How to Watch Every Transformers Movie in Chronological Order

If you’re wondering how many Transformer movies there are in total, you’ve come to the right place. The Transformers franchise that Michael Bay made famous has a lot of titles to keep track of. The most recent entries in the franchise are Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) and Transformers One (2024), and they are only two of many movies within the franchise. If you’re overwhelmed and want to know how to watch each Transformers movie in chronological order, read on.

Transformers have been around since the 1980s and have flourished in one form or another ever since. They started off as a Japanese toy line of mechanical robots that could transform into vehicles or other alternative forms. As its popularity began to explode, the franchise branched out into comic books, cartoons, video games, and, of course, movies. No matter how many decades go by, Transformers seem to find fans, old and new, and keep them coming back for more.

How Many Transformers Movies Are There?

The exact count depends on what you include, so let’s clear that up right away. There are 8 modern Transformers feature films if you count only the 2007–2024 theatrical run — from the original Transformers (2007) through Transformers One (2024) — and leave out the standalone 1986 animated film. If you include The Transformers: The Movie (1986), the total rises to 9 theatrical Transformers movies overall.

It helps to think about those films by continuity, because they don’t all share the same timeline:

• The Bayverse (5 films): Transformers (2007), Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Dark of the Moon (2011), Age of Extinction (2014), The Last Knight (2017) — a continuous live-action timeline directed by Michael Bay.
• The reboot live-action timeline (2 films): Bumblebee (2018) and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) — a separate continuity that rebooted the franchise with a new tone and cast.
• Transformers One (2024): A standalone animated origin film set on Cybertron, separate from both live-action timelines.
• The Transformers: The Movie (1986): The original animated theatrical film, tied to the classic G1 cartoon continuity and unconnected to any of the modern films.

Keep those groupings in mind as you read through the watch-order guide below — they’ll help you make sense of why the timeline jumps around so much.

Transformers Movies in Chronological Order

These movies are all over the place timeline-wise. Prequels, sequels, reboots — it’s enough to make your head explode. To be honest, you can watch the movies any which way that makes you happy. That said, if you want to be roughly chronological about it, look no further than the list below.

For the sake of brevity, we’re going to assume you know a few basics, such as who the Autobots, Optimus Prime, Sentinel Prime, Nemesis Prime, and the Decepticons are.

Important continuity note: There is no single official chronology that spans every Transformers movie, because the films are split across separate, incompatible continuities. The Michael Bay live-action films (2007–2017) form one timeline. Bumblebee (2018) and Rise of the Beasts (2023) form a separate rebooted live-action timeline. Transformers One (2024) is a distinct animated origin story set on Cybertron. And The Transformers: The Movie (1986) belongs to the classic G1 animated continuity. The entries for the 1986 film and Transformers One are clearly labeled as belonging to their own separate continuities — treat them as optional companion watches rather than part of the main live-action timeline.

1. Bumblebee

Chronologically, this is the first of all the films, taking place in 1987, despite its late release order. It is also one of the higher-rated entries in the franchise, even though Michael Bay was not involved.

Movie summary: On their home planet of Cybertron, the Autobots are in danger of losing their massive war against the Decepticons. Optimus Prime, their leader, is preparing to evacuate his people but they are ambushed before they can succeed. Optimus Prime sends a scout, B-127, to Earth to set up a base where they can recover and regroup. Once on Earth, B-127 is hunted by both the Decepticons and human Sector 7 agents, who mistakenly see him as a threat. He’s soon befriended by a human teenager named Charlie, who names him Bumblebee, and the pair try to escape danger together.

Release date: 2018

Cast:

• Hailee Steinfeld
• John Cena
• Jorge Lendeborg Jr.
• John Ortiz
• Jason Drucker
• Pamela Adlon
• Stephen Schneider
• Len Cariou

Where to Watch

You can stream it on:

• FXNOW
• Fubo
• Paramount+

You can also rent or purchase it from:

• Prime Video
• Google Play
• YouTube
• Apple TV
• Vudu
• Redbox
• DirecTV
• Flix Fling
• Microsoft

---

2. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Rise of the Beasts is the second entry in the rebooted live-action timeline and takes place in 1994. It sits in a category of its own — many call it a sequel, a prequel, and something of a franchise reboot. Starring Anthony Ramos rather than Hailee Steinfeld, it can stand on its own for viewers seeing it as their first Transformers film.

