Key Points
The Transformers film franchise spans four decades, with multiple animated and live-action entries.
The first entry, 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie, was born out of the animated series that started it all.
Stars such as Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Mark Wahlberg, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Orson Welles have led Transformers films.
The Transformers began in 1984 as both a toy and a TV show from Hasbro about two robot divisions, the Autobots and Decepticons, engaged in a never-ending struggle for power. Decepticons set out to conquer planets outside their home world of Cybertron, while the Autobots are sworn to protect Earth.
So far, there have been nine Transformers movies throughout the franchise’s 40-year run. There’s the beloved original born from the animated series (The Transformers: The Movie); the Michael Bay helmed live-action series, nicknamed Bayformers (Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Transformers: Age of Extinction, and Transformers: The Last Knight); the reboot period pieces (Bumblebee, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts); and 2024’s Transformers One, another animated entry.
The series requires more than just “the touch” to follow, especially for newcomers curious about the bot-beef between Optimus Prime and Megatron. Below, we’ve shared how to watch each film in chronological order and by release date. The continuity is more important for certain entries than others, but if you’re keen on learning how to watch the Transformers movies in order, read on.
01 of 09
The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
The death of Optimus Prime in ‘The Transformers: The Movie’
Saturday morning TV made the leap to the silver screen for 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie, the franchise’s first cinematic entry.
Set in 2005, two decades years after the second season of the animated series, the movie sees the Decepticons invading Earth’s Autobot City to the rocking sounds of Stan Bush. During Optimus Prime’s (Peter Cullen) showdown with Megatron (Frank Welker), he bites the Autobot dust.
Amid a deadly war and power struggle, it’s up to Hot Rod (Judd Nelson) and the surviving Autobots to overcome a new threat, Unicron (Orson Welles), the planet-devouring Decepticon that threatens to destroy the Earth.
Where to watch The Transformers: The Movie: Amazon Prime
02 of 09
Transformers (2007)
Everett Collection Optimus Prime in 2007’s ‘Transformers’
Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) purchases his first car, but soon discovers that it’s an alien robot with the power to transform into a warrior. So begins maximalist director Michael Bay’s hold over the franchise. Since his films don’t specify the time in which they’re set, we’ll classify them as unfolding in the years in which they were released — in this case, that’s 2007.
Anyways, back to Sam. Through the car, an Autobot named Bumblebee, Sam finds himself at the center of an intergalactic war between the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (Cullen), and the Decepticons, led by Megatron (Hugo Weaving).
With the help of his crush from school, Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox), and U.S. Army soldiers William Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and Robert Epps (Tyrese Gibson), Sam and the Autobots roll out to find an ancient device called the Allspark and prevent it from getting it into the hands of Megatron.
Where to watch Transformers: Paramount+
03 of 09
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Photo © DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox in ‘Transformers Revenge of the Fallen’
Set in 2009, two years after the Megatron’s defeat, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen finds Sam living a regular life in college.
Meanwhile, the Autobots and humans form a task force called NEST (Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty) to essentially seek and destroy all Decepticons. But when a Deception resurrects Megatron, he goes off to capture Sam, who starts to see visions of ancient Cybertronian symbols that threaten to awaken Megatron’s master, the Fallen (Tony Todd), the first Decepticon of gargantuan stature.
When the Fallen is awakened, Sam must unite with the Autobots and save the world before the Fallen uses a machine to destroy the sun. Yes, the sun.
Where to watch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Paramount+
04 of 09
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Paramount Pictures Sentinel Prime in ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’
In 2011’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon, set two years after the events of the previous film, Optimus Prime and the Autobots discover that humans found a spacecraft from Cybertron hidden on the dark side of the moon.
Here, we meet Sentinel Prime (Leonard Nimoy), Optimus Prime’s mentor and former leader of the Autobots. But Sentinel Prime is a double agent working with Megatron, and they plan to bring Cybertron to Earth. It’s up to Optimus, the army, Sam Witwicky, and his new gal pal Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) to save the world.
Where to watch Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Paramount+
05 of 09
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
ILM/Paramount Pictures Mark Wahlberg in ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’
Transformers: Age of Extinction continues the Bayformers saga while introducing a new cast of heroes and villains. It takes place in 2014, with NEST dissolved and humanity declaring hunting season on Transformers across the world. Forget Autobots or Decepticons, they’re all a threat.
