How to Watch the ‘Predator’ Movies in Order (Release Date and Chronological)

Predator is back — and this time, the creatures are wreaking havoc on the distant past.

On June 6, Predator: Killer of Killers debuted on Hulu, exploring how the Yautja aliens have affected historical eras from the Vikings to feudal Japan. It’s the furthest back into the past that the Predator franchise has ventured.

If you’re looking to catch up on the Predator films, the release order varies a lot from their chronological order. The original movie, which premiered in 1987, sees Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his team of commandos get hunted through the jungles of Central America by an elusive alien killer. While technically known as the Yautja race of aliens, most fans identify these lethal creatures simply as Predators.

After a 1990 sequel, the Predator series has been all over the place, including the past, the future and a 2010 sequel so vague that even the film’s creatives aren’t entirely sure when it’s set. It even has a few pretty famous crossovers with the Alien franchise — which might soon become much more important with the upcoming release of Predator: Badlands.

Here’s everything to know about how to watch the Predator movies in order — plus, where all the movies are currently available to stream.

The Predator Franchise 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)

The Predator Franchise in Chronological Order

Predator: Killer of Killers

Hulu’s 2025 animated anthology film Predator: Killer of Killers follows three stories in different time periods – an ancient Viking raider, a ninja in feudal Japan and a pilot during World War II. The first two segments would technically come first chronologically, predating 2022’s Prey by a couple hundred years.

Throughout history, Predators have been coming to Earth to fight whom they deem to be worthy foes, and the strength of these warriors proves mighty enough to attract the attention of the Yautja. This concept of the Predators proving themselves through battle is revisited numerous times throughout the franchise.

Watch Predator: Killer of Killers on Hulu

Prey

The Hulu original movie Prey takes place in 1719, following a young Comanche woman named Naru (Amber Midthunder). She wants to prove to her tribe that she can be a great hunter, but is mocked and told that it isn’t a role for women. However one day, Naru finds herself face to face with a Predator, and an epic cat-and-mouse chase through the forest begins.

Prey became a smash hit and broke streaming records — upon its debut in 2022, it became Hulu’s most-watched premiere ever, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Watch Prey on Hulu

Predator

The original Predator movie is set in the present day (which would be 1987) and follows a paramilitary rescue team who quickly discovers that rebel forces in the South American jungle aren’t their most dangerous enemy. Instead, they’re forced to fight for their lives against an invisible monster that starts killing them one by one.

The movie was a massive success, grossing nearly $60 million on a $15 million budget, per Box Office Mojo. Schwarzenegger was joined in the cast by Carl Weathers and Jesse Ventura, among others.

Watch Predator on Hulu or Disney+

Predator 2

Instead of the jungles of Central America, Predator 2 took viewers to the gritty streets of Los Angeles. Set in the “near future” (which, at the time, was 1997), the movie sees L.A. terrorized by an oppressive heat wave and gang violence between drug cartels.

Danny Glover plays an LAPD officer tracking the illegal drug scheme — but during his investigation, he stumbles upon an even bigger threat, the Predator. Joining Glover in the cast were Bill Paxton and Gary Busey.

Watch Predator 2 on Hulu or Disney+

Alien vs. Predator

Set in the present day (at that time, 2004) Alien vs. Predator follows a research team that discovers a pyramid buried beneath the ice on a remote island off the coast of Antarctica. After entering, they realize this is no ordinary artifact; instead, it’s where Yautjas purposefully breed Xenomorphs — the extraterrestrial species featured in the Alien franchise — so they can hunt them and prove themselves as warriors.

Subsequently, the humans, led by Sanaa Lathan’s Alexa Woods, find themselves in the middle of an incredibly dangerous battle with no easy escape.

Watch Alien vs. Predator on Hulu or Disney+

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem

Released in 2007, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem picks up right after the first movie, meaning the film takes place in 2004. The film starts with the Yautja spaceship departing Earth, but before it can leave orbit, a Xenomorph bursts from one of the Predator’s chests, creating the hybrid known as Predalien.

The new hybrid creature destroys everything in sight, causing the ship to crash in a small Colorado town and setting the Predalien free to mercilessly kill everything in sight.

Watch Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem on Hulu or Disney+

Predators

Featuring a star-studded cast including Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace and Walton Goggins, Predators follows a group of humans who wake up on an alien planet, which turns out to be a massive game preserve where the Yautja hunt formidable enemies to prove themselves.

However, questions remain about where Predators fits into the franchise’s timeline. The film never gives any hints about when it takes place, but because of its otherworldly setting and advanced human weaponry, many believed the film probably took place in the future.

Shane Black, who wrote 2018’s The Predator, confirmed that theory in 2016 when he told HeyUGuys, “The events of Predators, the Robert Rodriguez one, have not happened yet [in The Predator], and Predator 2 has probably happened already.”

However, Black later contradicted himself in a 2018 interview with Fandango, this time saying, “I mean, it’s always unclear where Predators takes place, but I’m assuming even that [it] is before [The Predator].”

When exactly Predators takes place is still a mystery, but because its story is largely self-contained, it can be watched either before or after The Predator.

Watch Predators on Hulu or Disney+

The Predator

2018’s The Predator (which is set in the present day and starred Olivia Munn, Jacob Tremblay and Yvonne Strahovski) features an extremely convoluted plot. After wearing anti-Predator armor while trick-or-treating, a young boy (Tremblay) sets off a chaotic chain of events that includes human-Predator hybrids, alien-Predator dogs, government cover-ups and more.

The Predator has been marred by controversies and panned by critics. But diehard fans will still want to watch it at least once to fully complete the Predator chronology.

Watch The Predator on Hulu and Disney+

Predator: Badlands

The exact plot for the upcoming Predator: Badlands is being kept tightly under wraps, but will be set in the future and take place on the Predator planet of Yautja Prime. The movie will follow a Yautja warrior and another character played by Elle Fanning.

Predator: Badlands will hit theaters on Nov. 7, 2025