If you can't recognize an obvious
worms jab, I'm not sure I can believe your self-proclaimed status as a Fate fanatic.
I think he just needed a basic explanation of where the different media fall within the timeline of the franchise or whatever.
Fate/Stay Night is the obvious starting point, because it kickstarted the series so of course it's going to explain basic concepts and mechanics of the universe that permeate the rest of the franchise. Even if you'd recommend against it in favor of playing the visual novel, though, this is the
Anime Thread. At least
mention the original DEEN anime adaptation. Not that I wouldn't welcome more VN fans around here... Although the ol' vonMeanler is correct in saying that lord only knows how long before the third Heaven's Feel movie (the third and final route of the VN) gets released and translated. So if you want the whole actual story that spans the original F/SN VN, you'll need to play it.
(In case anyone needed it explicitly spelled out, the original Fate/Stay Night VN consists of three routes: Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, Heaven's Feel. The 2006 DEEN anime mostly only covers the first route, both the UBW movie and TV series adapt the second route, and the ongoing Heaven's Feel movie trilogy is adapting the third route.)
The only other good places to begin, as far as understanding the basic tenets of the Fate universe, is the UBW
TV series by ufotable (consensus much better than the UBW Deen movie) or Fate/Zero. For obvious reasons, as UBW is a continuation of the Fate route in the original VN and Zero is a prequel written with the original in mind, that makes the original F/SN the best place to start. But if you can't be assed to deal with the VN (which is
very long and requires some digging around the Web) and are dodgy on watching the original DEEN show because of the shittalk about it, the UBW TV series is the next best place to start.
Most other stuff in the Fate franchise is loosely related and the only important link between most of it is the general fantasy setting and mechanics of the fictional universe. They might be alternate universes, in the distant past/future from the original (which details the 5th Holy Grail War), "what-if" scenarios that aren't canon, etc. Grand Order exists to drain your wallet in the pursuit of gacha waifus.
- Zero is a direct prequel to Stay Night, detailing the 4th War, and is pretty well-received.
- The parallel universe of Extra is the only one, other than the original, with much in the way of continuity: Extra -> Extra CCC -> Extella -> Extella Link. The first two are PSP games, the latter two Vita/PS4 games. Extella also has a Switch port. Only Extra and Extella have official English releases, though Link is brand new so it shouldn't be written off for localization yet. Spawned the best Fate characters, UMU and MIKON. The recent anime for Extra seems to be widely regarded as hot garbage. (Then again, the game isn't great either.)
- Watch Kaleid Liner Prisma☆Illya (the star is very important, you see) if you're a depraved lolicon.
- Carnival Phantasm is a gag show with Nasuverse (Fate + Tsukihime) characters that is supposed to be pretty funny.
Someone feel free to correct me, I'm just a sideline fan.