A new CIA black-ops task force, the Cemetery Wind, led by Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer) emerges to put the disguised robots in the grave. A decommissioned Optimus Prime winds up in Texas, in the yard of struggling mechanic and inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) and his teenage daughter, Tessa (Nicola Peltz).
This puts the Yeagers on the radar of the Cemetery Wind, along with a Cybertronian assassin, Lockdown (Mark Ryan), tasked with pursuing Optimus Prime. With Optimus out of hiding, the Yaegers and Tessa’s boyfriend, Shane Dyson (Jack Reynor), must join Optimus and the Autobots on a globetrotting quest to uncover the truth behind the new anti-Transformers status quo and prevent a new Cybertron invasion from happening on Earth.
Also? Dinobots.
Where to watch Transformers: Age of Extinction: Paramount+
06 of 09
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
Paramount Pictures/Bay Films Mark Whalberg in TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT
Three years after the events of Age of Extinction, Optimus Prime is wandering the cosmos in search of the source of his creators on Cybertron in Transformers: The Last Knight.
On Earth, Cade is given a mysterious talisman from an ancient autobot. This leads to another Transformers-fueled adventure, with Cade bringing an Oxford professor, Viviane Wembly (Laura Haddock), and a British historian, Edmund Burton (Anthony Hopkins) along for the ride.
The academics inform Cade that the Transformers have been involved in historical events on Earth for centuries. We literally see Transformers lending a hand to the mythical Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table. It’s crazy.
Anyways, when an imminent threat from Cybertron arrives, Cade and his new allies must unite and save the world again.
Where to watch Transformers: The Last Knight: Paramount+
07 of 09
Bumblebee (2018)
Paramount Pictures Hailee Steinfeld and Bumblebee in ‘Bumblebee’
Released in 2018, Bumblebee serves as both a prequel and a soft reboot of the Transformers franchise. It’s set in 1987, and finds Bumblebee entering his Iron Giant era.
Travis Knight’s action-comedy sets the stage by showing how the Autobots are losing a war to the Decepticons. Optimus Prime sends his comrade, B-127 (Dylan O’Brien), to Earth to await his arrival. He crash lands in California, but after a run-in with the Decepticon Blitzwing (David Sobolov), his voice box and memory core are broken.
B-127 hides out in a junkyard, disguised as a yellow beetle car. Lonely teen Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld) purchases the car for her 18th birthday, and Bumblebee comes to life. Soon, the two form a bond.
Meanwhile, Decepticons Shatter (Angela Bassett) and Dropkick (Justin Theroux) arrive on Earth and convince human Sector 7 agents, led by Jack Burns (John Cena), that Bumblebee is a war criminal. Together, they try to hunt him down.
Where to watch Bumblebee: Paramount+
08 of 09
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
PARAMOUNT Optimus Primal and Optimus Prime in ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’
Steven Caple Jr.’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is set in 1994-era Brooklyn. It centers on Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos), an ex-military operative struggling to support his mom and younger brother.
After stealing a Porsche, Noah learns the car is actually a Transformer, an autobot named Mirage (Pete Davidson). Mirage ferries Noah to the Autobots’ rendezvous point, much to Optimus Prime’s dismay.
This time, the Autobots are up against Terrorcons, a group of Decepticons out to bring the planet-eating entity Unicron (Colman Domingo) to Earth. Yes, that’s the same Unicron voiced by Welles in The Transformers: The Movie.
Noah embarks on a global expedition with the Autobots, collaborating with aspiring archeologist Elena Wallace (Dominque Fishback) and an animal-Transformer hybrid group known as the Maximals, led by Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman).
Where to watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts: Paramount+
09 of 09
Transformers One (2024)
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Keegan-Michael Key (B-127), Scarlett Johansson (Elita-1), Brian Tyree Henry (D-16), and Chris Hemsworth (Orion Pax) in ‘Transformers One’
The latest Transformers film, Josh Cooley’s Transformers One, is set roughly 3 billion years before the rest of the franchise. The animated film chronicles the story of Optimus Prime (Chris Hemsworth) when he was known as Orion Pax and Megatron (Brian Tyree Henry) when he was D-16.
Before they were sworn enemies, they were lowly miners on Cybertron and best pals. Along with bots B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key) and Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson), they discover and awaken an ancient Transformer, which grants them the power to transform. Their newfound power causes a rift in Orion and D-16’s relationship that leads to them becoming enemies.
Where to watch Transformers One: Paramount+
The Transformers movies in order by release date:
The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
The Transformers movies in chronological order:
The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
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