When Does the Indiana Jones Game Take Place in the Movie Timeline?

Where does Indiana Jones and the Great Circle fall in the timeline?

By Tanner Dedmon

Xbox and Bethesda finally pulled back the curtain on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the new game from MachineGames that we now know is due out this year. We went from only knowing that an Indiana Jones game was in the works and who was making it to knowing more about all kinds of details like its first-person perspective and what kind of game it'll actually be. But for those who hold the Indiana Jones movies closely and care about continuity, when will this game take place in the broader timeline established by the movies before this game?

Thankfully, Bethesda and MachineGames seemed to anticipate that question exactly and didn't leave it to assumptions or speculation. That question has already been answered, and it seems the game will fall squarely between two of the best movies in the Indiana Jones series.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in the Movie Timeline

Bethesda and Xbox said during the first Developer Direct event of the year that the game will be set between the stories of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. To be more specific, the former takes place in 1936 while the latter takes place 2 years later in 1938, so Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will fall squarely between those two.

"Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes place in 1937 between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade," Bethesda clarified on socials during the event. "Our story begins with a break-in in the dead of night. You'll soon set out to discover the secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact."

Where Does Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Take Place?

So, we know the "when" in terms of the Indiana Jones timeline, but what about the "where"? The game will take place not just in one setting but across multiple locations including "the hallowed halls of the Vatican and the arid deserts of Egypt to the lush and sunken temples of Sukhothai and the frigid peaks of the Himalayas," according to Bethesda. That and more was shared in a post-reveal wrap-up on the Bethesda site.

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"Our game is about putting you in the shoes of an iconic hero," Indiana Jones and the Great Circle design director Jens Andersson said in that post. "Since we are doing this mostly in first-person, you have the chance to truly become Indy. First-person makes you part of this world – allowing you to explore and experience things more intimately. What will you do when you're dropped into this adventure with your wits and your whip? The world of Indiana Jones is a world with mysteries around every corner, where you're racing against the clock and outsmarting your enemies as you hunt down artifacts."

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is scheduled to release for the Xbox Series X|S and PC at some point in 2024.

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