Predator Movies in Order
From a Viking raid in 841 to a death world in the far future: nine hunts by the galaxy’s most dedicated trophy collectors.
Predator began in 1987 as a jungle war movie that turned into a monster hunt, and its trophy-collecting aliens have since stalked Los Angeles, an Antarctic pyramid, a Colorado town, a game-preserve planet and the Comanche Nation of 1719. This guide counts nine films: the six live-action Predator movies, the animated anthology Killer of Killers and both Alien vs. Predator crossovers.
Release order is the classic first watch, because Prey and Killer of Killers reward knowing what the original set up. Chronological order starts with a Viking raid in 841 and ends with Predator: Badlands on a planet far in the future.
The quick answer
There are 9 Predator films, counting both Alien vs. Predator crossovers. By story year they run Killer of Killers, Prey, Predator, Predator 2, Alien vs. Predator, Requiem, The Predator, Predators and Badlands.
Chronological order
- Predator: Killer of Killers · Vikings, feudal Japan and World War II
- Prey · The Comanche Nation
- Predator · A rescue mission in Central America
- Predator 2 · Ten years later, in Los Angeles
- Alien vs. Predator · A pyramid under the ice
- Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem · Straight after Alien vs. Predator
- The Predator · Between Predator 2 and Predators
- Predators · An alien game preserve
- Predator: Badlands · The death planet Genna
First time watching? Either order works. Release order shows the films the way audiences first met them, surprises intact; chronological order follows the story’s own timeline and suits a rewatch.
Seen them all? Rank the Predator movies in a tier list, starting from HorroRated’s own.
The complete timeline
Predator
Dutch's commando team goes into the jungle after hostages and finds the skinned remains of the last unit sent in.
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Predator 2
A Predator hunts through a gang war in a heat-struck Los Angeles, and Lieutenant Harrigan refuses to back off.
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Alien vs. Predator
Explorers reach a buried pyramid just as young Predators arrive to test themselves against Xenomorphs.
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Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
A hybrid creature loose in small-town Colorado draws a veteran Predator sent to wipe out every trace.
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Predators
Abducted soldiers and killers are dropped onto an alien planet that serves as a hunting ground.
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The Predator
A sniper's stolen alien gear ends up with his son, and two Predators come to Earth looking for it.
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Prey
Naru sets out to prove herself as a hunter and finds a Predator stalking the northern plains.
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Predator: Killer of Killers
Three warriors from three different centuries each face a Predator in their own era.
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Predator: Badlands
An exiled young Predator and a damaged android hunt an unkillable creature across a hostile world.
Read entryKiller of Killers and Prey go back centuries
Predator: Killer of Killers tells three stories set in 841, 1609 and 1942, so it opens the story order, and Prey follows in 1719. Predator 2 is set ten years after the original, in 1997. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem picks up the moment Alien vs. Predator ends in 2004, and The Predator is set between Predator 2 and Predators, whose game-preserve planet has no date. Badlands has no on-screen year either, but its director places it far in the future. The main Alien films ignore the two crossovers, so the Alien guide lists them as an optional side trip.
Frequently Asked Questions About Predator / AVP
How many Predator movies are there?
There are nine, counting the two crossovers: Predator (1987), Predator 2 (1990), Alien vs. Predator (2004), Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Predators (2010), The Predator (2018), Prey (2022), the animated Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) and Predator: Badlands (2025). Without the Alien vs. Predator films, the Predator series has seven.
What order should I watch the Predator movies in?
For a first watch, release order: Predator, Predator 2, Alien vs. Predator, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Predators, The Predator, Prey, Predator: Killer of Killers and Predator: Badlands. For story order, start with Killer of Killers (841 to 1942), then Prey (1719), Predator (1987), Predator 2 (1997), the two Alien vs. Predator films (2004), The Predator (2018), Predators and Badlands.
Do I need to watch the Predator movies in order?
No. Nearly every film follows new characters and works on its own. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem continues straight from Alien vs. Predator, and Predator 2, Predators and The Predator make more sense once you know the original, but Prey, Killer of Killers and Badlands are all easy places to start.
Is Prey a prequel to Predator?
Yes. Prey is set in 1719, more than 250 years before the original film, and follows Naru, a young Comanche woman determined to prove herself as a hunter. It needs no knowledge of the other films, which makes it a strong first Predator movie.
Are the Alien vs. Predator movies canon?
They are official crossovers from the studio behind both series, but later films don’t build on their events, and the main Alien films carry on as if they never happened. This guide counts them because they continue the Predator story on Earth; the Alien guide lists them as an optional side trip.
Is Predator: Killer of Killers part of the series?
Yes. It is an official, feature-length Predator film directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who also made Prey and Badlands, and it premiered on Hulu in June 2025. It is the series’ first animated film, with three stories set in 841, 1609 and 1942.
Is there a new Predator movie coming?
No new Predator film has been announced as of October 2026. Predator: Badlands (November 2025) is the latest, and it became the highest-grossing film in the series.