The Alien franchise is one of the longest-running and scariest science fiction franchises in movie history, but it's not alone in this tone and popularity. Right alongside it are the Predator films, which are similar combinations of sci-fi and horror. This culminated in the Alien vs. Predator crossover series, which ranged from comic books to video games and, of course, movies.

This means that fans wanting to get the "entire" story will have to watch both series' of movies. At the same time, the continuity of these films isn't as cut and dry as true shared universes such as the Marvel Universe. This makes watching the Alien vs. Predator movies "in order" something of a misnomer.

The Alien Series Begins With the Opening of Prometheus

The continuity of the Alien movies begins with the film Prometheus, which showcased the origins of the Xenomorph species. The film itself mostly takes place in 2093, with several tie-in prequel shorts taking place 10, four and two years prior to the main story. Before Prometheus skips to the present day, however, it begins with a short scene involving an "Engineer" on Earth. The extraterrestrial is shown ingesting a strange black liquid and seemingly dying as it disintegrates and falls into a waterfall below. This sequence is supposed to take place thousands of years before the rest of Prometheus, and thus, the rest of the series. Due to how short it is and when the rest of the story is set, however, it's best to watch it at a later day.

Prey Is a Prequel to the Predator Series

Released in 2022, Prey is a prequel to the classic Predator films, as hinted at by its title. The protagonist is Naru, a Comanche Native whose tribe becomes an early victim of the alien hunter known as the Predator. This is along with threats from European traders, with Naru having to contend with danger on all sides. The movie takes place in 1719, long before the rest of the franchise. Barring the slight introduction seen in Prometheus, it's thus the first chronological movie in the Alien vs. Predator overarching franchise.

The Original Predator Duology Far Precedes Alien

The original Predator from 1987 took place in the same year as when it was released, and it featured a group of highly-trained military mercenaries who come face-to-face with an extraterrestrial killer who hunts them down in the jungles of Central America. Since it takes place in the 1980s, it's far removed from the events of Prometheus or even Prey. Fittingly, it doesn't have any narrative ties that are picked up on or hinted at in those movies, and even its connection to its sequel is nebulous.

Even though Predator 2 was released in 1990, it was set 10 years after the original. This put it in the "futuristic" time period of 1997, where a combination of a heat wave and gang tensions made things particularly fiery in Los Angeles. They get even worse when a Predator comes to begin hunting down humans for sport. The film briefly mentions the events of the first Predator by noting that the alien creatures have appeared during historical armed conflicts, including an incident in Central America a decade prior. This is the extent of the connection between the films, but a cameo involving the Predator's ship and trophies introduces the idea that the creature and his species have faced the Xenomorphs before.

The Alien vs Predator Movies are the "Middle" of the Joint Franchise

Predator 2 made the concept of the Alien vs. Predator crossover franchise into a viable idea, and it was quickly used in video games and comic books. Despite plans to put the franchises together on the big screen, however, these didn't culminate until 2004 with the release of the Alien vs. Predator movie. This film was also set in 2004 and built upon an ancient conflict between the two varieties of extraterrestrials, with human scientists the unfortunate victims of them both. Given that it was set in the present day instead of the far-flung future, however, it was far closer in scope and timeframe to the Predator films than Alien.

Alien vs. Predator: Requiem came out in 2007, but it took place right after the events of its predecessor. It also tried to tie the two franchises together more closely than ever by noting how the space travel technology used by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation was based on the technology of the Predator species. Both of the Alien vs. Predator movies were largely received poorly by fans and critics alike, and they also present something of a one-way street in terms of continuity.

The Predator and Predators Were Long-Awaited Sequels

Released and set in 2018, The Predator was a sequel to the Predator series that seemingly took place long after the other entries in the series. It took the concept of the Predators in a new direction, with various factions of the aliens hunting on Earth at the same time. The movie actually has slight story ties to the second movie in the series through the character of Sean Keyes. The character is the son of Gary Busey's Peter Keyes from Predator 2, with the character even portrayed by Jake Busey (Gary Busey's son). Other interesting elements included a Xenomorph tail and plans to feature Ripley and Newt from the Alien franchise.

The 2010 movie Predators has a somewhat amorphous place in the timeline, though most fans agree that it's at least set after Predator 2. The ragtag group of humans were, for once, not on Earth, but instead on a planet where Predators hunted them. The technology of the movie isn't particularly advanced, suggesting that it takes place in the year of its release (2010). At the same time, Shane Black (who was an actor in the original Predator and directed The Predator) stated that The Predator took place before the events of Predators. Even with this information, how far ahead that film took place in the timeline is unknown.

Prometheus and Alien: Covenant Were the Cut-Off Points for the Alien vs. Predator Series

Watching the Alien vs. Predator series in order becomes a lot more complicated due to the movie Prometheus. While its opening is set in what's likely the distant, ancient past on Earth, the rest of the movie is set in 2093. This is several years before the main Alien series, but long after the Predator movies. It also establishes that the Xenomorph species as viewers know it didn't begin to exist until after the movie's events. Thus, the Alien vs. Predator movies are non-canon to the actual Alien films and their story, as envisioned by Ridley Scott.

This is cemented in the sequel, Alien: Covenant, which took place 11 years later, in 2104. There, the true version of the Xenomorphs came about, making the species one of the deadliest forms of life in the galaxy. Given what this means for the other films, Prometheus and its follow-up really aren't in the "Alien vs. Predator" universe due to contradicting their history of the Xenomorphs. At the same time, it can be argued that the other Alien movies exist in a pocket continuity that is in the same timeline as the Predator and Alien vs. Predator movies. Conversely, Predator does treat the Alien vs. Predator movies as canon.

Alien and Its Sequel are Set Long After Predator