The Transformers movies began as an explosion of Bayhem and have since taken a sharp turn into some of the more outlandish portions of the franchise, with 2023's Rise of the Beasts even bringing the Maximals into live-action.
Now, the imminent arrival of Transformers One makes the notion of watching the Transformers movies in order slightly more tricky. Taking place on Cybertron long before Optimus Prime and Megatron put wheels down on Earth, it's set to be a complete re-imagining of the eternal enemies' surprising beginnings.
Below, we'll preview how the prequel will affect the Transformers watch order, while laying out the rest of the franchise in release date and chronological order.
For more watch guides, check out how to watch the Marvel movies in order and how to watch Pokemon in order. You can also read our Transformers One review here.
How to watch the Transformers movies in order – release date
There are currently seven live-action Transformers movies, with one animated movie releasing in September. The first, simply called Transformers, was released in 2007. A sequel, Revenge of the Fallen, landed in 2009 and was soon followed by Dark of the Moon in 2011.
Michael Bay then directed his fourth Transformers movie, Age of Extinction, in 2014 before bringing The Last Knight into cinemas in 2017. A prequel, Bumblebee, was released in 2019 and, finally, Rise of the Beasts released in cinemas on June 9, 2023.
A separate animated prequel, Transformers One starring Chris Hemsworth, is releasing on September 20, 2024.
On paper, the Transformers release date order looks like this:
- Transformers (2007)
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
- Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
- Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
- Bumblebee (2019)
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
- Transformers One (2024)
How to watch the Transformers movies in order – chronological order
The Transformers timeline officially begins with Bumblebee in 1987. Rise of the Beasts takes place seven years later, while the remaining Transformers movies take place in the early 21st Century. There are various prologues and flashbacks that take place throughout but, here, we're focusing on the main underlying story told in each movie's 'present day.'
Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen, and Dark of the Moon form one trilogy, while Age of Extinction and The Last Night are set after and form another saga. Each is part of the same shared timeline, however, and features repeat appearances from the likes of Optimus Prime, Megatron, and multiple human characters.
We suspect that Transformers One will loosely fall outside of the main Transformers timeline though, for now, we're comfortable putting it at the first movie in the entire series until we hear otherwise.
The Transformers movie chronology consists of:
- Transformers One
- Bumblebee (1987)
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (1994)
- Transformers
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- Transformers: Age of Extinction
- Transformers: The Last Knight
For more on our watch guides, check out how to watch Demon Slayer in order, and how to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion in order.
