What is the order that the various .hack series should be read/watched/played through?

Question

I am looking to find both a chronological order and a release date order for the various .hack// media outlets (manga, anime, and games). What is the recommended way to go about getting the full experience from the .hack// world, chronologically or based on release dates?

A list of what I should go about doing and in what order would be awesome, but I'll even take a link to a site that tells me how to go about beginning the series. Thanks.

TL;DR: Need a reading/watching/playing order for the entire .hack world, not sure if chronological is better than release date order.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Here's the order:

Project .hack (The World R:1):

1. .hack//AI buster (light novel that starts the .hack series) 
2. .hack//AI buster 2 (sequel to AI buster, read the first story) 
3. .hack//Sign (prequel anime to the games) 
4. .hack//Ai buster 2 (sequel to AI buster, read the second story)
5. .hack//Sign - Intermezzo (AKA Episode 27 of SIGN) 
6. .hack//ZERO (a seemingly discontinued manga series, read the summary online) 
7. .hack//Infection (PS2 game)
8. .hack//Mutation (PS2 game)
9. .hack//Outbreak (PS2 game)
10. .hack//Quarantine (PS2 game)
11. .hack//Another Birth (games told through BlackRose's PoV) 
12. .hack//Liminality (tells what happened in the real world during the games, anime OVA series) 
13. .hack//AI buster 2 (sequel novel to AI buster, read the third and fifth stories) 
14. .hack//Legend of the Twilight (read the manga, don't watch the anime) 
15. .hack//AI buster 2 (sequel novel to AI buster, read the fourth story)

.hack Conglomerate (The World R:2):

16. End of The World (A terminal disc that came with .hack//G.U. Vol.1: Rebirth, tells about the events between the end of Project .hack and the beginning of .hack Conglomerate)
17. .hack//First Login (read the summary online) 
18. .hack//Alcor (read the summary online) 
19. .hack//GnU (read the summary online) 
20. .hack//CELL (read the summary online)
21. .hack//Roots (prequel anime to the G.U. Games) 
22. .hack//G.U. Vol. 1: Rebirth (PS2 game)
23. .hack//G.U. Vol. 2: Reminisce (PS2 game)
24. .hack//G.U. Vol. 3: Redemption (PS2 game)
25. Online Jack (anime side-story viewable in G.U. Games) 
26. .hack//Roots - Returner (AKA Episode 27 of Roots) 

Unknown Generation of .hack (Takes place in The World R:X):

27. .hack//Link (a new .hack game for the PSP, considered noncanon by many)
28. .hack//Quantum (anime OVA series)

Cutting it down to the most important parts, the order goes like this:

1. .hack//Sign (anime)
2. .hack original PS2 game quadrilogy (Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, Quarantine)
3. .hack//Liminality (anime)
4. .hack//Legend of the Twilight (manga)
5. .hack//Roots (anime)
6. .hack//G.U. game trilogy (Rebirth, Reminisce, Redemption)
7. .hack//Quantum (anime)

I'd assume the release date order is roughly the same. I'd recommend the chronological order because there are people in .hack//GU who were part of the original games, and references to past events may be made.

? · Answer

you could really watch one with out having them in any certain order. i in my opinion imagine that what particularly links them jointly is the video games. //signal develop into the first series and the various characters and prices from this anime appeared contained in the first .hack PS2 series. //Liminality, it really is a 4 section OVA, got here with the video games and is a facet-tale to the video games if I bear in thoughts wisely. //present is an OVA that incredibly a lot heavily isn't some thing you want to video reveal, even though it truly is a exciting episode that brings both the game characters and the characters from //signal jointly. //Legend of the Twilight is a sequel to the PS2 series. //Roots is various years after //signal and the video games and is largely a prequel for the //G.U PS2 video games. After that, i do not comprehend. i have not considered the different .hack series.

What is the order that the various .hack series should be read/watched/played through?

2 Answers