The murderous alien hunters known as the Predators may not be as meticulously analyzed as their close cousins, the xenomorphs, from the Alien franchise. But since 1987, the Predator franchise has certainly offered plenty of films. From the gritty 1987 original to the underrated 1990 Predator 2, to the present-day renaissance, the Predator franchise is clearly not going anywhere anytime soon. Indeed, the new batch of films, starting with Prey in 2022, has ushered in a newfound love and respect for the Predators and has once again brought the franchise back into the same canonical universe as Alien.
But, if you’re getting ready to watch 2025’s Predator: Badlands or going down a frightening trip down memory lane, what is the best order to watch the Predator movies? From a script timeline watch-order, to unpacking the Alien connections, to the more recent Dan Trachtenberg films, here are all the best ways to approach watching the Predator movies.
Predator Movie Release Order (1987-2025)
If you want to give yourself a history lesson of the Predator franchise, the easiest way is to start at the beginning and get to the present day. Here’s the Predator movies in 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)
Alien/Predator Shared Universe Watch Order
As most fans are probably aware, Aliens and Predators have been fighting each other since 1989, when Dark Horse Comics pitted the popular monsters against each other. That’s right, even before Predator 2 was in theaters, the Predators and xenomorphs did battle in the pages of comics. This popular team-up led to the first Alien vs. Predator movie in 2004, which, for most fans, exists outside of the main canon of each individual film series.
And yet, the connections between the Alien and Predator film series continue in a big way to this day. The 2025 film Predator: Badlands specifically features a Weyland-Yutani robot in the form of Elle Fanning’s Thia. And, the possibility of more Alien/Predator crossovers is certainly on the horizon.
So, with that in mind, here’s the watch order for the Predator/Alien shared universe films.
- Alien vs. Predator (2004)
- Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
- Predator: Badlands (2025)
Weyland-Yutani watch order
Want to go deeper into the way that the fictional corporation, Weyland-Yutani, influences the world of the Predators? Well, this would require you to dip into the Alien franchise pretty hard for your Predator lore-building. But, if you’re looking for a good download on Alien lore ahead of Badlands, this watch order is best.
- Aliens (1986)
- Predator 2 (1990)
- Alien vs. Predator (2004)
- Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
- Prometheus (2011)
- Alien: Earth TV series (2025)
- Alien: Romulus (2024)
- Predator: Badlands (2025)
Why is this watch list the way it is? Well, Aliens fully introduces you to the evils of the Weyland-Yutani corporation, giving you a good foundation for the company’s usual modus operandi: try to capture a dangerous creature for study and profit. Although Predator 2 doesn’t specifically mention any major corporation, Peter Keyes (Gary Busey) behaves much like Weyland-Yutani corporate stooge Carter J. Burke (Paul Reiser) in Aliens. So there’s a thematic through-line there.
Also, for Badlands, Elle Fanning said she was influenced by David Jonsson’s performance as Andy, an android in Alien: Romulus, so it’s good to have the reference in there, too.
Only the best Predators
One could argue that, in contrast with the Alien franchise, the Predator series has more stinkers, or, at the very worst, a few forgettable entries. Obviously, when it comes to a loosely connected franchise about massive murdering aliens who can both cloak themselves and use sci-fi spears and blades for slaughter, one’s individual taste may vary. That said, based on Rotten Tomatoes aggregate scores alone, here are the four best Predator movies, not counting Badlands.
- Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
- Prey (2022)
- Predator (1987)
- Predators (2010)
It’s relevant to note here that the two highest-rated Predator movies on this list are the most recent, both directed by Dan Trachtenberg. Does this mean Predator: Badlands has the potential to be the best one of the entire franchise? Or has time passed, and critics are just more interested in these movies now?
Chronological Predator watch order
Because some of the Predator films take place in the relative present, others in the future, and some in the distant past, here’s a rough look at the chronological watch order of the Predator movies.
- 2996 BC: Flashbacks in Alien vs. Predator, which indicate that the Yautja (Predators) built the Great Pyramids
- 841: First segment of Predator: Killer of Killers, “The Shield”
- 1609: Second segment of Predator: Killer of Killers, “The Sword”
- 1719: Prey
- 1942: Third segment of Predator: Killer of Killers, “The Bullet”
- 1987: Predator
- 1997: Predator 2 (Note: although released in 1990, Predator 2 takes place in “the future.”)
- 2004: Alien vs. Predator
- 2018: The Predator
- 2024: Predators (Note: the exact setting and year of this movie are ambiguous. But, because of the loose canon established by the game Predator: Hunting Grounds, most fans consider this movie’s humans to have come from the year 2024. Probably.)
- The distant future: Predator: Badlands. (Note: the new movie hasn’t established an exact date, but Dan Trachtenberg has indicated the movie will take place in at the furthest point in the future, beyond the existing Alien and Predator moies.
Dan Trachtenberg Predator universe watch order
In some ways, starting with Prey, Trachtenberg has softly rebooted not just the story, but the overall perception of the Predator franchise. That said, Trachtenberg also references the first two Predator movies a decent amount in his work. The ending of Killer of Killers even revealed animated versions of Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover) from Predator and Predator 2. So, if you’re going to create a watch order for the “new” Predator universe, including the first two films makes sense, only because the Trachtenberg seems to acknowledge those films 100 percent matter going forward.
So, the Trachtenberg-Predator-verse watch order would look like this:
- Prey (2022)
- Predator (1987)
- Predator 2 (1990)
- Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
- Predator: Badlands (2025
Of all the watch orders, this one might be the most satisfying because, retroactively, it makes the franchise seem straightforward, but also accessible.
