Predator Movies in Order (Including Badlands): Chronological & by Release Date

With the upcoming release of ‘Badlands,’ it is the right time to reflect on Predator’s past hunts. Fortunately, the series has not had to deal with the complicated timelines of other major franchises. However, considering that the series spans almost 40 years, and includes two iconic crossover movies, it’s worth giving you a list of all the Predator movies in order.

I know that there are many comics, books, and video games that feature the Predator in action, crossing over with everyone from Superman to Tarzan. But, for simplicity’s sake, we will stick to the movie timeline. Let’s first see how Predator movies look like in order by release date.

Predator movies in order (at a glance)

1. Predator (1987)
2. Predator 2 (1990)
3. AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)
4. AVPR: Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
5. Predators (2010)
6. The Predator (2018)
7. Prey (2022)
8. Predator: Badlands (2025)

Predator movies in order by release date (fully explained)

1. Predator (1987)

Major “Dutch”, a Vietnam War veteran, and his military rescue team-Mac Eliot Jorge “Poncho” Ramirez Blain Cooper, Billy Sole, and Rick. Hawkins is assigned to rescue a foreign cabinet minister from insurgents. Dutch has rescinded his objections and Al Dillon, a CIA agent, will accompany the team.

2. Predator 2 (1990)

Los Angeles is experiencing a heatwave and a turf battle between heavily armed Colombian- and Jamaican drug cartels in 1997. Predator observes a shootout between police officers, Jamaicans, and Colombians. He watches as Lieutenant Michael R. Harrigan enters the fray to save two injured officers and drive the Colombians into their hideout.

3. AVP: Alien vs Predator (2004)

A team of archaeologists, along with other scientists, becomes involved in a battle between two legends during an archaeological expedition to Bouvetoya Island, Antarctica. The team soon realizes that only one species can win.

4. AVPR: Alien vs Predator: Requiem (2007)

After the events of the preceding film, a Predator’s vessel leaves Earth with Alien face-huggers and Scar’s body. The scar was the Predator who helped Lex defeat the Xenomorph queen. The scar is slain by a chestburster that possesses traits from both species.

It soon matures into an adult Predalien and begins to kill the Predators aboard (in the extended version, this occurs on a scout vessel that has been separated from the mother ship). The ship crashes in the Colorado forest outside Gunnison after a Predator’s weapon penetrates the hull. All but one Predator are eliminated.

5. Predators (2010)

Royce wakes up to discover that he is parachuting into an unknown jungle. He also meets other people who are arriving in the same way: Los Zetas cartel enforcer Cuchillo; Spetsnaz soldier Nikolai; IDF sniper Isabelle; RUF officer Mombasa; San Quentin death row prisoner Stans, Yakuza member Hanzo and general practice physician Edwin. They are all armed and lethal assassins. However, none of them know where they are or why they’re there.

6. The Predator (2018)

A Predator ship crashes on Earth. U.S. Army Ranger sniper Quinn McKenna was attacked by the Predator along with his team while on a hostage retrieval mission. McKenna injures the Predator and sends parts of its armor by mail to prove that there is extraterrestrial life. McKenna is taken into custody and brought to the attention of Will Traeger.

Traeger also takes Predator to a laboratory for experimentation, observation, and recruits evolutionary biologist Casey Bracket. Bracket discovers the Predator has human DNA in his genetic makeup. Her primary task is to find out how. Bracket, who is the only person unarmed, escapes from the Predator’s restraints.

7. Prey (2022)

In ‘Prey’, Naru, a young Comanche woman, dreams of becoming a hunter like her brother Taabe. When a deadly alien Predator lands on the Great Plains in 1719, she gets her chance. Armed with a bow and her cunning, Naru faces the creature’s brutal strength, battling not only the Predator but also French fur traders threatening her tribe’s survival.

Predator: Badlands (2025)

In ‘Predator: Badlands’, Thia, a tough human woman, crosses paths with Dek, a young outcast Predator, on a distant planet in the future. Dek’s on a mission to prove himself by hunting a worthy foe, and Thia’s caught in the chaos. Together, they navigate the Predator’s homeworld, facing fierce battles and advanced alien tech in a fight for survival.

