow a movie for six months. This is why you'll see The Purge on one service and its sequel on a completely different one. It’s annoying. It’s basically the corporate version of the Purge itself—everyone for themselves.
Making the Most of Your Rewatch
If you’re planning a marathon, don’t just watch them in order of release. Try starting with The First Purge to see the origins, then jump to the 2013 original. It changes the perspective. You realize the "New Founding Fathers" weren't just crazy; they were calculated.
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Check your current subscriptions against a site like JustWatch or Reelgood before you spend a dime. They track these daily movements better than anyone else.
If all else fails, the 4K Blu-ray sets are dirt cheap these days. Physical media means no one can take the movie away from you when a licensing deal expires at midnight. In a world where digital movies can literally vanish from your library, having the disc is the ultimate "Purge" survival strategy.
Go check Peacock first. If it's not there, head to the rental stores. Happy hunting, and stay safe out there.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check Peacock: Open the Peacock app first as it is the primary hub for NBCUniversal content.
- Use Search Aggregators: Use JustWatch.com to see live updates on which specific platform has which movie in your specific ZIP code.
- Bundle Your Watch: If you find Anarchy on a service, check the "More Like This" section immediately—usually, the other sequels are tucked right next to it for a limited time.
- Verify Library Access: If you have a local library card, check the Kanopy or Hoopla apps; they sometimes carry horror staples for free.