Best Recent Time Loop Films. In this special series of sci-fi-themed articles, we’ll be reviewing the best time travel-related films from time loops to alternate realities. This series will cover the best recent films (since 2020) that feature people traveling forward or back in time, experiencing the same day repeatedly and living in an alternate reality or multiverse version of our world.
This is another series of KBZ articles and videos based on votes by the KBZ YouTube community, and you can see all these films in our collections for Films About Time Travel, Films About Time Loops, Films About Alternate History and Films About The Multiverse. If you’re not a fan yet of our YouTube channel, now is a good time to have your voice heard if you have specific ideas for subgenres or film themes you’d like KBZ to cover.
In past articles related to time loops, we’ve covered everything from the Best Time Loop Films to the Best Time Loop Comedies. As a refresher, time loops are different than time travel as time loops often involving one or more people experiencing the same day over and over again. Groundhog Day (1993) is often noted as the best Time Loop film that developed many of the film tropes found in subsequent films of the subgenre. Some other popular and notable subgenre films include Triangle (2009), Edge of Tomorrow (2014) and Happy Death Day (2017).
For this article, we’ll narrow our focus down to recent Time Loop films from 2020 – 2026. As the subgenre has increased in popularity over the years, there are quite a few films to choose from that were released over the last 5-6 years – some great, some good and some not worth your time. However, we’re going to single out the best recent Time Loop films that every fan of the subgenre should enjoy.
Before we get onto our list, we also wanted to highlight the current articles planned for this series as well as past KBZ articles that should be of interest to any fan of time travel, time loops or parallel universes and the multiverse:
- Best Recent Time Loop Films
- Best Recent Parallel Worlds & Multiverse Films
- Best Recent Time Travel Films
- Best Time Loop Comedies
- More Time Loop Films You Haven’t Seen
- Best Time Loop Films
- Best Time Travel Comedies
- Best Time Travel Films
- Obscure Time Travel Films You Might Have Missed
- Best Time Travel Romance Films
- Best Fate & Destiny Films of All Time
- Best Multiverse Films
- Top Films About The Multiverse You Haven’t Seen
- Best Alternate Reality Christmas Films
For our rankings we’re going to use some criteria to help define and refine our list. First, the film must specifically be about time loops. There are films that utilize themes of time travel along with time loops, but for this list, our focus will be on a person repeating the same day or event repeatedly.
Second, we are going to exclude any films where the time loop theme acts as a spoiler. This mainly applies to one film that would have made our Top 10 below, but due to the time loop revealed during the closing act, it does qualify as a spoiler to the plot of the film.
Third, we’re only selecting one film from a franchise during our timeframe of 2020 – 2026.
Fourth, the more unique the time loop elements are in a film, the higher it will rank on our list.
And fifth, we had to follow our rule for all of KBZ’s film listings where we only list films that have a 4.0/10 or higher rating and for this specific list, were released after 2020.
Our complete list of Time Loop films features over 78+ films from 1993 – 2026. You can also view our complete list of Time Travel films which features over 300+ films from 1960 – 2026 and will likely include a film you might not see on this list. Finally, if you want to be updated as we release future sci-fi themed articles, you can subscribe to our newsletter.
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Best Recent Time Loop Films
Films that didn’t make our list (and only for completists): Nothing Else (2021), A Chance for Christmas (2021), 6:45 (2021), Vandits (2022), Brightwood (2022), 57 Seconds (2023), The Fearway (2023), Jagged Mind (2023), Island Escape (2023), Unhappily Ever After (2023), Room 0 (2024) and Re/Member: The Last Night (2025).
Honorable Mentions: Lucky (2020), Christmas…Again??! (2021), Lacy’s Christmas Do-Over (2021), Mondays: See You ‘This’ Week (2022), The 12 Days of Christmas Eve (2022), Say Yes Again (2022), Consecration (2023), One More Time (2023), Omni Loop (2024) and One More Shot (2025).
#10
Kill Me Again
Plot: Charlie, a notorious serial killer known as the Midnight Mangler finds himself trapped, reliving the same violent night over and over. Initially embracing his grisly urges, Charlie soon becomes desperate to escape the endless nightmare.
KBZ’s Take: Kill Me Again is a horror comedy that basically asks the question, “What would a serial killer do if caught in a time loop and could go on an endless killing spree?” With that setup in place, Writer / Director Keith Jardine fashions a tale that leans into familiar subgenre tropes while also expanding upon them with some often gory (yet hilarious) results.
Though the film isn’t a masterpiece by any means and suffers from some pacing issues during its second act, it’s a surprisingly fresh entry within the subgenre despite its low budget pedigree.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#9
Love Stuck
Plot: Toy and Vee are trapped in a time loop where they are forced to relive New Years Eve. They decide to search for perfect moments, and learn to find joy and cherish each day.
KBZ’s Take: From its opening sequence, Love Stuck might seem very familiar to fans of the subgenre. And there’s a reason for that – it’s a Thai remake of The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021).
Though we don’t normally include both an original film and its remake on our lists, we made an exception for Love Stuck as there’s enough differences in the film (especially with its focus on family) to warrant a recommendation for fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#8
Until Dawn
Plot: One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover and her friends head into the remote valley where she vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one…only to wake up and find themselves back at the beginning of the same evening.
KBZ’s Take: As we mentioned earlier in this article, there were a variety of poor to great Time Loop films released over the last 5-6 years. Until Dawn sits squarely in the good but not great category with a film that repurposes many of the subgenre’s clichés.
