A Chronological Guide to the Predator Franchise
The Predator franchise is built on a simple yet terrifying concept: humanity is not the apex predator. The films follow the bloody encounters between humans and the Yautja, a technologically advanced alien species that hunts other dangerous lifeforms across the galaxy for sport and honor. Their "Hunts" are governed by a strict code, valuing worthy prey and forbidding the killing of the unarmed or infirm.
What began as a classic 80s action-horror film has expanded into a complex universe with sequels, prequels, and controversial crossovers with the *Alien* franchise. The timeline jumps from the 18th-century American plains to the urban jungle of Los Angeles, and even to distant game-preserve planets.
This guide organizes every film in the saga, including the upcoming releases, into its proper in-universe chronological order, providing the definitive timeline of the Yautja's long and bloody history with humankind.
The Complete Predator Chronology
The films are presented in their in-universe chronological order.
Predator: Killer of KillersAnimated Film (2025)
Timeline: Various historical periods (Viking era, Feudal Japan, WWII). This animated anthology film explores the long history of the Yautja's hunts on Earth through three distinct stories. The segments follow a Viking raider on a quest for revenge, a ninja battling his samurai brother for succession, and a WWII pilot investigating an otherworldly threat. This film expands the lore by showing how Predators have tested humanity's fiercest warriors across different cultures and eras, establishing the ancient tradition of the Hunt long before the events of the other films.
PreyFilm (2022)
Timeline: 1719. The story is set on the Great Plains and follows Naru, a highly skilled young Comanche warrior and tracker. She seeks to prove herself to her tribe but finds herself facing a new kind of threat: a feral, technologically advanced alien hunter. The film is a masterful survival thriller, pitting Naru's ingenuity and deep knowledge of the land against the Predator's raw power and advanced weaponry. The film's conclusion provides a direct link to *Predator 2* through the acquisition of a specific flintlock pistol.
PredatorFilm (1987)
Timeline: 1987. The film that started it all. An elite paramilitary rescue team, led by Major "Dutch" Schaefer, is sent on a mission in a Central American jungle. After completing their objective, they discover they are being stalked and hunted by an unseen enemy. One by one, the highly-trained soldiers are picked off by a deadly alien creature that uses advanced camouflage and weaponry. The film becomes a tense battle of wits between Dutch, the sole survivor, and the Predator in a primal showdown.
Predator 2Film (1990)
Timeline: 1997. The hunt moves from the remote jungle to the "urban jungle" of a heatwave-stricken, gang-war-plagued Los Angeles. LAPD Lieutenant Mike Harrigan finds his investigation into warring drug cartels complicated by a new player who is brutally slaughtering both sides. He discovers he is dealing with another Predator, drawn to the heat and conflict of the city. The film's climactic scene aboard the Predator's ship is crucial, revealing a trophy room that includes a Xenomorph skull and establishing that the Yautja have been visiting Earth for centuries.
Alien vs. PredatorFilm (2004)
Timeline: 2004. This crossover event reveals an ancient connection between the two iconic alien species. A team of explorers, funded by the billionaire Charles Bishop Weyland, discovers a pyramid buried deep beneath the ice of Antarctica. They learn that the pyramid is a hunting ground where young Yautja warriors have proven themselves for millennia by hunting the "ultimate prey," the Xenomorphs, which are bred there as part of a rite of passage. The expedition is caught in the middle as a new hunt begins.
Aliens vs. Predator: RequiemFilm (2007)
Timeline: Immediately following *AVP* (2004). Picking up moments after the previous film, a Predator ship carrying the body of a fallen warrior is compromised when a "Predalien"—a chestburster that erupted from a Predator—is born. The hybrid creature causes the ship to crash-land near a small town in Colorado, unleashing a horde of Xenomorphs. A lone, veteran "cleaner" Predator is dispatched to Earth to contain the outbreak and erase all evidence, leading to a brutal, three-way war between the humans, the Xenomorphs, and the Predator.
PredatorsFilm (2010)
Timeline: Ambiguous (post-2010). A group of Earth's most dangerous killers—soldiers, mercenaries, and criminals—awaken to find themselves in freefall over an unknown jungle. They soon realize they have been abducted and brought to a massive alien planet that serves as a game preserve. They are the prey. This film expands the lore by introducing the concept of a feud between two different clans of Yautja: the classic "Jungle Hunter" Predators and a larger, more ruthless breed known as the "Super Predators."
The PredatorFilm (2018)
Timeline: 2018. An Army Ranger sniper encounters a Predator ship crash-landing on Earth during a mission. This "Fugitive" Predator is being hunted by a larger, genetically-upgraded "Assassin" Predator from a rival faction. The film controversially introduces the idea that the Yautja are seeking to upgrade themselves with DNA from other species, including humans. A group of military outcasts must team up with a biologist to stop the Assassin Predator and uncover the reason for its hunt, which involves a mysterious piece of cargo meant for humanity.
Predator: BadlandsFilm (2025)
Timeline: The Future. This upcoming film is confirmed to be a standalone story set in the future. While plot details are being kept under wraps, it is known to star Elle Fanning and will follow a new female protagonist in a story that further expands the Predator universe. This entry will mark a new direction for the franchise, pushing the timeline forward and exploring new settings and themes.
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