Affiliate Disclosure: Links on this page may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Read our affiliate policy
Sword Art Online Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of Sword Art Online books in publication order. This is generally the recommended reading order for the series.
Reading order verified: April 2026
Quick Answer
What order should I read the Sword Art Online series? Start with "Aincrad, Vol. 1" (2009) and follow publication order through all 32 books.
The complete Sword Art Online reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order
Aincrad, Vol. 1
2009
Aincrad, Vol. 2
2009
Fairy Dance, Vol. 3
2009
Fairy Dance, Vol. 4
2010
Phantom Bullet, Vol. 5
2010
Phantom Bullet, Vol. 6
2010
Mother's Rosary, Vol. 7
2011
Early and Late, Vol. 8
2011
Alicization Beginning
2012
Alicization Running
2012
Alicization Turning
2012
Alicization Rising
2013
Alicization Dividing
2013
Alicization Uniting
2014
Alicization Invading
2014
Alicization Exploding
2015
Alicization Awakening
2016
Alicization Lasting
2016
Moon Cradle I
2017
Moon Cradle II
2017
Unital Ring I
2021
Kiss and Fly
2021
Unital Ring II
2021
Unital Ring III
2022
Unital Ring IV
2022
Unital Ring V
2023
Unital Ring VI
2023
Sword Art Online 28
2025
Phantom Bullet, Vol. 1
2010
Phantom Bullet, Vol. 2
2010
Phantom Bullet, Vol. 3
2010
Phantom Bullet, Vol. 4
2010
Affiliate Disclosure
As an Amazon Associate, Reading Order Books earns from qualifying purchases. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. This helps us maintain the site and continue providing reading order guides. Read our full disclosure