Watch the “Transformers” films in release order: “Transformers” (2007), “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (2009), “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (2011), “Transformers: Age of Extinction” (2014), “Transformers: The Last Knight” (2017), “Bumblebee” (2018), “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (2023) and the animated “Transformers One” (2024). By story, the order is different: “Transformers One” is set on Cybertron, “Bumblebee” takes place in 1987, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” in 1994, and Michael Bay’s films are set in the present day.
Below you will find US release dates, directors and running times, a spoiler-free plot summary, two viewing orders, and an answer to whether all the films share one storyline. The details were checked against Paramount’s official pages and Wikipedia (Russian and English) as of October 17, 2026. Titles are given in English, the way the studio and Wikipedia name them.
All “Transformers” Films in Release Order
| Film | US release | Director | Running time, min |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Transformers” | July 3, 2007 | Michael Bay | 144 |
| “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” | June 24, 2009 | Michael Bay | 150 |
| “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” | June 29, 2011 | Michael Bay | 157 |
| “Transformers: Age of Extinction” | June 27, 2014 | Michael Bay | 165 |
| “Transformers: The Last Knight” | June 21, 2017 | Michael Bay | 154 |
| “Bumblebee” | December 21, 2018 | Travis Knight | 113 |
| “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” | June 9, 2023 | Steven Caple Jr. | 127 |
| “Transformers One” (animated) | September 20, 2024 | Josh Cooley | 104 |
Seven of the eight films are live-action; “Transformers One” is a feature-length animated film. Michael Bay directed the first five films, and directors changed after that. Paramount Pictures released all the films; the first two were distributed together with DreamWorks Pictures.
Story Timeline: What Comes Before What
In story time the order is different. “Transformers One” is an animated prequel: Paramount calls it the origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron. “Bumblebee” is set in 1987, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” in 1994, and Michael Bay’s films take place in the present day.
“Transformers One”
Cybertron: the story of Optimus Prime and Megatron before their feud
“Bumblebee”
1987: Bumblebee arrives on Earth and meets Charlie
“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”
1994: Autobots and Maximals
“Transformers”
Sam Witwicky and Bumblebee against the Decepticons
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
The war goes on, and Sam learns the ancient history of the Transformers
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
A battle over technology left on the Moon
“Transformers: Age of Extinction”
The story takes place five years after the third film
“Transformers: The Last Knight”
A continuation of “Transformers: Age of Extinction”
Sources describe the link between “Bumblebee” and “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” and Michael Bay’s films differently. Russian Wikipedia calls “Bumblebee” the start of the series’ reboot, while English Wikipedia counts it as the sixth film in the series. “Bumblebee” has only one direct sequel, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” which Wikipedia calls a sequel.
What Each Film Is About, Spoiler-Free
“Transformers” (2007)
Original title: Transformers. Teenager Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) teams up with the robot Bumblebee to protect a key to the fate of Earth while the Autobots and Decepticons fight each other. Michael Bay directed the film, and Steven Spielberg was executive producer.
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (2009)
Original title: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The Autobots and Decepticons keep fighting, and Sam, after learning the ancient history of the Transformers, is once again at the center of events. Megan Fox plays Mikaela Banes. This is the last film in the series distributed by DreamWorks Pictures.
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (2011)
Original title: Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Optimus Prime and Sam lead the Autobots against Megatron and the Decepticons, who are fighting over technology left on the Moon. The film was shot in 3D; Rosie Huntington-Whiteley joined the cast as Carly.
“Transformers: Age of Extinction” (2014)
Original title: Transformers: Age of Extinction. The story takes place five years after the third film, and Shia LaBeouf does not appear in it. The main character is Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg), and his daughter Tessa is played by Nicola Peltz. According to English Wikipedia, the film grossed more than a billion dollars and became the highest-grossing film of 2014.
