Transformers has repeatedly reinvented its robots, their origins and their arrival on Earth. That is why putting every film into one historical list creates contradictions. Separate the different screen versions first, then follow the story within each one.
Choose what to watch
Choose order
Release order
Release order
- The Transformers / Generation 1
- The Transformers: The Movie
animated, connected to the original television series — Animated Film
- Beast Wars: Transformers
- Beast Machines
- Transformers: Robots in Disguise
TV series; separate continuity
- Transformers: Armada
- Transformers: Energon
- Transformers: Cybertron
- Transformers
- Transformers: Animated
TV series; separate continuity
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
- Transformers: Prime
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- Transformers: Age of Extinction
- Transformers: Robots in Disguise
- Transformers: The Last Knight
- Bumblebee
- Transformers: Cyberverse
TV series; separate continuity
- Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy
TV series; separate continuity
- Transformers: EarthSpark
TV series; separate continuity
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
- Transformers One
animated origin story — Animated Film
- Transformers: Cyberworld
TV series; separate continuity
Story order: Michael Bay’s five-film series
This is also their release order. Ancient-history sequences and other flashbacks explain backstory; they do not move The Last Knight to the beginning of the marathon.
- Transformers
- Revenge of the Fallen
- Dark of the Moon
- Age of Extinction
- The Last Knight
Story order: Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts
- Bumblebee
(2018 • Film) — set in 1987
- Rise of the Beasts
(2023 • Film) — set in 1994
Story order: Generation 1 and Beast Era TV
This classic animated branch continues through the Beast Era. The 1986 animated film belongs between the early and later Generation 1 seasons.
- The Transformers / Generation 1
TV series; seasons 1–2
- The Transformers: The Movie
Animated Film
- The Transformers / Generation 1
TV series; later seasons
- Beast Wars: Transformers
- Beast Machines
Story order: separate Transformers TV continuities
These are separate reboots or continuity branches. Follow each branch independently.
These work as a newer continuity. Bumblebee began life as a prequel project, which helps explain conflicting descriptions online, but treating the finished films as a clean lead-in to all five Bay movies creates problems.
- Armada → Energon → Cybertron
TV series; Unicron Trilogy
- Transformers: Prime → Robots in Disguise (2015)
TV series; Aligned continuity
- Transformers: Robots in Disguise
TV series; separate continuity
- Transformers: Animated
TV series; separate continuity
- Transformers: Cyberverse
TV series; separate continuity
- Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy
TV series; separate continuity
- Transformers: EarthSpark
TV series; separate continuity
- Transformers: Cyberworld
TV series; separate continuity
No entries match this selection.
Where do the animated films belong?
Transformers One presents its own version of the relationship between the characters who become Optimus Prime and Megatron. You can watch it independently; it is not a mandatory first chapter of the live-action films.
The Transformers: The Movie belongs to the original Generation 1 cartoon. For that continuity, watch the television series’ first two seasons, then the 1986 movie, then season 3. It does not bridge Bumblebee and the 2007 film.
Peppermoon’s recommendation
Start with Bumblebee for a character-focused introduction, followed by Rise of the Beasts. Choose Transformers (2007) if you want to begin the five-film action saga. Transformers One is another accessible starting point, provided you treat it as its own version of the mythology.
Sources: Transformers continuity and viewing guide (https://www.space.com/transformer-movies-in-order); Film release catalogue (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers_(film_series)); Rise of the Beasts setting (https://ew.com/movies/transformers-rise-of-the-beasts-everything-we-know/).