Inheritance Games Books in Order
A teenage girl is living out of her car. A few days later, a billionaire she has never met leaves her almost his entire fortune. That is the hook of The Inheritance Games, and it has pulled in millions of readers since 2020. If you are trying to line up the Inheritance Games books in order, you have more to track than you might expect.
Jennifer Lynn Barnes has grown this world well past the first trilogy. There is a bonus novel, a story collection, and a full spinoff series that wrapped up in July 2026. This guide lays out the right reading order, explains how the pieces connect, and helps you decide what to read next.
What Is The Inheritance Games About?
The story follows Avery Grambs, a smart, broke high school student in Connecticut. When Tobias Hawthorne dies, his will hands her billions of dollars and the keys to Hawthorne House, a huge Texas mansion full of hidden rooms and secret passages.
There’s one catch. To claim the money, Avery has to live in the house for a year. Tobias’s family, including his four grandsons, are not thrilled. Nash, Grayson, Jameson, and Xander Hawthorne grew up solving puzzles their grandfather left for them. Now Avery is the puzzle.
The books mix mystery, romance, and riddles. Every chapter seems to hide a clue, and the twists keep coming. That puzzle-box style is why fans love to reread the series once they know the answers.
Inheritance Games Books in Order of Publication
Here is every book in release order. This is the easiest way to read the whole world.
- The Inheritance Games (September 1, 2020)
- The Hawthorne Legacy (September 7, 2021)
- The Final Gambit (August 30, 2022)
- The Brothers Hawthorne (August 29, 2023)
- The Grandest Game (2024)
- Games Untold (November 12, 2024)
- Glorious Rivals (2025)
- The Gilded Blade (July 14, 2026)
The Inheritance Games Series Trilogy
The core of the world is a three-book arc about Avery and the Hawthorne family.
Book 1: The Inheritance Games
Avery moves into Hawthorne House and tries to figure out why a stranger chose her. The grandsons each have their own reasons to want her gone, or to want her close. This first book sets up the central mystery and the love triangle between Avery, Grayson, and Jameson.
Book 2: The Hawthorne Legacy
The questions get bigger. Avery digs into Tobias’s past and her own mother’s secrets. New threats appear, and the clues point to a deeper conspiracy around the Hawthorne fortune.
Book 3: The Final Gambit
Avery nears the end of her year in the house, and an outsider shows up with dangerous ties to the family. The Final Gambit closes the main mysteries and settles the romance question that fans argued about for two years.
If you only want Avery’s core story, the Inheritance Games series trilogy works as a complete set. You can stop after book three and feel satisfied.
The Brothers Hawthorne: Book 4
The Brothers Hawthorne came out in 2023 and takes place after the trilogy. This time, the focus shifts to Grayson and Jameson. Each brother gets his own storyline, and both face new games and new romances.
It is not a required read, but it gives two fan-favorite characters more depth. Read it after The Final Gambit. Reading it earlier will spoil the trilogy’s ending.
The Grandest Game Spinoff Series
In 2024, Barnes launched a new trilogy set in the same world. Avery, now running the Hawthorne fortune, creates a high-stakes competition called the Grandest Game. A new cast of players fights for a massive prize, while the Hawthornes appear in supporting roles.
- The Grandest Game (2024): The competition begins on a private island, with players who all have secrets.
- Glorious Rivals (2025): The game continues, and the rivalries turn personal.
- The Gilded Blade (July 14, 2026): The finale of the spinoff trilogy.
The Gilded Blade wraps up this series, so the full spinoff is now complete. If you held off until all three books were out, now is the time to start.
Where Does Games Untold Fit?
Games Untold is a collection of short stories and novellas, released in November 2024. It includes scenes from Avery’s world and the Hawthorne brothers, some of them set between the main books.
The best time to read it is after The Brothers Hawthorne and The Grandest Game. Several stories assume you know how the trilogy ends and who the newer characters are. Think of it as a bonus box of extras for fans, not a starting point.
