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Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) backdrop
Franchise guide · by Marcus Reyes

Transformers Movies: Every Film in the Franchise

The Transformers movies are 7 live action films plus 2 animated spin-offs, released between 1986 and 2024, and Transformers One (2024) is the newest. Michael Bay directed five of them, and a further film has only reached the writing stage at Paramount and Hasbro, according to TheWrap.

Next Transformers film · date TBC
Image: TMDB

Every Transformers Movie

How many Transformers movies

Transformers Movies List: What the Franchise Covers

The Transformers movies are a franchise of seven main films plus two animated spin-offs, released between 1986 and 2024, about two factions of living robots from the planet Cybertron: the Autobots led by Optimus Prime and the Decepticons led by Megatron. In most of the films their war reaches Earth, and Michael Bay directed five of the seven main films. Here is every film in release order, with its director, budget and worldwide gross according to Box Office Mojo and The Numbers.

Where did the series begin? It began with the 1986 animated film, which opens with the Decepticons conquering Cybertron while Unicron, a planet sized Transformer, revives the broken Megatron as Galvatron. Judd Nelson, Peter Cullen, Leonard Nimoy and Orson Welles led the voice cast, and Hasbro required character deaths in the story, according to Den of Geek. The film runs 85 minutes and sits outside the main saga, which is why it counts as a spin-off.

The live action era started with the Transformers 2007 film, which put Shia LaBeouf in the lead as Sam Witwicky and Megan Fox beside him as Mikaela Banes. Bay stayed on for four more films, and Steve Jablonsky scored all five. LaBeouf played Sam in the first three Bay films, then Mark Wahlberg became the human lead as Cade Yeager in Age of Extinction and The Last Knight, so the cast changed even while the director did not.

After The Last Knight the series changed tone and scale. The Bumblebee movie from director Travis Knight moved the story to California in 1987 with Hailee Steinfeld as Charlie Watson, and Transformers Rise of the Beasts moved to Brooklyn in 1994 with Anthony Ramos as Noah Diaz. Transformers One went back to Cybertron in animation, with Chris Hemsworth voicing Orion Pax and Brian Tyree Henry voicing D-16.

Which Transformers movie made the most money? Transformers Dark of the Moon holds the record at about $1.12 billion worldwide, and Transformers Age of Extinction follows at about $1.10 billion. Adding the nine worldwide totals gives about $5.4 billion for the whole series, and the full table sits on the Transformers Box Office guide. At the other end, Rise of the Beasts is the lowest earning main film at about $442 million, and Transformers One earned about $129 million against its $75 million budget.

Cinvibe covers the rest of the series in separate guides. You can read about how many Transformers movies there are, the Transformers cast, the Transformers soundtrack (Jablonsky for the five Bay films, Dario Marianelli for Bumblebee, Jongnic Bontemps for Rise of the Beasts, Brian Tyler for Transformers One and Vince DiCola for the 1986 film), the Transformers timeline, the opinion list of Transformers movies ranked, our Transformers reviews and Transformers merchandise.

Still from The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

Transformers Movies in Order: Release and Story Order

The Transformers movies can be watched in release order or chronological order, and the two differ because Transformers One, Bumblebee (2018) and Rise of the Beasts are all set before the 2007 film. Release order runs: The Transformers: The Movie (1986), Transformers (2007), Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Dark of the Moon (2011), Age of Extinction (2014), The Last Knight (2017), Bumblebee (2018), Rise of the Beasts (2023) and Transformers One (2024).

Chronological order starts on Cybertron and moves forward. Transformers One comes first, then Bumblebee (2018), set in 1987, then Rise of the Beasts, set in 1994, then Transformers (2007), Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon, Age of Extinction and The Last Knight, with the 1986 animated film placed last. The full numbered lists, with one line of context per film, are on the Transformers movies in order guide.

Which order suits a first viewing? In my opinion, release order, because Transformers (2007) does the heavy lifting for a newcomer: Megatron frozen in the Arctic since an 1897 expedition, the Decepticon strike on a US base in Qatar, and a teenager who buys a battered car that turns out to be Bumblebee. Michael Bay builds the whole mythology around the AllSpark in that one film, and the sequels assume you know it. Dark of the Moon then leans on it again, with the Ark crashing on the Moon in 1962 and the 1969 Apollo 11 mission sent to investigate.

Chronological order is better as a rewatch. Transformers One shows Orion Pax and D-16 as miners before they become Optimus Prime and Megatron, and it was designed with a Cybertron inspired by the painted backdrops of Maurice Noble, according to TheWrap. Bumblebee (2018) then picks up B-127 as a scout Optimus sends to Earth, and the production used Vallejo as the fictional town of Brighton Falls and a Boeing plant as the Sector 7 headquarters, with a $22 million incentive behind the California shoot, according to Screen Global Production. That is a very different, smaller scale story than the Bay films, and it could be argued that it plays better right after the Cybertron origin than it does after The Last Knight.

