Alien and Predator movies in chronological order (2026)
15 released titles (14 movies, 1 series seasons), about 33 hours of viewing. Next release: Alien: Earth: Season 2, 2027.
Last verified 24 Oct 2026.
Story order across both franchises. The Predator films come first because they are set on Earth from 1719 to the present day; the Alien films follow from 2089, with Alien: Earth (2120) slotted two years before Alien (2122). Predator: Badlands goes after everything, as its director intended. The two AVP films are appended at the end because they are not treated as canon by the current films, and the undated second season of Alien: Earth sits straight after its first.
16 titles · chronological order · 15 count towards completion
Community picks
Once a few people vote on the titles, this shows the Alien entries the community calls must-watch, the ones you can skip on a first run, and the highest rated. Open any title and tap 🔥, 👍 or 😴.
How to watch Alien: the short version
Alien and Predator started life as two unrelated 20th Century Fox monster films: Ridley Scott's Alien (1979), a haunted-house story on a cargo ship, and John McTiernan's Predator (1987), a jungle action film about a trophy-hunting alien. Alien ran to four films with Sigourney Weaver's Ripley, then Scott returned for two prequels (Prometheus and Alien: Covenant), Fede Álvarez made Alien: Romulus in 2024, and Noah Hawley's FX series Alien: Earth arrived in 2025. Predator has had seven films, three of them from Dan Trachtenberg since 2022: Prey, the animated anthology Predator: Killer of Killers and Predator: Badlands. Everything now belongs to Disney, which is why nearly all of it sits on Disney+ in the UK.
The two series only officially met in the crossover films Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). Those films put xenomorphs on Earth in 2004, which the later Alien films and Alien: Earth quietly contradict, and Trachtenberg has said he set Badlands in the far future, after every Alien film and Alien: Earth, precisely to avoid tripping over that continuity. Treat the AVP films as an optional sideshow. The one real connection the current films make is Weyland-Yutani, the Alien franchise's corporation, turning up in Predator: Badlands.
Which order should you pick? For a first viewing, release order within each franchise is the safe choice: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection first, then the prequels, Romulus and Alien: Earth, all of which assume you know what a xenomorph is and spend their energy on how it came to be. The Predator films are mostly standalone hunts, so release order costs you nothing there either. The chronological order is for a rewatch: it starts with Prey in 1719 and Prometheus in 2089 and shows how the story was retro-fitted around the originals. If you are only here for one franchise, use the Alien-only or Predator-only orders.
Where does Alien: Earth fit? Its first season is set in 2120, two years before the Nostromo picks up its distress call in Alien, so on the timeline it sits between Alien: Covenant (2104) and Alien (2122). It was written to be watched without the films, but it lands harder if you know the original. Time commitment: the seven Alien films run 14 hours 1 minute, the seven Predator films 12 hours 1 minute, so the core fourteen films are 26 hours 2 minutes. Alien: Earth's eight episodes (45–64 minutes each) add roughly seven and a half hours, and the two AVP films another 3 hours 15 minutes if you want them.
Orders explained
The order the films and series came out, both franchises interleaved. The best first viewing: every prequel and spin-off assumes you have seen the originals.
Story order across both franchises. The Predator films come first because they are set on Earth from 1719 to the present day; the Alien films follow from 2089, with Alien: Earth (2120) slotted two years before Alien (2122). Predator: Badlands goes after everything, as its director intended. The two AVP films are appended at the end because they are not treated as canon by the current films, and the undated second season of Alien: Earth sits straight after its first.
Just the Alien films and Alien: Earth in story order: Prometheus, Covenant, Alien: Earth, Alien, Romulus, Aliens, Alien 3, Resurrection. No Predator films, no crossovers.
Just the seven Predator films in story order, from Prey in 1719 to Badlands in the far future. No Alien films, no crossovers.
Optional extras
Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) put both monsters on present-day Earth, which later Alien films and Alien: Earth contradict, and Predator: Badlands was deliberately set after everything to sidestep them. Include them for completeness or for the novelty; skip them if you want a timeline that holds together.
Frequently asked
What order should I watch the Alien movies in?
Release order is Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), Alien Resurrection (1997), Prometheus (2012), Alien: Covenant (2017), Alien: Romulus (2024) and then the series Alien: Earth (2025). Story order is Prometheus (2089–2093), Covenant (2104), Alien: Earth (2120), Alien (2122), Romulus (2142), Aliens and Alien 3 (both 2179) and Resurrection (2381). Release order is better for a first viewing.
Should I watch Prometheus before Alien?
Not the first time. Prometheus is set 33 years before Alien and explains where the xenomorph came from, but it was written for people who already knew the creature, and the reveal of the familiar ship and pilot only means something if you have seen Alien. Watch Alien first; use the chronological order on a rewatch.
Where does Alien: Earth fit in the timeline?
Season 1 is set in 2120, two years before Alien (2122) and sixteen years after Alien: Covenant. On the timeline it goes between Covenant and Alien. It does not require the films, but it references the original heavily, so it is best watched after Alien at least. FX renewed it for a second season in November 2025; no date has been announced.
Is Prey a prequel to Predator?
Yes. Prey (2022) is set in 1719 on the Northern Great Plains and is the earliest-set live-action film in the franchise. It is a standalone story about a Comanche hunter, Naru, and needs no prior knowledge; the pistol she wins is the one handed to Harrigan at the end of Predator 2. Naru reappears in the ending of Predator: Killer of Killers.
Are the Alien vs. Predator movies canon?
Not to the current films. AVP (2004) and Requiem (2007) put xenomorphs on Earth in 2004, which Prometheus, Covenant, Romulus and Alien: Earth all ignore, and Dan Trachtenberg has said he set Predator: Badlands in the far future, after every Alien and AVP film, to avoid the continuity clash. 20th Century Studios has said it wants to make a third crossover eventually, so they are not officially disowned either. Treat them as optional.
What order should I watch the Predator movies in?
Release order is Predator (1987), Predator 2 (1990), Predators (2010), The Predator (2018), Prey (2022), Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) and Predator: Badlands (2025). Story order is Prey (1719), Killer of Killers (841, 1609 and 1942), Predator (1987), Predator 2 (1997), The Predator (present day), Predators (undated, off Earth) and Badlands (far future). Every film works on its own, so neither order is wrong.
Is Predator: Badlands connected to Alien?
Partly. Badlands is set on another planet in the far future and features synthetics from Weyland-Yutani, the corporation from the Alien films, which the studio has described as a step towards an eventual new crossover. It does not feature a xenomorph and you do not need to have seen any Alien film to follow it.
How long does it take to watch all the Alien and Predator movies?
The seven Alien films run 841 minutes (14 hours 1 minute) and the seven Predator films 721 minutes (12 hours 1 minute), so the fourteen core films are 26 hours 2 minutes. Alien: Earth season 1 adds about seven and a half hours over eight episodes, and the two AVP films add 195 minutes (3 hours 15 minutes), for roughly 37 hours in total.
Where can I stream the Alien and Predator movies in the UK?
All of it is Disney-owned, so as of October 2026 the Alien films, the Predator films, both AVP films and Alien: Earth are on Disney+ in the UK. Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers were Disney+ originals outside the US, and Predator: Badlands moved to streaming after its cinema run. Availability can change, so check before you start a marathon.