Watch the live-action Transformers films in release order from Transformers (2007). Bumblebee (2018) and Rise of the Beasts (2023) are prequels set in 1987 and 1994, so story order starts with them. Transformers One and the 1986 animated movie are separate continuities.
- Titles
- 9
- Films
- 9
- Watch time
- 20 hours
- Box office
- $5.43 billion
- Avg IMDb
- 6.4
Transformers movies in release order
Here is every Transformers title in the order it came out, 1986 to 2024: 9 films. Optional entries are marked; you can skip them on a first watch.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Transformers: The Movie optional | 1986 | Film | 1h 25m | 7.2 |
| 2 | Transformers | 2007 | Film | 2h 24m | 7.1 |
| 3 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | 2009 | Film | 2h 30m | 6 |
| 4 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon | 2011 | Film | 2h 34m | 6.2 |
| 5 | Transformers: Age of Extinction | 2014 | Film | 2h 45m | 5.6 |
| 6 | Transformers: The Last Knight | 2017 | Film | 2h 34m | 5.2 |
| 7 | Bumblebee | 2018 | Film | 1h 54m | 6.7 |
| 8 | Transformers: Rise of the Beasts | 2023 | Film | 2h 7m | 6 |
| 9 | Transformers One optional | 2024 | Film | 1h 44m | 7.6 |
Transformers timeline: movies in chronological order
The same titles in story order, by when they take place, with the year or era each one is set in.
| # | Title | Set in | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bumblebee | 1987 | 2018 |
| 2 | Transformers: Rise of the Beasts | 1994 | 2023 |
| 3 | Transformers | 2007 | 2007 |
| 4 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | 2009 | 2009 |
| 5 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon | 2011 | 2011 |
| 6 | Transformers: Age of Extinction | Five years later | 2014 |
| 7 | Transformers: The Last Knight | 2017 | 2017 |
| 8 | Transformers One | Cybertron | 2024 |
| 9 | The Transformers: The Movie | 2005 | 1986 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
Release order and story order disagree on 9 titles here. In release order you start with The Transformers: The Movie (1986); in story order you start with Bumblebee, set in 1987, which came out 32 years later.
First time through, watch in release order. That is how the twists, returning characters and callbacks were built to land, and later entries assume you have seen the earlier ones. On a rewatch, try story order. It turns Transformers into one continuous story and makes the prequels play as setup instead of backstory.
Transformers also runs 2 separate continuities: Transformers One and Generation 1. Each has its own line on the timeline, so you can watch them on their own without breaking the main story.
Where to start
Start with Transformers and go in release order, skipping the 2 optional titles on the first pass.
The essentials are 7 titles and about 17 hours, 16% less than the full run.
The three highest rated: Transformers One (7.6), The Transformers: The Movie (7.2), and Transformers (7.1).
Every Transformers movie, explained
One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.
No. 01 · 1986 · Film · 1h 25m · 9th in story order · optional
The Transformers: The Movie
The Autobots must stop a colossal planet-consuming robot who goes after the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. At the same time, they must defend themselves against an all-out attack from the Decepticons.
Why it matters: The original animated film; its own continuity.
- Starring
- Judd Nelson, Peter Cullen, and Frank Welker
- Director
- Nelson Shin
- Box office
- $10 million on a $6 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 64%
No. 02 · 2007 · Film · 2h 24m · 3rd in story order
Transformers
Young teenager Sam Witwicky becomes involved in the ancient struggle between two extraterrestrial factions of transforming robots – the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. Sam holds the clue to unimaginable power and the Decepticons will stop at nothing to retrieve it.
Why it matters: Michael Bay's first film.
- Starring
- Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, and Mark Ryan
- Director
- Michael Bay
- Box office
- $710 million on a $150 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.1 · Rotten Tomatoes 57%
No. 03 · 2009 · Film · 2h 30m · 4th in story order
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Sam Witwicky leaves the Autobots behind for a normal life. But when his mind is filled with cryptic symbols, the Decepticons target him and he is dragged back into the Transformers' war.
Why it matters: The second Bay film.
