It's been almost 20 years since director Michael Bay kicked off the Transformers live-action movie franchise back in 2007. Since then, the series has grown to seven films that have adapted just about all the classic Autobots and Decepticons, and even the Maximals as of 2023's Rise of the Beasts, meaning it can be hard to figure out exactly how to watch the Transformers movies in order.
The seven Transformers movies cross multiple timelines and eras, even switching back and forth from live-action to animation and back, with the latest film in the franchise, 2024's animated Transformers One, serving as a prequel set on the Transformers homeworld of Cybertron telling the story of how Optimus Prime and Megatron became arch-enemies as the leaders of two warring factions.
How to watch the Transformers movies in order – release date
There are currently seven live-action Transformers movies, with one animated movie releasing in September. The first, simply called Transformers, was released in 2007. A sequel, Revenge of the Fallen, landed in 2009 and was soon followed by Dark of the Moon in 2011.
Michael Bay then directed his fourth Transformers movie, Age of Extinction, in 2014 before bringing The Last Knight into cinemas in 2017. A prequel, Bumblebee, was released in 2019 and, finally, Rise of the Beasts released in cinemas on June 9, 2023.
The latest addition, Transformers One, arrived in 2024. It's a prequel that could lead to a separate timeline all its own, but for now it sits here, alongside the others.
On paper, the Transformers release date order looks like this:
- Transformers (2007)
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
- Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
- Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
- Bumblebee (2019)
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
- Transformers One (2024)
How to watch the Transformers movies in order – chronological order
The Transformers timeline officially begins with Bumblebee in 1987. Rise of the Beasts takes place seven years later, while the remaining Transformers movies take place in the early 21st Century. There are various prologues and flashbacks that take place throughout but, here, we're focusing on the main underlying story told in each movie's 'present day.'
Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen, and Dark of the Moon form one trilogy, while Age of Extinction and The Last Night are set after and form another saga. Each is part of the same shared timeline, however, and features repeat appearances from the likes of Optimus Prime, Megatron, and multiple human characters.
Transformers One is a prequel, set before any of the main film storylines. It's pretty removed from the live-action movies, but sits comfortably at the start in terms of chronology for now.
The Transformers movie chronology consists of:
- Transformers One
- Bumblebee (1987)
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (1994)
- Transformers
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- Transformers: Age of Extinction
- Transformers: The Last Knight
For more on our watch guides, check out how to watch Demon Slayer in order, and how to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion in order.
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