15 Best Sci-fi Movies On Netflix 2026

Explore our hand-picked selection of 15 titles. Ratings, reviews, and streaming options included.

Searching for the best sci-fi movies on netflix 2026? This list curates the best sci-fi movies on netflix 2026 to stream, spotlighting recent hits and enduring favorites — from the tense near-future of 28 Years Later (2025) and the reimagined horror of Frankenstein (2025) to the smart, unsettling Ex Machina (2014). Whether you want hair-raising horror, mind-bending AI drama, or high-energy animated sci-fi, you’ll find concise notes on why each title made the cut, its genre, and streaming availability. Read on for a ranked, easy-to-scan roundup that balances new releases like M3GAN 2.0 (2025) and The Wild Robot (2024) with classics such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and The Island (2005).

Table of Contents

1. 28 Years Later
2. Frankenstein
3. Ex Machina
4. M3GAN 2.0
5. The Island
6. The Rover
7. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
8. The Wild Robot
9. Independence Day
10. Pixels
11. Brightburn
12. Subservience
13. District 9
14. Elysium
15. This Is the End

1. 28 Years Later

Year: 2025 | Rating: 6.6/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: horror, sci-fi, thriller

Twenty-eight years since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one member departs on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Danny Boyle

2. Frankenstein

Year: 2025 | Rating: 7.5/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: drama, fantasy, horror, sci-fi

Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist, brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro

3. Ex Machina

Year: 2014 | Rating: 7.7/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: drama, sci-fi, thriller

Caleb, a coder at the world's largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.

Available on: Netflix, Max

Directed by: Alex Garland

4. M3GAN 2.0

Year: 2025 | Rating: 6/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: action, sci-fi, thriller

After the underlying tech for M3GAN is stolen and misused by a powerful defense contractor to create a military-grade weapon known as Amelia, M3GAN's creator Gemma realizes that the only option is to resurrect M3GAN and give her a few upgrades, making her faster, stronger, and more lethal.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Gerard Johnstone

5. The Island

Year: 2005 | Rating: 6.8/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: action, sci-fi, thriller

In 2019, Lincoln Six-Echo is a resident of a seemingly "Utopian" but contained facility. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully-controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to The Island — reportedly the last uncontaminated location on the planet. But Lincoln soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie.

Available on: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus

Directed by: Michael Bay

6. The Rover

Year: 2014 | Rating: 6.4/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: action, crime, drama, sci-fi

Ten years after a severe economic collapse in the western world, lawlessness reigns and life is cheap. Eric is a lone drifter, and his car is his only possession. When a gang steals it, Eric comes across the injured Rey, left behind by the car thieves. The pair form an unlikely and uneasy alliance.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: David Michôd

7. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Year: 2018 | Rating: 8.4/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: animation, action, adventure, family, fantasy, sci-fi

Struggling to find his place in the world while juggling school and family, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales is unexpectedly bitten by a radioactive spider and develops unfathomable powers just like the one and only Spider-Man. While wrestling with the implications of his new abilities, Miles discovers a super collider created by the madman Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk, causing others from across the Spider-Verse to be inadvertently transported to his dimension.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman

8. The Wild Robot

Year: 2024 | Rating: 8.2/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: animation, adventure, family, sci-fi

After a shipwreck, an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Chris Sanders

9. Independence Day

Year: 1996 | Rating: 7/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: action, adventure, sci-fi

Strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world's major cities. As these extraordinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived. Its mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Roland Emmerich

10. Pixels

Year: 2015 | Rating: 5.6/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: action, adventure, comedy, fantasy, sci-fi, thriller

Video game experts are recruited by the military to fight 1980s-era video game characters who've attacked New York.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Chris Columbus

11. Brightburn

Year: 2019 | Rating: 6.1/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: drama, horror, mystery, sci-fi

What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: David Yarovesky

12. Subservience

Year: 2024 | Rating: 5.4/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: sci-fi, thriller

With his wife out sick, a struggling father brings home a lifelike AI, only to have his self-aware new help want everything her new family has to offer... Like the affection of her owner and she'll kill to get it.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: S.K. Dale

13. District 9

Year: 2009 | Rating: 7.9/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: action, sci-fi, thriller

Thirty years ago, aliens arrive on Earth. Not to conquer or give aid, but to find refuge from their dying planet. Separated from humans in a South African area called District 9, the aliens are managed by Multi-National United, which is unconcerned with the aliens' welfare but will do anything to master their advanced technology. When a company field agent contracts a mysterious virus that begins to alter his DNA, there is only one place he can hide: District 9.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Neill Blomkamp

14. Elysium

Year: 2013 | Rating: 6.6/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: action, drama, sci-fi, thriller

In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Rhodes, a hard line government official, will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. That doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in, by any means they can. When unlucky Max is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that, if successful, will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Neill Blomkamp

15. This Is the End

Year: 2013 | Rating: 6.6/10 | Type: Movie

Genres: comedy, fantasy, sci-fi

While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse.

Available on: Netflix

Directed by: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen

Wrapping Up

This roundup delivers a cross-genre selection—horror, sci-fi, thriller, drama and fantasy—plus quick quality notes and context so you can choose based on mood, ratings, or runtime. The best sci-fi movies on netflix 2026 are organized for easy browsing, highlighting new 2024–2025 releases and timeless favorites like The Rover (2014). Bookmark or share this guide and check back often: we update the list regularly as Netflix adds or removes titles. Ready for more? Explore our other genre guides or check streaming availability links to start watching tonight.

Last updated: February 8, 2026