Movie summary: The Autobots must team up with a new faction of Transformers called the Maximals, who can transform into animal-type forms. Together, they must face the planet destroyer Unicron.

Release date: 2023

Cast:

• Michelle Yeoh
• Pete Davidson
• Ron Perlman
• Peter Dinklage
• Peter Cullen
• Anthony Ramos
• Dominique Fishback
• Colman Domingo

Where to Watch

You can rent or purchase it from Prime Video.

---

3. The Transformers: The Movie (1986 — Separate G1 Animated Continuity)

This one isn’t technically part of the modern Transformers movie franchise, but it is the first Transformers theatrical film, which makes it noteworthy on its own. This animated offering came after the original cartoon series, debuting in 1986, but its story takes place in 2005. It belongs to the classic G1 animated continuity and is entirely separate from the live-action films — think of it as an optional companion watch for fans who want the complete picture.

Movie summary: Optimus Prime and the Autobots are fighting to defend Cybertron from an aggressive Decepticon invasion. On top of this, they must also contend with Unicron, an enormous planet-devouring Transformer the likes of which they’ve never faced before.

Release date: 1986

Cast:

There are some notable names in this one. As a piece of trivia, this was Orson Welles’ last role — he recorded his lines shortly before his death.

• Orson Welles
• Robert Stack
• Leonard Nimoy
• Judd Nelson
• Peter Cullen

Where to Watch

You can rent or purchase it on:

• Google Play
• YouTube
• Redbox
• Vudu
• Apple TV

---

4. Transformers

This is the most well-known of all the Transformers movies. You can find it on the Transformers IMDb page. If you’re not familiar with the franchise, it’s an excellent place to start, as it’s the first installment of the live-action films. It still holds the highest rating of the entire franchise, beating out newer entries like Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts. It helped launch the careers of Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf, and kicked off the broader Transformers saga. When fans ask how many Transformer movies there are in the Bayverse, this is where it all began.

Movie summary: Taking place in 2007, teenager Sam buys his first car, not realizing it is actually an alien robot in disguise. Other Autobots have also arrived on Earth, searching for the Allspark — a powerful Cybertronian artifact that the Decepticons are also hunting. The safety of the world is at stake as the Decepticons will do anything to seize the artifact’s power.

Release date: 2007

Cast:

• Peter Cullen
• Mark Ryan
• Hugo Weaving
• Shia LaBeouf
• Josh Duhamel
• Megan Fox
• Tyrese Gibson
• Rachael Taylor
• Anthony Anderson
• John Turturro
• Jon Voight

Where to Watch

You can stream it on:

• DirecTV
• TNT
• TBS
• truTV

You can rent or purchase it on:

• Microsoft
• Amazon / Prime Video
• Apple TV
• Google Play
• YouTube
• Vudu
• Redbox
• DirecTV
• Spectrum

---

5. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

A direct sequel to Transformers, this film takes place in 2009 and features much of the same cast. It was not as well received as its predecessor, though it performed well enough at the box office to help sustain the franchise.

Movie summary: Sam, the human teenager from the previous film, has started having visions of Cybertronian symbols, which causes the Decepticons to hunt him down. An ancient Decepticon known as “The Fallen” seeks revenge on Earth by locating a machine capable of destroying the planet and harnessing the Sun’s energy to power it. The alien glyphs that Sam is seeing hold the key to finding that machine — making him the most important and most endangered person on Earth.

Release date: 2009

Whether you’re a lifelong fan revisiting the series or a newcomer working through the timeline for the first time, watching the Transformers films in chronological order gives you a clearer sense of how the various characters and factions evolved — even across the franchise’s separate continuities.