- Starring
- Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, and Peter Cullen
- Director
- Michael Bay
- Box office
- $836 million on a $200 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6 · Rotten Tomatoes 19%
No. 04 · 2011 · Film · 2h 34m · 5th in story order
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
The Autobots continue to work for NEST, now no longer in secret. But after discovering a strange artifact during a mission in Chernobyl, it becomes apparent to Optimus Prime that the United States government has been less than forthright with them.
Why it matters: Ends Sam Witwicky's trilogy.
- Starring
- Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Peter Cullen
- Director
- Michael Bay
- Box office
- $1.12 billion on a $195 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 35%
No. 05 · 2014 · Film · 2h 45m · 6th in story order
Transformers: Age of Extinction
As humanity picks up the pieces after the battle of Chicago, a shadowy group reveals itself in an attempt to control the direction of history…while an ancient, powerful new menace sets Earth in its crosshairs. With help from Cade Yeager, Optimus Prime and the Autobots rise to meet their most fearsome challenge yet.
Why it matters: A new human lead, Cade Yeager.
- Starring
- Mark Wahlberg, Peter Cullen, and Stanley Tucci
- Director
- Michael Bay
- Box office
- $1.11 billion on a $210 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 18%
No. 06 · 2017 · Film · 2h 34m · 7th in story order
Transformers: The Last Knight
Humans and Transformers are at war. Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving our future lies buried in the secrets of the past, in the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Saving our world falls upon the shoulders of an unlikely alliance: Cade Yeager; Bumblebee; an English Lord; and an Oxford Professor.
Why it matters: Bay's last Transformers film.
- Starring
- Mark Wahlberg, Laura Haddock, and Peter Cullen
- Director
- Michael Bay
- Box office
- $605 million on a $217 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 16%
No. 07 · 2018 · Film · 1h 54m · 1st in story order
Bumblebee
On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie, on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary yellow VW bug.
Why it matters: A 1987 prequel; works on its own.
- Starring
- Dylan O'Brien, Hailee Steinfeld, and John Cena
- Director
- Travis Knight
- Box office
- $468 million on a $135 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.7 · Rotten Tomatoes 91%
No. 08 · 2023 · Film · 2h 7m · 2nd in story order
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
When a new threat capable of destroying the entire planet emerges, Optimus Prime and the Autobots must team up with a powerful faction known as the Maximals. With the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, humans Noah and Elena will do whatever it takes to help the Transformers as they engage in the ultimate battle to save Earth.
Why it matters: Set in 1994, after Bumblebee.
- Starring
- Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, and Peter Cullen
- Director
- Steven Caple Jr.
- Box office
- $441 million on a $195 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6 · Rotten Tomatoes 51%
No. 09 · 2024 · Film · 1h 44m · 8th in story order · optional
Transformers One
The untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron, better known as sworn enemies, but once were friends bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever.
Why it matters: An animated origin of Optimus and Megatron on Cybertron; its own continuity.
- Starring
- Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, and Scarlett Johansson
- Director
- Josh Cooley
- Box office
- $129 million on a $75 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 89%
Transformers box office and budgets
The 9 Transformers films with reported numbers have grossed $5.43 billion worldwide on about $1.38 billion in combined budgets, roughly 3.9 times what they cost. The biggest is Transformers: Dark of the Moon at $1.12 billion, 21% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by Transformers: Age of Extinction ($1.11 billion) and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($836 million).
Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which made 5.8 times its $195 million budget. The weakest was The Transformers: The Movie at 1.7 times its $6 million budget. As a rule of thumb, a film needs about two and a half times its budget at the box office to cover marketing and the theaters' cut.
The best and worst rated Transformers movies
Across 9 rated titles, Transformers averages 6.4 on IMDb. The top of the list is Transformers One at 7.6, then The Transformers: The Movie (7.2) and Transformers (7.1). At the bottom: Transformers: The Last Knight (5.2) and Transformers: Age of Extinction (5.6). Money and quality don't line up perfectly: the highest grosser, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, is only the 5th best rated.
