SeriesStack

Sword Art Online Books in Order

by Reki KawaharaScience Fiction & Fantasy

22 books so far (book 23 is due November 3, 2026). They run from Sword Art Online 1: Aincrad (2021) to Sword Art Online 22 (2026). Rated 4.8 across 2,857 listener reviews.

Next Sword Art Online book

Sword Art Online 23

Book 23 · out November 3, 2026 · preorder now

Kindle Paperback Audiobook

Reading order

  1. Sword Art Online 1: Aincrad

    Book 1 2021 4.8 (960)

    Read the novel that ignited the phenomenon!In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online - a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other - debuts, allowing players to take full advantage…

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  2. Sword Art Online 2: Aincrad

    Book 2 2021 4.8 (396)

    Linked up and logged into the deadly VMMORPG "Sword Art Online" in both the real and virtual worlds, Kirito is stuck in a hell of one man's making, and like everyone else, unable to escape until the game is beaten.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  3. Sword Art Online 3: Fairy Dance

    Book 3 2021 4.8 (321)

    Kirito has escaped Sword Art Online, the forbidden VRMMORPG of death, and returned to reality. He heads off to find his game partner and lover, Asuna Yuuki. But Asuna never made it back from the nightmare.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  4. Sword Art Online 4: Fairy Dance

    Book 4 2022 4.8 (244)

    Read the novel that ignited the phenomenon! Kirito plunges into a suspicious new VRMMORPG called ALfheim Online to rescue Asuna, who never returned from Sword Art Online.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  5. Sword Art Online 5: Phantom Bullet

    Book 5 2022 4.9 (199)

    Kirito reenters the world of VRMMOs, this time logging in to Gun Gale Online in order to investigate the Death Gun, an in-game item rumored to be responsible for real-world deaths.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  6. Sword Art Online 6

    Book 6 2022 4.9 (184)

    In an effort to discover the truth behind Death Gun, Kirito has entered the Bullet of Bullets tournament in Gun Gale Online.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  7. Sword Art Online 7

    Book 7 2022 4.9 (133)

    Kirito and Sinon's battle with Death Gun is over, but mere weeks later, something strange is afoot in the next-generation VRMMO ALfheim Online.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  8. Sword Art Online 8

    Book 8 2023 4.7 (64)

    The saga of Sword Art Online continues with three side stories set during the Aincrad and Alfheim eras. The game of death took its toll on every player in a different way--when one turns up dead on the fifty-seventh floor, the game's…

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  9. Sword Art Online 9

    Book 9 2023 4.8 (54)

    Kirito awakens in a vast, fantastical forest filled with towering trees. In his search for clues to the truth of his surroundings, he encounters a young boy who seems to know him.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  10. Sword Art Online 10

    Book 10 2023 4.8 (42)

    Two years after waking up in a mysterious fantasy world, Kirito and his oddly human NPC friend, Eugeo, continue their quest to become Integrity Knights--and find Alice, who disappeared so long ago and yet has somehow lingered in the back…

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  11. Sword Art Online 11

    Book 11 2023 4.7 (37)

    Two years into Kirito and Eugeo's quest to reach the Central Cathedral, the pair have finally become elite disciples at the North Centoria Imperial Swordcraft Academy.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  12. Sword Art Online 12

    Book 12 2024 4.7 (30)

    After a brief respite, Kirito and Eugeo set off again to climb Central Cathedral-but the powerful Integrity Knights are not about to let them reach the top.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  13. Sword Art Online 13

    Book 13 2024 4.7 (31)

    Following a mighty clash, Kirito and Eugeo find themselves separated for the last leg of their journey to the top of Central Cathedral.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  14. Sword Art Online 14

    Book 14 2024 4.7 (26)

    Kirito has faced innumerable hardships in the two long years since he first awoke in the Underworld, but his greatest battle yet lies ahead.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  15. Sword Art Online 15

    Book 15 2024 4.8 (21)

    Adminstrator's defeat has come at a heavy cost: The death of Eugeo as well as the mental decline of Kirito. Six months after the epic battle atop Central Cathedral, Kirito spends his days in the Underworld wheelchair-bound; bereft of…

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  16. Sword Art Online 16

    Book 16 2025 4.6 (22)

    Fifty-thousand troops led by Gabriel Miller, aka Emperor Vecta, the God of Darkness prepare to invade the human lands defended by Bercouli and his army of five thousand.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  17. Sword Art Online 17

    Book 17 2025 4.8 (17)

    Read the novel that ignited the phenomenon!The final stress test bleeds into its second day. Driven to desperation by the Integrity Knights’ coordinated assault, the Dark Army reveals the ace up their sleeve! Critter, who has been…

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  18. Sword Art Online 18

    Book 18 2025 4.7 (22)

    Read the novel that ignited the phenomenon!The second day of the final stress test rages on. Lisbeth, Silica, and Asuna push through the pain as they hold out against the Dark Army.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  19. Sword Art Online 19

    Book 19 2025 5.0 (15)

    Read the novel that ignited the phenomenon!After three hundred years of conflict, a new era begins for the Underworld. The Lost Child of Vecta, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, has defeated the Dark God and given the world its first…

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  20. Sword Art Online 20

    Book 20 2026 4.8 (13)

    READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON!It’s back to the drawing board as the kidnapper just barely slips from Kirito’s grasp.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  21. Sword Art Online 21

    Book 21 2026 4.8 (16)

    READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON!A year has passed since Kirito and Asuna’s return from the Underworld. With them is Alice, who has been given a physical body.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  22. Sword Art Online 22

    Book 22 2026 4.7 (10)

    Everyone knows that any good MMO has an abundance of side quests to supplement the main story line. With that in mind, join Kirito and friends for a peek behind the scenes across four never-before-seen side stories! The Day Before: Kirito…

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  23. Sword Art Online 23

    Book 23 Out November 3, 2026

    As Kirito, Asuna, and Alice brave the wilds of the mysterious VRMMO Unital Ring, Sinon’s introduction to the world is equally harrowing.

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

  24. Sword Art Online 24

    Book 24 Out February 2, 2027

    READ THE NOVEL THAT IGNITED THE PHENOMENON!In the world of Unital Ring, the foreboding presence that has been targeting the party finally makes itself known! Elsewhere, a reunion with Seijirou Kikuoka leads Kirito, Asuna, and Alice back to…

    Kindle Paperback Audiobook

About this reading order

Books are listed in the series' own numbering, which for Sword Art Online is also the best order to read them in. Years are first publication where we could confirm it, and otherwise the first audiobook release.

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