ThePredatorfranchise features some outright classics and a few lesser outings, but it can be tough for the uninitiated to work out the chronological and release order of the series.ThePredatormovies startedstrong with 1987’s original sci-fi action horror thriller. As that description implies, director John McTiernan’s movie could have easily become a messy mix of genres. However,Predatorbenefited from an ideal leading man in Arnold Schwarzenegger, a strong supporting cast, and an appealingly tense, straightforward story of soldiers in the Central American jungle being hunted by the titular killer.
As thePredatorseries continued, the franchise’s grip on its promise loosened. 1990’s first sequel,Predator 2, was set in a futuristic 1997 Los Angeles, with the city in the grip of a violent gang war. 2010’sPredatorswas set on a distant alien planet where the eponymous monsters hunted the heroes, and 2018’sThe Predatorreturned to Earth and the present for another urban reboot. However, it wasn’t until2022’s acclaimed prequelPreythat the series regained the critical acclaim of the original movie.
How To Watch The Predator Movies In Release Order
The Predator Series Began in 1987
WhiletheAlien Vs Predatormoviescomplicate matters somewhat,working out how to watch thePredatormovies in release date order isn’t too difficult.Predatorcomes first, with its release date of July 02, 2025. That original movie was followed by director Stephen Hopkins’ first sequel, Predator 2, released on August 06, 2025. After that, there was a long wait before director Paul WS Anderson’sAlien Vs Predator, released on July 12, 2025. Alien Vs Predatoris followed by 2007’s sequelAliens Vs Predator: Requiem, which in turn is followed byPredators.
1987
80%
1990
29%
2004
21%
2007
12%
2010
65%
2018
34%
2022
94%
Predatorswas released on July 20, 2025, and the franchise then remained dormant until the arrival of2018’s rebootThe Predator. SinceThe Predatorunder-performed financially and failed to impress critics, the series didn’t release another movie until 2022’s prequelPrey. Set on the Great Plains in 1719,Preywas an ambitious, daring prequel that radically diverged from the tone and style of earlier outings. Beginning as a historical drama, the prequel soon became a pulse-pounding thriller that offered an ever more stripped-down survival story than the originalPredator’s plot.
How To Watch The Predator Movies In Chronological Order
The Predator Franchise’s Story Starts With 2022’s Prequel Prey
Whether or not viewers include theAlien Vs Predatormovies in their marathon, watching thePredatormovies in chronological order is a little less intuitive than revisiting them in release order.ThePredatorfranchise timelinebegins in 1719 withPrey’s story. Ironically,the most recent entry into thePredatorfranchise is the earliest story in its chronological timelinesince director Dan Trachtenberg’s movie takes place centuries beforePredator. The next movie in chronological order isPredator, but then things get a little complicated.
1719
1997
Predators
Unknown
Predator 2should be the next movie in chronological order since it takes place ten years afterPredatorin 1997. However,Predator 2takes place in a campy, cartoonish version of the future, while 2004’sAlien Vs Predatoris set in a much more grounded, recognizable version of 2004. Viewers can assume that the two movies take place in the same franchise timeline, but that is not clear from their settings. As usual, theAlien Vs Predatormovies make it trickier to follow the franchise’s story.
Viewers could reasonably guess thatThe PredatorpredatesPredatorsbut, withoutPredatorsever mentioning its time period, there is no way to be certain.
AssumingPredator 2is followed byAlien Vs Predator,Aliens Vs Predator: Requiemis the next movie in the series.Aliens Vs Predator: Requiemis set immediately after the events of its predecessor, and the next movie in chronological franchise order is 2018’sThe Predator, which takes place in 2018. Another timeline problem arises here since it is not clear when 2010’sPredatorsis set. Viewers could reasonably guess thatThe PredatorpredatesPredatorsbut, withoutPredatorsever mentioning its time period, there is no way to be certain.
How The Predator Timeline Connects To The Alien Franchise
The Alien Vs Predator Movies Only Make Sense In Predator’s Series Timeline
TheAlien Vs Predatormovies make sense within the context of thePredatorfranchise timeline, which is marked by numerous times that Predators have interacted with humans on Earth over the centuries. However,theAlien Vs Predatormovies don’t fit in theAlienfranchise timeline at allthanks to the story ofRidley Scott’s 2021AlienprequelPrometheus, which retconned many pivotal events from the movies and effectively reset the franchise’s canon in the process.
13 Years Later, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus Is About To Become Even More Important To Alien
Ridley Scott’s underrated Alien prequel Prometheus is about to become even more central to the franchise thanks to the upcoming series Alien: Earth.
As such, it is tough to say for certain how exactly theAlienandPredatorfranchise timelines interest. In thePredatortimeline,Alien Vs Predatorreveals that Predators have been using the Earth as a hunting ground for millennia and even gifted humans with technology in earlier centuries.Prometheusmakes this revelation problematic by revealing that the Xenomorph may have been designed by David the android, meaning it is hard to work out how the aliens were present on Earth thousands of years before he existed.
When Does Predator: Badlands Take Place In The Predator Timeline?
Prey’s Followup Predator: Badlands Will Be Set In The Future
Although theAlien Vs Predatormovies made the story of the series harder to follow, viewers should not expect the next outing to clarify things much. Director Dan Trachtenberg will return to the franchise forthe upcomingPredator: Badlands, a standalone story that will be set in the future. Since plot details remain under wraps, it is impossible to know just how far into the franchise timeline’s futurePredator: Badlandswill take place. Since theAlienmovies primarily take place after 2100, there is a chance that this outing will be able to clarify the overlap between the franchises.
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Regardless of its connections to theAlientimeline,Predator: Badlandswill be the first future-setPredatormovie since 1990’sPredator 2. That sequel made the risky decision of setting its action only a few years in the future, meaning the movie’s version of 1997 is now comically dated. That said, its depiction of a gang-infested Los Angeles was always fanciful and over-the-top, rather than prescient, even when the movie was first released. In contrast, Trachtenberg’s next outing may offer a more believable version of the franchise’s future when thePredatorseries returns to screens again soon.
