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Figuring out how to watch the Predator movies in order can be as challenging as outrunning a Yautja. Throughout the sci-fi franchise's near 40-year run, there have been everything from straight sequels and prequels to soft reboots – and, with that, the timeline has gotten a little unwieldy.
Some are set in the same year they were released; John McTiernan's Arnold Schwarzenegger-led original in 1987 or Shane Black's 2018 iteration The Predator. Others, like Dan Trachtenberg's Predator: Badlands take place far into the future. If you're looking to revisit the series in release order, that's not so complicated. If you're looking to binge 'em chronologically, however, that's a different story.
Article continues belowHow to watch the Predator movies in chronological order
- Predator: Killer of Killers
- Prey
- Predator
- Predator 2
- Alien vs. Predator
- Alien vs. Predator 2: Requiem
- Predators
- The Predator
Predator: Killer of Killers
Year: 2025
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Predator: Killer of Killers follows Prey's flashback formula, showcasing a trio of tales in which Yautja hunters do battle with elite warriors across different eras, including a viking, a samurai, and WWII fighter pilot. The anthology film culminates in all three human fighters teaming up to take on their alien foe. The first two chapters are set in the years 841 and 1609, respectively, while the third is set in 1941 (which would place that particular instalment between Prey and Predator on this chronological list).
As the first animated feature in the Predator franchise, Killer of Killers stands out as a worthy follow-up to Prey, exploring the concept of Yautja visiting Earth throughout its history. The anthology also sets the stage for the upcoming Predator: Badlands to jump all the way forward to the latest point in the Predator timeline so far.
Prey
Year: 2022
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Though Prey is the first live-action film in the Predator continuity timeline, it's actually one of the newest to be released. Set in 1719, Prey follows a Comanche woman (Amber Midthunder) who finds herself going toe-to-toe with a vicious Yautja hunter when the warriors of her tribe are cut down.
Director Dan Trachtenberg takes this concept and runs with it, delivering a film that perfectly taps into the spirit of the original Predator without falling into the trap of simply repeating the exact same tropes of earlier films, cementing Trachtenberg as the current steward of the franchise. For more information, you can also check out our Prey review next!
Predator
Year: 1987
Director: John McTiernan
The original Predator is an all-time classic sci-fi action film, with Arnold Schwarzenegger leading an outstanding cast of soldiers stuck in a jungle with an unseen stalker destroying them one-by-one. In the end only Schwarzenegger's Dutch is able to escape the Yautja, defeating it in one of the most influential endings of its genre.
Alongside Ridley Scott's Alien, Predator is one of the defining films of the sci-fi/action/horror genre, setting the stage for the movie to grow into a whole franchise of spin-offs and sequels, including an eventual crossover between the Xenomorphs and Yautja.
Predator 2
Year: 1990
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Though Predator 2 has built up a strong cult following, the sequel was initially considered a less worthy follow-up to the original movie. Predator 2 moves the action from the jungle to Los Angeles against the backdrop of a gang war, with Danny Glover's Lt. Mike Harrigan caught up in the middle of both the fighting in the streets and the Yautja stalking his prey.
Predator 2 began the tradition of bringing the Yautja into new environments against different kinds of prey, a conceit that has followed the franchise to this day. Its stylish action and willingness to expand on the idea behind the original Predator manages to make it stand out, as does the inclusion of a Xenmorph skull in a Yautja trophy room, marking the first mini-crossover between Alien and Predator.
Alien vs. Predator
Year: 2004
Director: Paul WS Anderson
Following the Xenomorph Easter egg in Predator 2, AvP (Alien Vs. Predator) makes good on the promise of a crossover with a sci-fi fueled story about human soldiers stuck in a battle between the two legendary movie monsters.
Unfortunately, despite the promise of the Alien Vs. Predator concept, AvP falls flat by focusing too much on its human characters and adding layers of mythos that failed to ring true to fans. And with an ending that sets up the even more disconnected sequel, the movie manages to fall flat.
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Year: 2007
Director: Greg and Colin Strauss
AvP 2 picks up the premise of its predecessor by combining the Alien and Predator into a "Predalien" that terrorizes a small town as a Yautja is dispatched to eliminate its mutated brethren. At the same time, the town is besieged by soldiers trying to contain the battle between the sci-fi villains.
Despite ramping up the action and the kills, AvP: Requiem somehow manages to come off as even less essential, with critics and fans alike panning the film. Still, it has some redeeming qualities thanks to its focus on brutal battles.
Predators
Year: 2010
Director: Nimród Antal
Predators marks an uptick in the franchise with a back-to-basics approach that reflects the concept of the original film. This time, the action follows a group of soldiers who are dropped onto a planet that is also a hunting ground for the Yautja.
As implied by the title, Predators escalates its concept by sending not just one bloodthirsty hunter after its human protagonists, but several, something Predator 2 stopped just short of. Though Predators marks an imperfect entry in the series, it has more to offer fans than its two AvP predecessors.
The Predator
Year: 2018
Director: Shane Black
Despite being directed by Shane Black, who actually played the role of Hawkins in the original movie and who has become known for writing and directing numerous popular films, The Predator is often considered an inessential entry in the series thanks to its somewhat boring and convoluted plot.
The Predator puts its own spin on the core idea behind the previous movies, with a team of soldiers and scientists containing a predator and studying it, learning that the Yautja are attempting to bolster their DNA with the DNA of humans and other species - a strange and unnecessary twist.
How to watch the Predator movies in release order
- Predator (1987)
- Predator 2 (1990)
- Alien vs. Predator (2004)
- Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
- Predators (2010)
- The Predator (2018)
- Prey (2022)
- Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
- Predator: Badlands (2025)
Where does Predator: Badlands fall in the Predator timeline
Predator: Badlands takes place the farthest along of any of the films in the franchise, making it the last movie in the timeline so far. In fact, Badlands takes place in the future era of the Alien franchise, even bringing in a Weyland-Yutani synth (played by Elle Fanning) as a companion to the Yautja, who is named Dek.
Set on a far-flung alien world full of monsters to stalk, Badlands follows Dek on his first big hunt, where he learns how to take on the fiercest of opponents while also gaining an unlikely ally in his quest. Directed by Prey filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg, Predator: Badlands marks new territory for the series, focusing on a Yautja hunter as a protagonist as well as establishing more direct links to the Alien movies. To find out more on where the franchise is potentially going next, you can also check in with our Predator: Badlands ending explained guide and read our Predator: Badlands review.
Before you check out the new Predator movie, dig into our list of the 30 best sci-fi movies ever.
