How to WatchTransformersMovies in Order (Chronologically and by Release Date)

Mar. 15, 2025

‘Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen’.Photo:Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

Transformers started off as a Hasbro toy line launched in 1984, with the idea was that the toys all had parts and pieces that could be shifted and rearranged to create another toy.

For the next few decades, Transformers continued receiving new cartoon adaptations and straight-to-video movies, but in 2007,Michael Bayrevived the franchise with his live-actionTransformersmovie. The original film was a massive hit, and after grossing more than $709 million at the box office, a sequel soon followed. Since then, there’s been a total of eightTransformersmovies, with more on the way.

Watching the films chronologically can be a bit confusing since two of the newest movies — 2018’sBumblebeeand 2023’sTransformers: Rise of the Beasts— don’t follow continuity and now serve both as prequelsandreboots.

Bumblebeeused the same Bumblebee Autobot from the Bay films, and in a 2018interview withSlashFilm, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura said there were “20 years” in the timeline betweenBumblebeeand the 2007 original.

Transformers One

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Bumblebee

Paramount Pictures /Courtesy Everett

The sorta-prequel, sorta-rebootBumbleeis set in 1987, taking place before the rest of the live-actionTransformersfilms.

In the movie, a young woman (Hailee Steinfeld) finds an old VW Beetle, not realizing it’s actually the Autobot B-127. The two become friends and she names him Bumblebee. While the Decepticons are in the movie, the main antagonist in the film is the US military, who wants to capture Bumblebee.

WatchBumbleeon Paramount+

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’.Paramount/Everett/Shutterstock

Paramount/Everett/Shutterstock

Joining them is a young, unassuming New Yorker named Noah (Anthony Ramos), who finds himself in the middle of the battle. At the end of the film, Noah is then invited to join the secretive G.I. Joe operation, which opens the doors for the upcomingTransformers/G.I. Joecrossover film.

Bonaventura muddled the waters of chronology whenspeaking toPolygonabout the movie, saying, “For me personally, I think [continuity’s] overblown, because sometimes you miss a great idea.”

The producer continued, “I think one of the things that I find particularly exciting about this movie is, you get to meet Optimus before he’s the character you met in Bay’s films.”

WatchTransformers: Rise of the Beastson Paramount+

Transformers

Megan Fox and Shia Labeouf in ‘Transformers’.Robert Zuckerman/Dreamworks/Kobal/Shutterstock

Robert Zuckerman/Dreamworks/Kobal/Shutterstock

2007’sTransformerswas the first live-action film, but now it sits fourth chronologically. The movie starsShia LaBeoufandMegan Foxas two teenagers in Los Angeles who are swooped up in the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons.

The original movie shows the Autobots landing on Earth and taking their shapes as automobiles, which contradicts the events inRise of the Beasts. The movie was a massive hit, grossing over $709 million at the box office.

WatchTransformerson Paramount+

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Megan Fox and Shia Labeouf in ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’.Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

In 2009,Transformersreceived a sequel withRevenge of the Fallen.

In the film, the Decepticons are out for revenge, and even worse, there’s an even greater evil than Megatron to deal with: The Fallen. The Autobots must stop the Decepticons and The Fallen from gaining more power and destroying Earth.

Revenge of the Fallenwas Fox’s lastTransformersmovie aftershe was fired from the third filmfor having issues with director Michael Bay.

RentTransformers: Revenge of the Fallenon Prime Video

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

InTransformers: Dark of the Moon, it’s revealed that NASA has known about a crashed alien spaceship on the dark side of the moon for decades. It’s then discovered that it’s actually an Autobot ship containing the Sentinel, the former leader of the Autobots predating Optimus Prime.

But the Sentinel has made a deal with the Decepticons, sacrificing Earth to protect their Cybertronian home planet.

WatchTransformers: Dark of the Moonon Paramount+

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Paramount

Age of Extinctionpicks up after Chicago was destroyed inDark of the Moon, during a time when humans now view the robots as dangerous. A secret military agency has also been created to destroy every Cybertronian, so the Autobots must fight off Decepticonsandthe military to survive.

Earning over $1.1 billion at the box office,Age of Extinctionwas the highest-grossing movie of 2014.

WatchTransformers: Age of Extinctionon Paramount+

Transformers: The Last Knight

Paramount Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock

The last film chronologically is 2017’sThe Last Knight. In the movie, Optimus Prime is brainwashed into becoming a villain and a furious battle ensues for Merlin’s Staff, with the Autobots and Dinobots competing against the Decepticons and military who are competing against Optimus Prime.

After the previous film dominated the 2014 box office, many consideredThe Last Knightto be a thinly plotted, hollow film that jumped the shark. The movie earned just a little over $605 million, making it the lowest-grossingTransformersmovie at the time of its release.

WatchTransformers: The Last Knighton Paramount+

source: people.com