- Transformers One7.6 · RT 89%
- The Transformers: The Movie7.2 · RT 64%
- Transformers7.1 · RT 57%
- Bumblebee6.7 · RT 91%
- Transformers: Dark of the Moon6.2 · RT 35%
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen6 · RT 19%
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts6 · RT 51%
- Transformers: Age of Extinction5.6 · RT 18%
- Transformers: The Last Knight5.2 · RT 16%
Who appears in the most Transformers movies
Peter Cullen leads with 8 appearances as Optimus Prime and Ironhide, ahead of Josh Duhamel (4) and Shia LaBeouf (3). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Cullen | Optimus Prime / Ironhide | 8 | The Transformers: The Movie (1986) to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) |
| Josh Duhamel | Captain Lennox / Major Lennox | 4 | Transformers (2007) to Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) |
| Shia LaBeouf | Sam Witwicky | 3 | Transformers (2007) to Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) |
| Hugo Weaving | Megatron | 3 | Transformers (2007) to Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) |
| Tyrese Gibson | USAF Tech Sergeant Epps / USAF Chief Master Sergeant Epps | 3 | Transformers (2007) to Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) |
| John Turturro | Agent Simmons / Simmons | 3 | Transformers (2007) to Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) |
| Frank Welker | Soundwave / Megatron | 2 | The Transformers: The Movie (1986) to Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) |
| Leonard Nimoy | Galvatron / Sentinel Prime | 2 | The Transformers: The Movie (1986) to Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) |
| Megan Fox | Mikaela Banes | 2 | Transformers (2007) to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) |
| Kevin Dunn | Ron Witwicky | 2 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) to Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) |
| Mark Wahlberg | Cade Yeager | 2 | Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) to Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) |
| Stanley Tucci | Joshua Joyce / Merlin | 2 | Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) to Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) |
Transformers directors and creators
5 filmmakers have directed or created Transformers; Michael Bay has the most, with 5.
- Michael BayTransformers (2007), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), and Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
- Nelson ShinThe Transformers: The Movie (1986)
- Travis KnightBumblebee (2018)
- Steven Caple Jr.Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
- Josh CooleyTransformers One (2024)
How long it takes to watch every Transformers movie
All 9 titles add up to 20 hours. That is about 10 two-hour evenings, or 2 days of ten-hour binges. The essentials cut it to 17 hours. The longest film is Transformers: Age of Extinction at 2h 45m.
The 4 best rated films: Transformers One, The Transformers: The Movie, Transformers, and Bumblebee.
Everything takes about 3 weeks; the essentials about 3 weeks.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Which Transformers movies can you skip?
2 titles can go without losing the main story. They are side stories, spin-offs or entries the later films ignore. Dropping them saves 3 hours.
- Transformers One2024 · Film · 1h 44m · optionalAn animated origin of Optimus and Megatron on Cybertron; its own continuity.
- The Transformers: The Movie1986 · Film · 1h 25m · optionalThe original animated film; its own continuity.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Transformers movies in?
Watch the live-action Transformers films in release order from Transformers (2007). Bumblebee (2018) and Rise of the Beasts (2023) are prequels set in 1987 and 1994, so story order starts with them. Transformers One and the 1986 animated movie are separate continuities.
How many Transformers movies and shows are there?
There are 9 titles in the Transformers franchise: 9 films and 0 series, released from 1986 to 2024.
How long does it take to watch all the Transformers movies?
About 20 hours for all 9 titles, counting every episode. The essentials only (7 titles) take about 17 hours.
What is the first Transformers title in chronological order?
Bumblebee, set in 1987. In release order the first is The Transformers: The Movie (1986).
Which Transformers titles can I skip?
Transformers One and The Transformers: The Movie. They are spin-offs, side stories or non-canon entries; the main story holds without them.
What is the best Transformers movie?
By IMDb score, Transformers One (2024) at 7.6, followed by The Transformers: The Movie at 7.2.
What is the highest-grossing Transformers movie?
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), with $1.12 billion worldwide. Transformers films have made $5.43 billion in total.
Who has appeared in the most Transformers movies?
Peter Cullen, in 8 of them as Optimus Prime.
What is the longest Transformers movie?
Transformers: Age of Extinction, at 2h 45m.
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