Predator movies in chronological order

The Predator series spans centuries, blending raw survival with sci-fi horror as humans and other species face off against lethal alien hunters across different eras and worlds. From ancient tribes to futuristic planets, each film carves its own place in a thrilling timeline, showcasing the Predator’s relentless pursuit of worthy prey. Below, I’ve laid out all the Predator movies in chronological order.

1. Prey (2022)

‘Prey’ dives into the Northern Great Plains in 1719, where Naru, a young Comanche woman, aims to prove she’s a warrior like her brother Taabe. When a Predator, known as the Feral Predator, starts slaughtering her people, Naru uses her wits and a bow to outsmart the alien hunter, while also fending off French fur traders disrupting her tribe’s way of life.

This prequel sets the stage as the earliest known Predator encounter, showing the alien’s first hunt on Earth, long before modern technology, with Naru’s battle marking humanity’s initial stand against these extraterrestrial killers.

2. Predator (1987)

‘Predator’ follows Dutch, a seasoned U.S. Army Major, leading his elite squad into a Central American jungle in 1987 to rescue hostages. Ambushed by a cloaked Predator hunting for sport, the team is picked off one by one, forcing Dutch to rely on raw instinct to survive the alien’s advanced weapons and brutal tactics.

Set in 1987, this film anchors the timeline’s first modern encounter, establishing the Predator’s pattern of targeting skilled warriors in isolated settings, with Dutch’s fight becoming a benchmark for later human resistance.

3. Predator 2 (1990)

‘Predator 2’ tracks LAPD Lieutenant Mike Harrigan as he battles gang violence in a sweltering 1997 Los Angeles. Amid the chaos, a Predator stalks the city, hunting both criminals and cops, leading Harrigan to a deadly showdown with the alien in its hidden ship.

Placed in 1997, this sequel shows the Predator’s return to Earth a decade after Dutch’s encounter, escalating the stakes by bringing the hunt to an urban battlefield and hinting at a larger alien presence.

4. AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)

‘Alien vs. Predator’ centers on a team of archaeologists and scientists exploring a mysterious pyramid beneath Antarctica’s Bouvetoya Island in 2004. Caught in a clash between Predators and Xenomorphs, the group, led by Alexa Woods, fights to survive as the two species wage war, with only one side destined to prevail.

Set in 2004, this crossover introduces a centuries-old ritual where Predators use Xenomorphs as prey, positioning it as a pivotal moment where humans witness the broader interstellar conflict.

5. AVPR: Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

‘Alien vs. Predator: Requiem’ follows a Predator ship crashing in a Colorado forest in 2004, shortly after the Antarctic battle. A hybrid Predalien, born from a Predator and Xenomorph, slaughters the crew, unleashing chaos in a small town as a lone Predator arrives to contain the outbreak, battling humans and aliens alike.

Occurring days after ‘Alien vs. Predator’ in 2004, this sequel continues the ritual gone wrong, showing the immediate fallout and a Predator’s attempt to clean up the mess on Earth.

6. Predators (2010)

‘Predators’ drops Royce, a mercenary, and a group of killers—like cartel enforcer Cuchillo, sniper Isabelle, and death row inmate Stans—into an alien jungle in 2010. Hunted by Predators on a game preserve planet, they uncover a tribal feud among the aliens and fight to escape.

Set in 2010, this film expands the timeline to an off-world hunting ground, showing Predators abducting Earth’s deadliest for sport, years after their terrestrial hunts.

7. The Predator (2018)

‘The Predator’ unfolds in 2018, when sniper Quinn McKenna stumbles on a crashed Predator ship in Mexico. After his son Rory accidentally triggers the ship’s signal, a rogue Predator and a hybrid version pursue them, forcing Quinn’s ragtag team of ex-soldiers to fight back with help from scientist Casey Bracket.

Positioned in 2018, this entry shows Predators returning to Earth with evolved tech and motives, tying back to earlier hunts while introducing genetic upgrades to their species.

8. Predator: Badlands (2025)

‘Predator: Badlands’ follows Thia, a human woman, teaming up with Dek, a young outcast Predator, on a distant planet in an unspecified future. Dek seeks a worthy opponent to prove his worth, dragging Thia into a brutal hunt across the Predator’s homeworld, packed with advanced weapons and fierce battles.

Set far in the future, ‘Badlands’ caps the timeline by exploring the Predator’s culture and homeworld, marking a new era where humans and Predators collide beyond Earth’s boundaries.