Where can I watch The Three-Body Problem?
There are three official screen adaptations plus the novels. The Netflix series 3 Body Problem (2024) streams worldwide on Netflix. The Tencent series Three-Body (2023) streams on Tencent Video and WeTV, with availability on Prime Video and Tencent's official YouTube channel varying by region. A 2022 animated version exists on Bilibili but is widely considered the weakest of the three.
Which one to pick depends on what you want. Netflix is the easy global option with a big-budget look. Tencent is the faithful, slow-burn version that follows the book almost chapter by chapter. The novels go far beyond anything any adaptation has filmed.
Is the Netflix version on any other platform?
No. 3 Body Problem is a Netflix original, so it is exclusive to Netflix in every country where Netflix operates. There is no legal way to stream it elsewhere. The season runs to an eight-episode first season covering the first book plus the opening of the second, and Netflix has confirmed a multi-season plan to finish the trilogy.
The Netflix adaptation keeps Ye Wenjie's Cultural Revolution arc but relocates the modern storyline to London and replaces the original protagonists with a group of Oxford scientists. If you care about what changed, the major differences between the Netflix version and the book lays them out.
Where can I watch the Tencent Three-Body series with English subtitles?
The Tencent 30-episode adaptation streams on Tencent Video and WeTV, and Tencent's official YouTube channel has posted the full series with English subtitles in several regions. Prime Video carries it in some territories as well. Because rights shift over time and by country, the reliable move is to search "Three-Body" on the streaming services available where you live.
The Tencent version is the faithful one: it keeps the Chinese setting, the original cast of characters, and the big set pieces intact. The trade-off is pacing. A full breakdown of how the Tencent series and the Netflix series diverge covers which fits you better.
Should I watch an adaptation or read the books first?
Neither is wrong, but the books go much further. All three adaptations combined stop well short of the trilogy's ending, and the third novel's cosmic-scale finale has never been filmed. If you want the full story, start with the original reading order of the trilogy, and if you are unsure whether the prose is for you, whether the novels are worth reading weighs the payoff against the slow first act.