How to Watch the ‘Predator’ Movies in Order

35 years ago, the first “Predator” movie hit the big screen. Now, we have “Prey” debuting exclusively on the small screen, as a Hulu original.

What began as a straightforward, Joel Silver-produced action movie that saw hard-charging commandoes (led by Arnold Schwarzenegger in one of his most iconic roles) against a technologically advanced alien hunter in the jungles of South America (snappily written by Jim and John Thomas and directed with aplomb by John McTiernan) has blossomed into a vast network of spin-offs, sequels and ancillary materials. The world of “Predator” is big, bold and aside from a boneheaded, PG-13-rated spin-off, very bloody.

“Prey” is no different.

Set in the Comanche Nation in 1917, it follows a young girl named Naru (a star-making turn from Amber Midthunder), who goes up against the alien warrior in one of the species’ first visits to earth. Of course, Naru turns out to be more of a warrior than the alien creature is expecting and it’s a brutal, bloody fight to the death.

But with seven “Predator” movies in total now in existence, is there a way to watch them in chronological order that makes sense? Let’s dig into it.

‘Predator’ Movies in Chronological Order

For the most part, the “Predator” chronology is pretty straightforward – whenever the movie is coming out, that’s when it is set (“Predators” and “The Predator” don’t specifically state this but we can guess). There are two major deviations, of course.

The first is “Predator 2,” which came out in 1990 actually takes place in Los Angeles in 1997, keeping with the idea that the Predator species only visits earth every 10 years and only in the hottest part of the planet. (The whole “hottest part of the planet” thing is jettisoned by the next film, as “Alien vs. Predator” is bafflingly set in the arctic. Anyway…)

Also “Prey” is set 300 years before the first “Predator,” which is very cool and actually ties it into a small plot detail from “Predator 2” (who’d have thought?)

While the movies don’t follow their own internal logic, in terms of when the Predator visits earth (and why), they do follow their own chronology. (“Predators” takes place on an alien planet, so maybe the whole every-ten-years and hottest-place-on-the-planet rules don’t apply.)

• Prey
• Predator
• Predator 2
• Alien vs. Predator
• Alien vs. Predator: Requiem
• Predators
• The Predator

If you want to take the “Alien vs. Predator” movies out of the equation, you can watch those two on their own. And this is the order:

• Alien vs. Predator
• Alien vs. Predator: Requiem

‘Predator’ Movies in Release Order

Obviously the easiest way to get through the “Predator” franchise is to watch them in the order they were released. Simple enough, right?

It’s an oddly involved franchise, given how simple the conceit of the original film (Arnold Schwarzenegger-versus-a-monster) was. Please note that two of the films are part of the “Alien vs. Predator” spin-off franchise, which began as a series of tangentially canon comic books, novels and videogames that mashed the two series together and wound up as two very iffy motion pictures. (More on them in a minute.)

“Prey,” the first movie in the franchise made for streaming, is a spin-off/prequel of sorts, and invigorates the franchise with some much needed fresh (glowing green) blood.

Here’s how to watch all the ‘Predator’ movies in order of release:

• Predator (1987)
• Predator 2 (1990)
• Alien vs. Predator (2004)
• Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
• Predators (2010)
• The Predator (2018)
• Prey (2022)

Which ‘Predator’ Movies Are Streaming?

When it comes to the “Predator” franchise, especially in the lead-up to “Prey,” the big question is where are the movies streaming. With “Prey” debuting exclusively on Hulu, what other films in the franchise are also streaming on the platform?

As it turns out, most!

The “Predator” movies streaming on Hulu are:

• Predator
• Predator 2
• Alien vs. Predator
• Alien vs. Predator: Requiem
• Predators
• Prey

And streaming on Fubo TV is:

• The Predator

It should also be noted that you can purchase all of the films from various online digital retailers and you can buy “Predator,” “Predator 2” and “The Predator” on 4K HD Blu-ray separately or in a handsomely collected box set. (You can only get “Predators” on 4K in the box set.) Yay for physical media!