While the film might seem too familiar to fans of the subgenre, there are some genuinely scary moments in the film and creepy creature designs worth checking out.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Rachel’s stuck in a time loop, reliving the night of her parents’ Hanukkah party. Can Zach, the “nice boy” Grandma’s trying to set her up with, help her make it to tomorrow?
KBZ’s Take: This is a relatively new Time Loop film set during Hanukkah and has some very funny moments. Though it doesn’t expand on typical time loop tropes, it does poke fun at them. It’s equal parts Romantic Comedy and a meta-view of popular time loop and time travel themes and films that will have sci-fi fans chuckling throughout.
Additional Lists: Best Alternate Life Christmas Films #7
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#6
Re/Member
Plot: Six high school students stuck in a murderous time loop must find the scattered remains of an unknown victim to break the curse and finally see another day.
KBZ’s Take: Re/Member is reminiscent of other Japanese teen horror films such as Battle Royale (2000), Black Rat (2010) and Lesson of the Evil (2012). All these films have extreme gore and violence layered over teen angst and melodrama. It’s a genre combination only the Japanese seem to excel at.
As for the film, the transitions between horror and drama can be jarring for some, but it’s a standard template for these types of films. While the teen melodrama segments do go on for too long and disrupt the flow of the film, it still has a rather unique plot within the subgenre and is a film fans of time loops should check out.
Additional Lists: More Time Loop Films You Haven’t Seen #7
Where to Stream / Buy: Netflix
#5
River
Plot: The Fujiya Hotel is a century-old inn near the historic city of Kyoto. But the hotel’s guests and staff suddenly realize that they are trapped in a two-minute time loop.
KBZ’s Take: In our article for Obscure Time Travel Films You Might Have Missed, Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes was our #2 pick due to it’s simple concept that was innovative within time travel film tropes. And what inventiveness Director Junta Yamaguchi infused into theories of time travel with that film; he does the same for time loops in River.
This is a film that is very creative and entertaining despite using a similar concept from his previous film where a host of characters are reliving the same two minutes repeatedly. What ensues as multiple people become aware of their loops leads to one of the funnier and quirkier recent efforts of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: A man makes a wish to travel through time to reunite with his lost love.
KBZ’s Take: Sometimes there are moments that we publish a list only to watch a film shortly thereafter that we wish we could travel back in time to add to that list. Yesterday Once More is one of those films that would have easily made the Top 10 on our list of the best romantic time travel films.
This is a unique film that utilizes elements of both time travel and time loops layered over themes of fate and destiny. It’s a very romantic film yet also a devastating heartbreaker. It’s a film we highly recommend for fans of the subgenre but make sure to have some tissues on hand when you watch.
Additional Lists: Best Time Travel Romance Films
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: The story of two teenagers trapped in an endless time loop who set out to find all the tiny things that make that one day perfect.
KBZ’s Take: It’s refreshing when a film comes along that reinvents a subgenre’s overused and stale film tropes and revitalizes the subgenre in the process. Along with some more recent time loop efforts such as Palm Springs (2020) and Boss Level (2021), the Map of Tiny Perfect Things shows that there’s still aspects of the subgenre left to explore.
Like Palm Springs, this film features two people caught in the same time loop and the success of the film is dependent on the chemistry between the leads. And that’s where The Map of Tiny Perfect Things shines with the relationship between Kathryn Newton and Kyle Allen. It’s one of the better relationships developed within a time loop where you develop an emotional connection with both characters.
It’s a great film with equal amounts of sci-fi and romance that makes it perfect for a date night.
Additional Lists: More Time Loop Films You Haven’t Seen #3, Best Time Loop Comedies #5, Best Time Loop Films #16
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#2
Boss Level
Plot: A retired special forces officer is trapped in a never-ending time loop on the day of his death.
KBZ’s Take: Remember that video game you played over and over again to finally beat the Boss? Well, that’s this film and it’s NUTS! Enough cannot be said as to how fun this movie is with its tongue-in-cheek humor and exhilarating action. The non-stop action pieces are similar in style to Director Joe Carnahan’s Smokin’ Aces (2006) so you’ll know what you’re in for if you’ve seen his previous effort.
Though it’s a very recent release, it’s already cemented itself as one of the best recent time loops films and a classic film of the subgenre.
Additional Lists: Best Time Loop Comedies #4, Best Time Loop Films #7, Top Time Loop Films You Haven’t Seen #9
Where to Stream / Buy: Hulu
#1
Palm Springs
Plot: Two wedding guests get caught in a time loop.
KBZ’s Take: Though a time loop is central to the film, Palm Springs is, in essence, a romantic comedy. Similar to Groundhog Day (1993), it shows the comedic aspects of what people would do if trapped in a loop reliving the same day repeatedly.
Though it uses familiar comedy-based subgenre tropes, it expands on them by featuring two people within the same loop who have very different ideas on how to escape their daily repetition.
Like some of the other best films of this subgenre, the familiar premise is elevated by it’s leads in Andy Samberg and Cristin Millioti. Their chemistry essentially drives the film and makes some of their funny time loop-inspired predicaments that much more personal and relatable. If there’s one film that can lay claim as the spiritual successor to Groundhog Day, this is it.
Additional Lists: Best Time Loop Comedies #3, Top Time Loop Films You Haven’t Seen #7, Best Time Loop Films #9
Where to Stream / Buy: Hulu
