The galaxy’s deadliest trophy hunters have been busy. For nearly forty years, the Predator saga has stretched across centuries and star systems—leaping from jungle warfare to urban mayhem, from period survival to animated legend, and now to a far-future chapter with Predator: Badlands. If you’re lining up a marathon, here’s a clean timeline that plays best, followed by the release order for the purists.
Here’s is a chronological watch order that keeps the momentum of the story intact without getting tangled in continuity knots. We’ve put a complete release order at the end.
More on Screen Realm:
Predator Movies in Chronological Order
1) Predator: Killer of Killers — Early Chapters (841 & 1609)
The animated anthology opens with two sharp skirmishes—a Viking duel and a feudal Japan showdown—that plant the idea the Yautja have been visiting Earth for far longer than we’ve had names for them. These play like folklore etched in steel and blood.
2) Prey (1719)
On the Great Plains, Naru (Amber Midthunder) turns a trial of skill into a fight for survival against a stripped-back hunter. It’s tight, character-driven, and a reminder that wits and will can cut through advanced tech.
3) Predator: Killer of Killers — “The Bullet” (1941)
A WWII pilot brushes up against Yautja hardware mid-dogfight. It’s a brisk, pulpy bridge between the historical hunts and the modern era, hinting that human wars and alien sport occasionally share the same airspace.
4) Predator (1987)
Dutch and his elite team trek into Central America and discover the jungle is not the scariest thing there. Thermal vision, traps, the code of the hunt—this is the blueprint, still mean and muscular.
5) Predator 2 (1997)
From canopy to concrete: a sweltering Los Angeles and a cop who refuses to blink first. The culture widens—trophies, hierarchies, tradition—and a certain trophy-room nod fuels years of crossover chatter.
6) Alien vs. Predator (2004) — Optional
An Antarctic temple doubles as a rite-of-passage arena, with humans as unwitting facilitators and Xenomorphs as quarry. It’s pulpy, yes, but the ritual angle fits the Yautja mythos neatly enough.
7) Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2004) — Optional
Directly after AvP: a Predalien runs riot in small-town America while a Yautja “cleaner” tries to contain the chaos. Messy, occasionally gnarly, and largely peripheral to the bigger picture.
8) Predators (circa early 2010s)
Dangerous humans wake on a Yautja game-reserve world. Multiple clans, varied tactics, and a smart off-Earth riff on the original’s hunter-prey tension. It deepens the idea that this isn’t a lone killer but a culture with rules.
9) The Predator (modern day) — Skippable if you’re ruthless
Quips and a divisive genetic-upgrade swing. Keep it if you’re curious; skip it and the spine of the saga still holds. It sits comfortably after Predators.
10) Predator: Killer of Killers — Epilogue (far future)
Stitching scenes that glance beyond the Earthbound hunts, pointing the series toward a longer horizon without stepping on the finale.
11) Predator: Badlands (distant future)
Dek, an exiled runt Yautja, forms an uneasy alliance with a Weyland-Yutani synth on a savage world. It’s a bold perspective flip that edges the franchise closer to corporate shadows while keeping the primal hook intact. The furthest point on the timeline—save it for last.
Fast-Track Options
- Essentials: Predator, Predator 2, Prey, Predators, all of Predator: Killer of Killers, Predator: Badlands.
- Good for lore: Alien vs. Predator.
- Completionists only: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, The Predator.
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)
Bottom line: Start with the early legends, build through the ’80s and ’90s, take the AvP detours if you fancy, then let the far-future chapters pull the saga into a new shape. However you approach it, the hunt has a way of finding you.