“Transformers: The Last Knight” (2017)
Original title: Transformers: The Last Knight. A sequel to “Transformers: Age of Extinction”: Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) and a British professor played by Anthony Hopkins try to stop a Cybertronian sorceress and Unicron. This is the fifth and last film directed by Michael Bay; in the following films he stays on as a producer.
“Bumblebee” (2018)
Original title: Bumblebee. The story takes place in 1987: after the fall of his home planet, the Autobot Bumblebee goes to protect Earth, and teenager Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld) repairs him. Together they stand against the Decepticons and a secret agency. Directed by Travis Knight; the screenplay is by Christina Hodson. Wikipedia notes that the film received positive reviews, while the other parts received mostly negative or mixed ones.
“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (2023)
Original title: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. The story takes place in 1994 in Brooklyn: former military electronics expert Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) and museum intern Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) help the Autobots and Maximals protect an ancient artifact. The film is a sequel to “Bumblebee” and also an adaptation of the Beast Wars line.
“Transformers One” (2024)
Original title: Transformers One. Josh Cooley’s animated film about Cybertron: miner Orion Pax, the future Optimus Prime, sneaks into an archive to learn about the first Cybertronians and escapes the guards with the help of his best friend. The voice cast includes Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key and others. Paramount calls the film the origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron.
How to Watch in Order
Newcomers should go with release order: that way you meet the characters in the same order that audiences first did. “Bumblebee” and “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” stand apart in tone and characters, but it is better to watch them back to back, since the second film continues the first. Story order works well for a rewatch.
| Release order | Story order |
|---|---|
| 1. “Transformers” (2007) | 1. “Transformers One” (2024) |
| 2. “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (2009) | 2. “Bumblebee” (2018) |
| 3. “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (2011) | 3. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (2023) |
| 4. “Transformers: Age of Extinction” (2014) | 4. “Transformers” (2007) |
| 5. “Transformers: The Last Knight” (2017) | 5. “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (2009) |
| 6. “Bumblebee” (2018) | 6. “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (2011) |
| 7. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (2023) | 7. “Transformers: Age of Extinction” (2014) |
| 8. “Transformers One” (2024) | 8. “Transformers: The Last Knight” (2017) |
How Long the Marathon Takes and What to Watch If Time Is Short
All eight films together run 1,114 minutes, about 18.6 hours (according to Paramount). The shortest are “Transformers One” (104 minutes) and “Bumblebee” (113), and the longest is “Transformers: Age of Extinction” (165 minutes).
If you need to pick one or two films, go by reviews: according to Wikipedia, critics gave positive reviews to “Bumblebee” and “Transformers One,” while the rest mostly received negative or mixed reviews. Both films can be watched apart from Bay’s films.
If you like watching films in order, we have similar guides: all Fast & Furious films, all Spider-Man films and the Star Wars viewing order.
Sources and methodology
Analysis of public sourcesChecked 17 October 2026
- Paramount — Transformers (official film page) paramount.com
- Paramount — Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (official page) paramount.com
- Paramount — Transformers One (official page) paramount.com
- Wikipedia (Russian) — Transformers (film series) ru.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia — Transformers (film series) en.wikipedia.org
Frequently Asked Questions
In what order should you watch the “Transformers” films?
Newcomers should go in release order, starting with the 2007 film. By story, the order is “Transformers One,” “Bumblebee,” “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” then Michael Bay’s films from 2007 to 2017.
How many “Transformers” films are there?
Eight: seven live-action films (five films by Michael Bay, “Bumblebee” and “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”) and the animated “Transformers One” from 2024.
Do I need to watch “Bumblebee” before “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”?
Yes, it is better to: “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” is a sequel to “Bumblebee.” The first film is set in 1987, the second in 1994.
Do I need to watch the animated “Transformers One”?
You don’t need it to understand the other films. It is a separate animated story about Cybertron, which Paramount calls the origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron.
When will the next “Transformers” film come out?
No date has been announced.
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