Should You Read the Inheritance Games Books in Order?
Yes, and this matters more here than in most series. The Inheritance Games depends on reveals. Each book builds on the twists of the one before. Reading out of order will ruin the biggest surprises in the trilogy.
Here is a quick guide:
| Reader Type | Recommended Path |
|---|---|
| New to the series | Books 1 to 3, then stop or keep going |
| Wants more Hawthornes | Add The Brothers Hawthorne |
| Loves puzzle stories | Read the full Grandest Game trilogy next |
| Completist | Follow the full publication order, including Games Untold |
The only flexible spot is Games Untold. You can save it for last without losing much.
What Age Group Are These Books For?
The books are shelved as young adult. Avery is a high school student at the start, and the content stays in the YA lane, with romance, some danger, and mild language. Plenty of adults read the series too, the same way they read The Hunger Games or One of Us Is Lying.
If you are buying for a younger reader, most 13 and up will be fine. The puzzles and mystery are the main draw, not graphic content.
Why People Love This Series
A few things make inheritance games stand out from other YA mysteries:
- Riddles you can solve along with Avery. Barnes plants real clues, so careful readers can guess some answers.
- Four very different brothers. Fans pick favorites and debate them online.
- A heroine who wins with her brain. Avery is smart, cautious, and good at games.
- Fast pace. Short chapters and cliffhangers make it easy to read in a weekend.
The first book became a #1 New York Times bestseller and took off on BookTok. The success led to the spinoff and made Jennifer Lynn Barnes one of the most talked-about YA authors of the decade.
Books to Read After The Inheritance Games
If you finish everything and want more, try these:
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, for a student detective story.
- One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, for a twisty group mystery.
- The Naturals series, also by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, about teens who help the FBI solve cold cases.
- Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, for a boarding school mystery with a long-running puzzle.
Common Questions About the Inheritance Games Books in Order
Can I start with The Grandest Game? You can, since it has a new main cast. But it spoils the ending of the original trilogy, so most fans suggest reading the first three books before you jump into the spinoff.
How many books are in the Inheritance Games series? The main trilogy has three books. Counting The Brothers Hawthorne, Games Untold, and the full spinoff, the world now holds eight books in total.
Is there a love triangle? Yes. The first two books lean on a love triangle between Avery, Grayson, and Jameson, and it gets resolved by the end of The Final Gambit.
How long are the books? Most are around 350 to 400 pages, with short chapters that read fast. A strong reader can finish one in a weekend.
Will there be more books after The Gilded Blade? Nothing new has been announced yet. If Barnes returns to this world, this list of Inheritance Games books in order will get an update. Until then, the eight books here make up the complete story, and fans can follow the Inheritance Games books in order without worrying about a missing piece.
Final Thoughts
The Inheritance Games books in order start with Avery’s surprise fortune in 2020 and end with The Gilded Blade in 2026. Read the trilogy first, add The Brothers Hawthorne if you want more of Grayson and Jameson, then move into the Grandest Game spinoff. Save Games Untold for last. With the spinoff now finished, it is the perfect time to follow the Inheritance Games books in order from start to finish.
Key Takeaways
- The Inheritance Games world has eight books as of October 2026, all by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
- The core trilogy is The Inheritance Games (2020), The Hawthorne Legacy (2021), and The Final Gambit (2022).
- The Brothers Hawthorne (2023) follows Grayson and Jameson after the trilogy. Read it after The Final Gambit.
- The Grandest Game spinoff trilogy runs from The Grandest Game (2024) to Glorious Rivals (2025) to The Gilded Blade (July 2026).
- The Gilded Blade is the finale of the spinoff, so the full world is complete for now.
- Games Untold (2024) is a story collection. Save it for after the trilogy and The Brothers Hawthorne.
- Reading in order matters because the series relies on twists that build from book to book.
- The books are young adult and suit most readers 13 and up.
