When does The Hunger Games take place?

With The Hunger Games prequel movie The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes just around the corner, you might be wondering: when does the first film take place? Here’s what we know. 

The Hunger Games franchise is set in the dystopian America of the future. Now known as Panem, the country holds a game every year in which a young boy and girl from every district must fight to the death for the entertainment of the ruthless Capitol.

While the villain of the original trilogy, President Snow, was defeated by Katniss Everdeen and the rebellious districts, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes takes place decades before, when Snow is just 18 years old and the last hope for his fading lineage.

Amid its release, here’s what you need to know about when the original The Hunger Games takes place. 

When does The Hunger Games take place?

Although it’s unspecified – both in the 2012 The Hunger Games movie and Suzanne Collins’ book of the same – many believe it to take place 300 years into the future.

This is yet to be confirmed, but many follow this timeline due to an early draft of the film script. According to the franchise’s Wiki: “In an early draft of The Hunger Games film script, the events of the series are said to take place 300 years into the future.

“Considering that the film was released in 2012, this would mean that the trilogy begins around 2312, and 1 ATT would correspond to the year 2238. However, since none of this material was included in the final product, this is only speculatory.”

Over on Reddit, a fan highlighted a similar time period, writing: “I saw someone here try to do the math and figure it out and they figured that if we’re currently living in the time period where everything goes to sh*t, say we give 50 years or so to fully recover and rebuild, another 100-200 years to develop into the Panem we see in the books, a few years of war, and then 75 years of Hunger Games.”

They finished by stating: “So the trilogy probably takes place roughly 300 years from now, give or take.”

As said, this is all speculation, as the official time it takes place hasn’t been specified in the books or the films. But this should give you some idea as to when the first film takes place. The same goes for The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, which is set 64 years before the events of the first The Hunger Games movie. 

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes arrives in cinemas on November 17, 2023. You can read more of our coverage of the franchise below:

• The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes – Release date, cast, plot & more
• New Hunger Games movie gets rave first reactions
• Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes cast: All actors & characters
• The Hunger Games: Who is Tigris in Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes?
• The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes review: The odds are well in its favor
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was almost two movies
• Rachel Zegler “beyond thankful” she can promote Hunger Games prequel
• Director discusses Hunger Games Easter egg in Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
• Hunger Games star claps back at Rachel Zegler troll
• Why was The Hunger Games banned?
• Hunger Games: Is Jennifer Lawrence in Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?
• Where to stream The Hunger Games movies