The 1986 film is the odd one out. It is a hand drawn spin-off, 85 minutes long, and Hasbro required character deaths in the story, according to Den of Geek, so its tone has little in common with the live action films. You can watch it first, last or skip it without losing the live action plot. For the same events laid out as a story, see the Transformers timeline.

New Transformers Movie: Status and Reported Details

No new Transformers film has a green light date yet: the project at Paramount and Hasbro is a script in progress rather than a production. TheWrap reported on June 11, 2026 that Jason Fuchs was hired to write it, and the report says it carries on from Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. TheWrap's exclusive quotes no official statement, so everything about the film is reported rather than confirmed.

The report lists seven producers: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, Michael Bay, Tom DeSanto, Don Murphy and Steven Spielberg. A director is not named, which matters for a franchise where Bay directed five of the first seven live action entries and then handed Bumblebee (2018) to Travis Knight and Rise of the Beasts to Steven Caple Jr.

A second rumor from the same report says a separate Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover is being written by Derek Connolly. It is a different project from the Fuchs script. For the running status and any date changes, see the new Transformers movie guide, and for trailers of the films already out, the new Transformers movie trailer guide.

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New Transformers movie: status, cast and rumors

Who Are the Main Autobots and Decepticons in Transformers?

Transformers characters

The main Autobots in the Transformers movies are Optimus Prime, their leader, and Bumblebee, the scout who becomes a human's guardian, with different allies joining in each film. Peter Cullen voices Optimus Prime in eight of the nine films, from the 1986 animated film to Rise of the Beasts, and Chris Hemsworth voices the young Orion Pax, who becomes Optimus Prime, in Transformers One.

Bumblebee has had several voices. Mark Ryan voiced him in Transformers (2007), Erik Aadahl in The Last Knight, Dylan O'Brien as B-127 in Bumblebee (2018) and Keegan-Michael Key as B-127 in Transformers One. Bumblebee the Transformer is a character as well as a film title, so the year matters whenever the 2018 movie is meant. Other Autobots include Jazz, voiced by Scatman Crothers in 1986 and Evan Michael Lee in Transformers One, Arcee, and Mirage, voiced by Pete Davidson in Rise of the Beasts. Age of Extinction adds Hound (John Goodman), Drift (Ken Watanabe) and Crosshairs (John DiMaggio) to the voice cast.

The Decepticons are led by Megatron, voiced by Hugo Weaving in the first three Bay films and by Brian Tyree Henry as D-16 in Transformers One. Starscream was voiced by Charlie Adler in 2007 and Steve Buscemi in Transformers One, while Galvatron was voiced by Leonard Nimoy in 1986 and Frank Welker in Age of Extinction. Nimoy also voiced Sentinel Prime in Dark of the Moon, and Jon Hamm voices Sentinel Prime in Transformers One. Larger threats include Unicron (Orson Welles), the Fallen (Tony Todd), Lockdown (Mark Ryan), Quintessa (Gemma Chan) and Scourge (Peter Dinklage).

The human leads change with each era: Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) in the first three Bay films, Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) in Age of Extinction and The Last Knight, Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld), Bumblebee's human partner, in Bumblebee (2018), and Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) in Rise of the Beasts. The full roster is on the Transformers Characters guide, with separate lists of Autobots names and Decepticons.

Transformers Music: Composers and Songs

Transformers soundtrack

  1. New Divide

    Written for the film

    Linkin Park · Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

    Instrumental pieces of it play several times in the film, and the full song plays over the end credits.

  2. Monster

    Written for the film

    Paramore · Transformers: Dark of the Moon

    It plays over the end credits.

  3. All That You Are

    Written for the film

    Goo Goo Dolls · Transformers: Dark of the Moon

    It plays while Sam is at work.

  4. Battle Cry

    Written for the film

    Imagine Dragons · Transformers: Age of Extinction

    It plays during the final battle and again over the end credits.

Facts

  • Still from The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
    The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
  • Still from Transformers (2007)
    Transformers (2007)
  • Still from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
    Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
  • Still from Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
    Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
  • Still from Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
    Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
  • Still from Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
    Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
  • Still from Bumblebee (2018)
    Bumblebee (2018)
  • Still from Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
    Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023)
  • Still from Transformers One (2024)
    Transformers One (2024)

Where to Watch Transformers Movies in the US, UK and AU

Where to watch the Transformers movies depends on the country, but Paramount Plus carries most of the live action films in the US, UK and Australia. According to JustWatch data via TMDB, checked on November 3, 2026, seven of the nine films stream on Paramount Plus in the US: Transformers (2007), Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon, Age of Extinction, Bumblebee (2018), Rise of the Beasts and Transformers One. The first four are also free through the library services Kanopy and Hoopla in the US, Bumblebee (2018) is free through Kanopy, and Bumblebee (2018) is also free with ads on YouTube.

