Predator Movies in Order: Release Order, Chronological Order and Where Alien vs. Predator Fits

Watch the Predator movies in release order: Predator (1987), Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010), The Predator (2018), Prey (2022), Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) and Predator: Badlands (2025). The two Alien vs. Predator crossovers (2004 and 2007) are a separate branch that you can place between the second and third films if you want them.

The in-universe order is very different, because Prey and Killer of Killers jump back centuries. This guide gives both orders, explains where each newer film fits and says what you can safely skip. It is spoiler-free.

Predator movies in release order

Dates are US release dates as listed on Wikipedia’s franchise and film pages. Prey and Killer of Killers premiered on Hulu in the US, with Disney+ carrying them in other territories, while Badlands was a theatrical release. Availability varies by country, so check your local service rather than assuming one platform has everything.

Predator chronological order

Wikipedia’s “Predator story chronology” runs like this:

1. Predator: Killer of Killers, “The Shield” (841)
2. Predator: Killer of Killers, “The Sword” (1609)
3. Prey (1719)
4. Predator: Killer of Killers, “The Bullet” (1942)
5. Predator (1987)
6. Predator 2 (1997)
7. Predators (listed under 2010)
8. The Predator (listed under 2018)
9. Predator: Badlands (the far future, no exact year given)

Killer of Killers is an animated anthology, so it appears three times. Its epilogue brings the three leads together in an alien arena on a desert world, and Wikipedia gives that scene no year.

Our recommendation: do not start here. The timeline spreads one film across three separate slots and puts the 1987 original in the middle. Use it for a rewatch, not a first viewing.

The essential path

If you want the story without the weaker entries, watch these films:

• Predator (1987), the original: an elite squad hunted in a jungle. Our Predator review breaks down why the shift from action film to survival horror still works.
• Prey (2022), a stand-alone survival story set in 1719 on the Northern Great Plains, centred on the Comanche Nation.
• Predator: Killer of Killers (2025), an 85-minute animated anthology with three self-contained hunts.
• Predator: Badlands (2025), a self-contained story set on the Predators’ home-world, according to Wikipedia.

Prey is the easiest modern way in. It needs no earlier film, and its links to the original series are details for fans to spot, not plot you must know.

Where does Prey fit?

Prey was directed by Dan Trachtenberg from a screenplay by Patrick Aison. It is set in 1719 and follows Naru, played by Amber Midthunder. Wikipedia notes one link back to Predator 2: a character named Raphael Adolini, first alluded to in that film, uses a pistol engraved with the same weapon a Predator gives Mike Harrigan at the end of Predator 2. It is a reward for returning viewers, not a requirement.

Where does Predator: Killer of Killers fit?

Killer of Killers premiered on June 6, 2025, directed by Trachtenberg with a screenplay by Micho Robert Rutare. Its three segments are set in 841 (Viking-age Karelia), 1609 (Japan) and 1942 (the North African campaign of World War II). Wikipedia says Naru from Prey appears among the captives in suspended animation at the end, so it rewards having seen Prey first. You can still enjoy the segments without it.

Where does Predator: Badlands fit?

Predator: Badlands arrived in US theaters on November 7, 2025. Trachtenberg directed, Aison wrote the screenplay and Elle Fanning plays the Weyland-Yutani androids Thia and Tessa. Wikipedia gives the film a runtime of 107 minutes and says it was released on digital on January 6, 2026, followed by 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on February 17, 2026.

Badlands gives no in-universe year. Wikipedia describes it as set “in the far future after the events of all the previous” Alien and Alien vs. Predator films, and it brings the Alien franchise’s Weyland-Yutani Corporation into the Predator story. If you want that context, our Alien movies in order guide covers the other side of the shared universe, and our Aliens review looks at the 1986 sequel.

Do the Alien vs. Predator movies count?

Alien vs. Predator (August 13, 2004, directed by Paul W. S. Anderson) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (December 25, 2007, directed by Greg and Colin Strause) are the franchise crossovers. Wikipedia’s story chronology does not include them, and its page does not state a formal canon status for them. Most viewers treat them as an optional side branch.

If you want them, watch them after Predator 2 in release order. If you skip them, you lose no information needed for the main films. For a similar watch-order guide in another sci-fi universe, see our Blade Runner watch order.

What is optional?

• Predators and The Predator. Both continue the older film series and sit between Predator 2 and Badlands in the chronology. If you only want the Trachtenberg-era films, they are the easiest to skip. That is our viewing suggestion, not a studio statement.
• The Alien vs. Predator films, as explained above.
• Comics, novels and games. Wikipedia describes the shared Alien and Predator universe as having started in comics and games. This guide covers only the films and the animated anthology.

What is coming next?

There is no confirmed release date for another Predator film. Wikipedia reports that Trachtenberg has said he has a third film in mind and would direct it if Badlands succeeds, and that discussions about Arnold Schwarzenegger returning as Dutch were ongoing as of November 2025. Treat both as unconfirmed. A third Alien vs. Predator film has also been discussed by several people, and Wikipedia lists it as unconfirmed.

We will update this guide if a studio announces a date. Until then, browse everything we have published in the Predator hub, and check the release calendar for confirmed dates.

FAQ

What order should I watch the Predator movies in?

Release order: Predator (1987), Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010), The Predator (2018), Prey (2022), Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) and Predator: Badlands (2025). Add the Alien vs. Predator films after Predator 2 if you want them.

What is the Predator chronological order?

By in-universe year: Killer of Killers (“The Shield”, 841 and “The Sword”, 1609), Prey (1719), Killer of Killers (“The Bullet”, 1942), Predator (1987), Predator 2 (1997), Predators, The Predator, then Predator: Badlands in the far future.

Where should a new viewer start?

Most newcomers can start with either the 1987 Predator or Prey. Prey is a stand-alone 1719 story, so it needs no earlier film.

Do I need to watch Prey before Predator: Badlands?

No. Badlands is a self-contained story. Wikipedia notes it comes after the earlier films in the timeline, but it does not require them.

Are the Alien vs. Predator movies canon?

Wikipedia does not state a formal canon status and leaves them out of its Predator story chronology. They are best treated as an optional crossover branch.

Will there be another Predator movie?

None has a confirmed title or release date. Trachtenberg has said he has an idea for a third film if Badlands succeeds, but that is unconfirmed.