Release OrderRecommended
0 / 23 watchedEvery series and film in the order it actually came out, with the shows and movies interleaved by year.
- 1 The Transformers (Generation 1) The original cartoon, 98 episodes through 1987.
- 2 The Transformers: The Movie Set in 2005, between the show's seasons.
- 3 Beast Wars: Transformers New characters on prehistoric Earth, as a sequel to Generation 1.
- 4 Beast Machines: Transformers 26 episodes, directly continuing Beast Wars.
- 5 Transformers: Armada First leg of the Unicron Trilogy.
- 6 Transformers: Energon Middle leg of the Unicron Trilogy.
- 7 Transformers: Cybertron Wraps the Unicron Trilogy.
- 8 Transformers First live-action film, start of its own continuity.
- 9 Transformers Animated Premiered December 2007, 42 episodes.
- 10 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
- 11 Transformers Prime 65 episodes; the story closes with the Predacons Rising TV movie in 2013.
- 12 Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- 13 Transformers: Age of Extinction
- 14 Transformers: Robots in Disguise Follow-up to Prime, 78 episodes.
- 15 Transformers: The Last Knight
- 16 Transformers: Cyberverse 64 episodes, concluded in 2021.
- 17 Bumblebee Standalone prequel to the 2007 film.
- 18 Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy Siege, Earthrise and Kingdom, 18 episodes on Netflix.
- 19 Transformers: EarthSpark 46 episodes; the series finale aired December 5, 2025.
- 20 Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
- 21 Transformers One Animated prequel about Orion Pax and Megatron.
- 22 Transformers / G.I. Joe crossover film In development; a producer said in April 2026 it is not the next film up, and no date has been set.
- 23 Energon Universe animated series Announced October 2025, based on the comics continuity; no release window.
Chronological Order
0 / 23 watchedThe in-universe timeline, grouped by continuity. Only the Generation 1 branch and the live-action films actually reorder; the standalone series are listed in release order because each is its own timeline.
Generation 1 continuity
- 1 The Transformers (Generation 1)
- 2 The Transformers: The Movie Opens in 2005; seasons 3 and 4 continue from it.
- 3 Beast Wars: Transformers Set centuries after Generation 1.
- 4 Beast Machines: Transformers Picks up where Beast Wars ends.
Live-action films
- 5 Bumblebee Set in 1987, before every other film in this branch.
- 6 Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Set in 1994.
- 7 Transformers
- 8 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
- 9 Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- 10 Transformers: Age of Extinction
- 11 Transformers: The Last Knight
Standalone continuities
- 12 Transformers One Ancient Cybertron, in its own continuity.
- 13 Transformers: Armada
- 14 Transformers: Energon
- 15 Transformers: Cybertron
- 16 Transformers Animated
- 17 Transformers Prime
- 18 Transformers: Robots in Disguise
- 19 Transformers: Cyberverse
- 20 Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy
- 21 Transformers: EarthSpark
Announced, undated
- 22 Transformers / G.I. Joe crossover film Continuity not yet stated.
- 23 Energon Universe animated series Will follow the comics continuity, not any show above.
About Transformers
Transformers has never been one story. The 1984 Generation 1 cartoon and the Beast Wars shows that followed it share a timeline, the live-action films and the Bumblebee prequel form a second one, and nearly every modern series (Armada, Animated, Prime, Cyberverse, EarthSpark) is a continuity of its own with no obligation to the others. There is no single chronology that covers all of it, which is why this guide leads with release order: it is the only sequence that treats every branch equally.
Two things genuinely move when you sort by story instead. The live-action films begin with Bumblebee, set in 1987, well before the 2007 film. Beast Wars is a Generation 1 sequel, not the nineties show its era suggests.
Good to know
The current run of shows has ended: EarthSpark's final two episodes arrived December 5, 2025, and War for Cybertron wrapped in 2021. The Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover film has a producer but no date, and the Energon Universe animated series announced in October 2025 has no release window. The 2025 YouTube shorts Transformers One: New Adventures sit outside the canon.