The Last Knight is the exception in the US, with a subscription listing on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV and MGM+ rather than Paramount Plus. Transformers One is on Netflix in the US, UK and Australia, and also on Amazon Prime Video and Paramount Plus in the US. The 1986 film is rent or buy only in the US, through Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango At Home, and no service was listed for it in the UK or Australia.

In the UK, Paramount Plus streams Transformers (2007), Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon, Age of Extinction, The Last Knight and Bumblebee (2018), and Disney Plus lists the same six. In Australia, Disney Plus and Paramount Plus list those six films too, and Stan carries the five Michael Bay films, while Rise of the Beasts is rent or buy only in both the UK and Australia. Services rotate titles often, so check the Where to Watch Transformers guide for the latest country by country table before you subscribe.

Still from Transformers One (2024)
Transformers One (2024)

Streaming availability data from JustWatch. Where to watch Transformers by country.

Explore Transformers

FAQs

Which Transformers is the 4th movie?

Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), directed by Michael Bay, is the fourth film in the series that began with Transformers (2007). It follows Revenge of the Fallen (2009) and Dark of the Moon (2011), runs 165 minutes and stars Mark Wahlberg as Cade Yeager. Counting the 1986 animated spin-off, it is the fifth Transformers film released, which is why some lists number it differently.

Who are the main Autobots in Transformers?

The main Autobots are Optimus Prime, the leader voiced by Peter Cullen in eight of the nine films, and Bumblebee, the scout who partners with a human in several films. Jazz, Arcee and Mirage also appear, and Age of Extinction adds Hound, Drift and Crosshairs. Transformers One shows the younger Orion Pax, voiced by Chris Hemsworth, before he becomes Optimus Prime.

Can you summarize the plot of the first Transformers movie?

Transformers (2007), directed by Michael Bay, begins with two groups of alien robots, the Autobots led by Optimus Prime and the Decepticons led by Megatron, fighting over a powerful cube called the AllSpark. Megatron crashed on Earth and was frozen in the Arctic, where an explorer in 1897 recorded the cube's location. In the present day the Decepticons attack a US military base in Qatar, and the trail leads to Sam Witwicky, a teenager whose old car turns out to be the Autobot Bumblebee. If you mean the earliest film released, that is the 1986 animated movie, which opens with the Decepticons conquering Cybertron.

Is Bumblebee a Transformers movie?

Yes, Bumblebee (2018), directed by Travis Knight, is the sixth main Transformers film and a prequel set in California in 1987. Hailee Steinfeld plays Charlie Watson, John Cena plays Colonel Jack Burns and Dylan O'Brien voices B-127, who becomes Bumblebee. It earned about $468 million worldwide on a $135 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, and it sits second in chronological order, after Transformers One.

Was Transformers 4 a good movie?

That is a matter of taste, and the numbers are clearer. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) earned about $1.10 billion worldwide on a $210 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo, which makes it the second highest grossing film in the series. About $859 million of that came from outside the US, and its $245 million domestic total was the lowest of the first four Bay films.

How many Transformers movies are there?

There are nine Transformers movies: seven main films plus two animated spin-offs. The main films run from Transformers (2007) to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) and include Bumblebee (2018). The spin-offs are The Transformers: The Movie (1986) and Transformers One (2024).

Which Transformers movies are animated?

Two Transformers movies are animated: The Transformers: The Movie (1986), directed by Nelson Shin, and Transformers One (2024), directed by Josh Cooley. Both are classed as spin-offs, and the other seven films are live action with computer animated robots. The 1986 film runs 85 minutes and Transformers One runs 104 minutes.

Who directed the Transformers movies?

Michael Bay directed five: Transformers (2007), Revenge of the Fallen, Dark of the Moon, Age of Extinction and The Last Knight. Travis Knight directed Bumblebee (2018), Steven Caple Jr. directed Rise of the Beasts, Josh Cooley directed Transformers One and Nelson Shin directed the 1986 film.

What is the next Transformers movie?

The next Transformers film is in development with no title, cast or release date announced. TheWrap reported on June 11, 2026 that Jason Fuchs was hired to write it for Paramount and Hasbro, continuing from Rise of the Beasts, and listed Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay among its reported producers. A Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover is a separate rumor.