Transformers Movies Watch Guide: What to Watch After Michael Bay’s Live-Action Movie

After the premiere of Transformers One this fall, many fans are looking back on the franchise and revisiting some of its other hits. This week, the first live-action movie in Michael Bay’s series hit number 4 on Netflix’s top 10 movies list. If you’re among those trying to binge-watch the adventures of the AutoBots, right now, it’ll be a bit of a pain to hunt all the movies and TV shows down.

Transformers (2007) is streaming on Netflix, and it’s no surprise that fans flocked to it. Transformers One hit theaters in the U.S. on September 20th, revitalizing enthusiasm for the entire franchise and enticing a whole new generation to transform and roll out. Transformers One became available to stream on Paramount+ last month, and is also available on DVD, Blu-ray and PVOD services.

For a guide on streaming other entriesy in the franchise, read on.

[RELATED: Why Transformers One is Better Than the Live-action Movies]

Transformers: Generation 1

Of course, many fans will want to start at the beginning. The original Transformers cartoon that premiered in 1984 in the U.S. currently streaming on Tubi and Pluto TV. It is also available to rent or purchase, and the entire series has been collected in an excellent DVD box set, which retails for $64.98. For collectors – or for those who want to watch the series ad-free – this is the best choice.

Sadly for the completionists out there, Transformers Generation 2 doesn’t seem to be widely available to stream, rent or purchase on its own. However, this isn’t a great loss since the TV version of G2 was simply made up of edited re-runs of the original cartoon.

The Transformers: The Movie

The Transformers: The Movie might be a better starting place for the average fan, but sadly, it’s difficult to find at the time of this writing. The movie is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV, but not on other PVOD services. If you’re just looking for a singular satisfying taste of the original series, it’s probably worth it to pick this one up or even find it on DVD.

Live-Action Movies

Fans are turning out in droves for Transformers (2007) on Netflix right now, but for the sequels, you’ll need to turn to Paramount+. Netflix has all five of Michael Bay’s Transformers, as well as the prequels Bumblebee and Rise of the Beasts. Each of these movies are available elsewhere, but if you’re committed to a marathon you may want to cash in that Paramount+ free trial.

Beast Wars and Beast Machines

Next in the franchise came Beast Wars: Transformers – a spinoff series using CGI animation. You can actually watch the entire series now on the official Transformers YouTube channel. You can also find this one on Tubi and Pluto TV as well, and on The Roku Channel. It is also available to rent or purchase, but fair warning – it’s not the best place for most viewers to start. Beast Wars holds a special place in many hearts – mostly thanks to nostalgia – but the dated animation style is simply too distracting to really enjoy.

Transformers YouTube Channel

As long as we’re on YouTube, there are two other complete series available there for free – Transformers Prime and Transformers: Robots in Disguise. The former is a 2010 CGI series with 66 episodes, and the other is 2015 series 44 episodes. Both could be fun for those catching up on the franchise after Transformers One, especially viewers with kids.

War for Cyberton

There is a lot of Transformers on Netflix, including the first four live-action movies and parts of both Transformers Prime and Transformers Cyberverse. Some of these are leaving the streamer soon due to licensing agreements, but there are actually three Netflix original series about the Transformers that are unlikely to be taken down. These miniseries all add up to The Transformers: War for Cybertron.

These shows came out between 2020 and 2021, and feature a lot of fun tie-in for fans of any generation in Transformes history. Fans have really praised this trilogy, so it’s worth checking out.

Transformers: EarthSpark

Finally, the latest animated series in the franchise is Transformers: EarthSpark, which is streaming now on Paramount+. It’s also available on Netflix, but not for much longer. The show targets a much younger audience, which could be perfect for new fans recently enthralled by Transformers One.