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Watch order

Predator movie watch order

20th Century’s Predator films from Predator (1987) through Predator: Badlands (2025). Release lists every major US premiere—including Prey’s 2022 streaming bow. Story follows hunt years: Prey (1719) → Predator → Predator 2 → Predators → The Predator → Badlands (far future). AVP crossovers stay optional FAQ notes. Sci-fi action neighbors: Alien and Terminator.

Updated August 2026

Release order

When each major Predator film reached US audiences—from Predator (June 12, 1987) through Predator: Badlands (November 7, 2025), including Prey’s Hulu/Disney+ premiere (August 5, 2022). Best first path: watch in premiere order so Arnold’s jungle hunt still invents the hunter before prequel and future chapters.

  • First watch → Release: Predator → Predator 2 → Predators → The Predator → Prey → Badlands
  • Classic duo only → Predator then Predator 2
  • Modern revival → Predators, The Predator, Prey, then Badlands
  • AVP / Killer of Killers → optional FAQ extras
Story order tips

Hunt chronology by in-fiction eras: Prey (1719) → Predator (1987) → Predator 2 (1997) → Predators (~2000s game reserve) → The Predator (~2018) → Badlands (far future, after Alien-era centuries). Same six films; only Prey and Badlands move relative to a simple 1987→2018 shelf.

  • 1719 → Prey (Comanche / Feral Predator)
  • 1987–1997 → Predator then Predator 2
  • Game world → Predators; then The Predator
  • Far future → Badlands last on Story

Timeline

When each season premiered in the US. Expand a row for dates and where it fits in your watch order.

Release order

  1. Predator

    Predator

    TheatricalStreamingMain sagaLive-action

    John McTiernan’s 1987 jungle classic sends Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Dutch and a special-ops team against an invisible hunter—heat vision, wrist blades, and macho one-liners that invent the franchise’s trophy-hunt grammar every sequel still answers. This tab dates the US theatrical bow, not the 1719 prequel year.

    Overview
    Action-horror craft that turns a black-ops mission into alien safari. Correct first watch on Release so the hunter’s rules still land as discovery.
    Related games
    Franchise opener in theaters. Story places 1719 Prey before this Central American hunt. Action neighbors: Terminator and Wolfenstein.
    Where it fits
    Start here on Release. On Story it sits second, after Prey. Required before Predator 2 either way.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release June 12, 1987 (20th Century Fox).
  2. Predator 2

    Predator 2

    TheatricalStreamingMain sagaLive-action

    Stephen Hopkins’s 1990 sequel moves the hunt to a heat-wave 1997 Los Angeles—Danny Glover’s Harrigan, gang wars, and a city Predator that proves the species returns to Earth beyond one jungle night.

    Overview
    Urban trophy-hunt escalation with broader Yautja lore (ship, trophies, honor codes). Still the second classic theatrical chapter before the long gap to Predators.
    Related games
    City sequel to the jungle original. Story keeps Prey earlier; next modern chapters are Predators and beyond.
    Where it fits
    Second on Release; third on Story after Prey and Predator. Watch after the 1987 film.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release November 21, 1990 (20th Century Fox).
  3. Predators

    Predators

    TheatricalStreamingMain sagaGame reserve

    Nimród Antal’s 2010 revival—Robert Rodriguez producing—drops Adrien Brody’s Royce and other killers onto an alien game preserve. Different hunters, same trophy logic; a bridge into later 2010s–2020s chapters without wiping 1987–1990.

    Overview
    Planet-as-arena premise that multiplies Yautja factions and human prey types. Treat as continuity-adjacent hunt fiction rather than a soft reboot wipe of Dutch’s night.
    Related games
    Game-reserve chapter. Next Release title is The Predator; Story continues the same ladder into 2018 then Badlands.
    Where it fits
    Third on Release; fourth on Story. Watch after Predator 2; Story places it after the Earth-city chapter.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release July 9, 2010 (20th Century Fox).
  4. The Predator

    The Predator

    TheatricalStreamingMain sagaLive-action

    Shane Black’s 2018 film brings Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, and a government black-site tangle with upgraded Yautja tech—divisive tone, still a mainline theatrical title on this page before Prey and Badlands.

    Overview
    Legacy-era blockbuster with lab conspiracy and “upgrade” Predator mythology. Debated; kept on both tabs so completionists see every major live-action hunt film listed here.
    Related games
    Pre-Prey on Release; before Badlands on Story. Neighbor spy/action scale: Mission Impossible.
    Where it fits
    Fourth on Release; fifth on Story. Watch after Predators; optional only if you skip straight from classics into Trachtenberg-era films with a summary.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release September 14, 2018 (20th Century Fox).
  5. Prey

    Prey

    StreamingTheatrical (select)Prequel yearLive-action

    Dan Trachtenberg’s 2022 Hulu/Disney+ hit—Amber Midthunder’s Naru vs a Feral Predator on the Great Plains in 1719—is the earliest hunt year on this page. Released fifth; Story places it first.

    Overview
    Historical prequel with lean survival craft and Comanche heroism that revitalized the brand without requiring AVP homework. Streaming premiere counts as the main US release for this timeline.
    Related games
    Earliest hunt year on Story. Release still plays it after The Predator; Story continues into 1987 Predator next.
    Where it fits
    Fifth on Release; first on Story (1719). Watch here in premiere order, or start Story with this title for calendar order.
    Premiere dates
    US streaming premiere August 5, 2022 (Hulu / Disney+); later select theatrical play.
  6. Predator: Badlands

    Predator: Badlands

    TheatricalStreamingFar futureLive-action

    Trachtenberg’s 2025 theatrical return—Elle Fanning’s synth Thia and a young Yautja hunter on the hostile world Genna—pushes into the far future, past prior Predator chapters and even Alien-era centuries per the filmmakers. Last on both tabs.

    Overview
    Predator-as-protagonist adventure with Weyland-Yutani crossover texture while staying a Predator-branded hunt film. Story endpoint among the six titles on this page.
    Related games
    Current Story and Release endpoint. Exact in-fiction year unspecified; consensus places it after prior hunts as the farthest future. Sci-fi neighbor: Alien.
    Where it fits
    Last on Release and on Story. Watch after Prey (and earlier hunts) for full brand context; classics alone are enough if you only want 1987–1990.
    Premiere dates
    US theatrical release November 7, 2025 (20th Century Studios); digital January 6, 2026.

FAQ

Release vs hunt years, where Prey and Badlands sit, The Predator debates, AVP optional, and related shelves.

Watch order

Release is premiere order (Predator first). Story follows eras: Prey (1719) → Predator → Predator 2 → Predators → The Predator → Badlands (far future). First-time viewers should stay on Release so 1987 still invents the hunter.

Years & sequels

Prey (2022) is set in 1719, centuries before the 1987 jungle film, so Story puts it first. It premiered on Hulu/Disney+ (August 5, 2022) and sits fifth on Release. Start with Predator on Release; use Story when you want calendar order.

Badlands (US theaters November 7, 2025) is last on Release and Story. Filmmakers place it in the far future—after prior Predator hunts and past Alien-era centuries. Watch it after the earlier films for full context; it does not replace Prey or 1987 Predator.

What’s included

More timelines

Other release-order and story-order guides on this site.