The galaxy’s deadliest trophy hunters are busy. For nearly 40 years, the Predator saga has spanned centuries and star systems, leaping from jungle warfare to urban mayhem, era survival to animated legend, and now culminating in the far-future chapter of Predator: Badlands. If you’re planning a marathon, here’s a clean timeline that works best for you, and here’s a release order for purists.
Below is a chronological viewing order to keep the momentum of the story intact without getting caught in continuity knots. I have included the complete release instructions at the end.
Predator movie chronology
1) Predator: Killer of Killers — Early Chapters (841 & 1609)
This animated anthology opens with two intense skirmishes, a Viking duel and a showdown with feudal Japan, and plants the idea that the Yautja have been visiting Earth for far longer than we’ve given them a name. These play like folklore written in steel and blood.
2) Prey (1719)
In the Great Plains, Nall (Amber Midthunder) turns a test of skill into a fight for survival against naked hunters. It’s tight, character-driven, and a reminder that resourcefulness and will can defeat advanced technology.
3) Predator: Killer of Killers — “The Bullet” (1941)
A World War II pilot tests his skills against Yautja hardware during dogfights. It’s a lively, pulpy bridge between historical hunting and modern times, suggesting that human warfare and alien sport occasionally share the same airspace.
4) Predator (1987)
Dutch and his elite team travel to Central America, where they discover that the scariest thing isn’t the jungle. Heat vision, traps, hunting norms, this is the blueprint and it’s still mean and powerful.
5) Predator 2 (1997)
From the canopy to the concrete: A sweltering Los Angeles and a cop who refuses to blink. Culture is pervasive: trophies, hierarchies, traditions: certain nods to the trophy room encourage crossover chatter over the years.
6) Alien vs. Predator (2004) — Options
The Antarctic temple doubles as a place for rites of passage, with humans acting as unwitting facilitators and Xenomorphs acting as quarries. Yes, it’s pulpy, but the ritual angle fits snugly enough into Yautja mythology.
7) Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2004) — Options
Immediately after AvP: Predalians riot in a small American town, and Yautja “cleaners” try to contain the chaos. It’s messy, sometimes unpleasant, and largely outside of the bigger picture.
8) Predators (circa early 2010s)
Dangerous humans awaken in the world of the Yautja Hunting Reserve. A smart extraterrestrial riff on multiple clans, different tactics, and the hunter-prey tension of the original. It deepens the idea that this is not a lone killer, but a culture with rules.
9) The Predator (Modern) — Skipable if you’re ruthless.
A genetic upgrade swing that divides jokes and opinions. Please leave it if you are interested. Even if you skip it, the spine of the story is still retained. You can sit comfortably even after the Predator.
10) Predator: Killer of Killers — Epilogue (Distant Future)
Piecing together scenes that glimpse beyond the terrestrial hunt, it points the series toward a longer horizon without treading on the finale.
11) Predator: Badlands (distant future)
Deku, an exiled runt Yautja, forms an uneasy alliance with Weyland and Yutani Synthesizers on the Savage World. It’s a bold reversal of perspective, one that brings the franchise closer to the corporate shadow while keeping the basic hook intact. Farthest point on the timeline – save last.
fast track option
Essentials: Predator, Predator 2, Predator, All Predators: Killer of Killers, Predator: Badlands. Great for lore: Alien vs. Predator. For completionists only: Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, The Predator.
release order
Predator (1987) Predator 2 (1990) Alien vs. Predator (2004) Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) Predators (2010) The Predator (2018) Prey (2022) Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) Predator: Badlands (2025)
Bottom line: Start with an early legend, build through the 80s and 90s, take an AvP detour as needed, and then take the story into new shapes with far-future chapters. No matter how close you are, the hunt has a way of finding you.
“Predator” (1987) | 20th Century Fox 20th Century Studio
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