A Timeline Of Sci-Fi Media Set In The Future, Listed Chronologically

One thing that keeps me looking forward to the future is the ability to engage with works - films, books, and video games - that were set in the future time I will soon experience for myself.

For example, the film Back to the Future: Part II was made in 1989, but was set in the then-future year of 2015. Watching it in 2015 was a trip - not only because it’s a great film, but because I was able to see how accurate its predictions were.

In the spirit of this fun practice, I’ve included below a huge list of classic films, books, and games that were set in the future at the time they were made. How cool would it be to have a watch party or discussion for each of these as the year they’re set in rolls around?

Let me know what you think of this idea, and suggest any works I’ve missed in the comments below!

2000s

2000 - Death Race 2000; Hardware

2010s

2013 - Cyberpunk 2013

2015 - Back to the Future Part II (future scenes); Snow Crash (estimate)

2017 - The Running Man; Cherry 2000

2018 - Rollerball

2019 - Blade Runner; Akira; The Island

2020s

2020 - Cyberpunk 2020; Stealth

2021 - Johnny Mnemonic; Transcendence

2022 - Soylent Green; Blade Runner Black Out 2022

2023 - Surrogates

2025 - Her

2026 - Metropolis

2027 - Deus Ex: Human Revolution; Ghost in the Shell: Arise; Children of Men

2029 - Ghost in the Shell; Deus Ex: Mankind Divided; Kyle Reese is sent back from this year in The Terminator

2030s

2030s - Arma III; Cyberpunk V3.0

2030 - Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

2031 - Heavy Metal; Snowpiercer

2032 - Demolition Man; Blade Runner: Black Lotus

2035 - I, Robot; The Martian; Moon; Neuromancer

2036 - Things to Come; Blade Runner 2036: Nexus Dawn

2037 - Meet the Robinsons

2038 - Detroit: Become Human

2039 - Batman Beyond

2040s

2043 - Robocop (according to the 1987 novelization)

2045 - Ready Player One; Ghost in the Shell 2045; Cyberpunk Red

2047 - Event Horizon

2049 - Blade Runner 2049

2050s

2050s - The Diamond Age (estimate)

2050 - Shadowrun (first edition)

2052 - Deus Ex

2053 - Westworld

2054 - Minority Report

2060s

2061 - The Last Question

2062 - The Jetsons

2063 - Star Trek: First Contact

2067 - Interstellar

2070s

2070s - VA-11 Hall-A

2071 - Cowboy Bebop

2072 - Equilibrium; System Shock; Deus Ex: Invisible War

2075 - Planetes

2076 - Overwatch; Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

2077 - Cyberpunk 2077; Fallout

2080s

2080 - Dredd

2082 - Blindsight

2084 - Total Recall

2086 - Shadowrun (current edition)

2089 - Prometheus

2090s

2092 - Memories; Mr. Nobody

2100s

2100 - Transhuman Space