This is a list of fictional stories that, when composed, were set in the future, but the future they predicted is now present or past. The list excludes works that were alternate histories, which were composed after the dates they depict, alternative futures, as depicted in time travel fiction, as well as any works that make no predictions of the future, such as those focusing solely on the future lives of specific fictional characters, or works which, despite their claimed dates, are contemporary in all but name.
List
Work Form Year of publication/releaseYear setPredictions 1. April 2000 Film 1952 2000Austria is still being closely watched over by the Allies, 55 years after the defeat of the Axis powers in World War II. "11:59" (from Star Trek: Voyager) TV series episode 1999 2000–2001, 2012 This episode accurately predicted that the Y2K bug would not turn off "a single lightbulb." The Millennium Gate, a self-contained biosphere, was completed in 2012. 12 Monkeys Film 1995 1996–1997 Scientists are sent back in time to try to stop the spread of a virus. Per the opening titles in the film, "Five billion people died in 1996 and 1997, almost the entire population of the world. Only about 1 percent of us survived." 12 Monkeys TV series 2015–2018 2017 In the TV series, the scientists are sent back to 2015 to try to stop the virus pandemic from happening in 2017. 17776 Serial narrative 2017 2026 (opening) In the narrative, human senescence stops on 7 April 2026.1900; Or, the Last PresidentNovel18961900Depicts a world in which political uprisings cause the collapse of the US in 1900. Nineteen Eighty-Four Novel 1949 1984Set in a dystopian future in which totalitarian superstates exist in a state of perpetual war. Refers to several dates throughout the latter half of the 20th century, including a nuclear war in the 1950s. Adapted into several media, including twice for film; once in 1956 and once in 1984. 1985 Novel 1978 1985 Written at a time when trade unions in the United Kingdom had reached a peak of power prior to the union-breaking policies of Margaret Thatcher, it predicts a 1985 in which the UK is completely in thrall to unions, and unions exist for every conceivable profession.1990Song19731990In 1990, poverty and starvation are rampant in the United States. 1990 TV series 1977–1978 1983–1990 A bureaucratic dictatorship has ruled the UK since it went bankrupt in 1983. Magna Carta, the Constitution and habeas corpus were "thrown out." There was a failed coup to overthrow the regime in 1986. The UK's currency is the Anglodollar. The government is attempting to curb population. The House of Commons has only 400 MPs and only 20% of the population voted in the last general election. The House of Lords was abolished and converted into a dining club. By this time, the UK has a king. There were major riots in 1985 as a result of 18,000 houses being demolished and ghettos being established in their place. The Isle of Man declared independence prior to 1990. At this time, the United States had its own equivalent of the National Health Service. The series correctly predicted that parliamentary speeches would be televised by 1990. 1990: The Bronx Warriors Film 1982 1990 Similar to Escape From New York, depicts a portion of New York sealed off from the rest of the city and handed over to street gangs. The sequel Escape from the Bronx is set sometime after this and was released in 1983. "1993" Song 1977 1993 Song by Boz Scaggs from his 1977 album Down Two Then Left. Predicts simulated reality. "1996" (from Screen One) TV series episode 1989 1996 In 1996, there is widespread terrorism and civil disobedience in the UK. 2001: A Space Odyssey Film, novel 1968 2001 (and other eras)Depicts a turn of the 21st century in which space travel is routine, China is a monarchy, the Moon has been colonized and artificial intelligence has reached superhuman levels. HAL 9000 is activated in 1992 (film) or 1997 (novelization). Predicted digital newspapers/the newspad and the population exceeding six billion."2001 & A Bit" (from The Goodies)TV series episode19762001In 2001, cricket has somehow died out, and the sons of the Goodies must find a way to revive it. 2010 Film 1984 2010 Sequel to the 2001: A Space Odyssey film. The United States is about to go to war with a still-extant Soviet Union. The film correctly predicted that the 2008 Summer Olympics would be held in Beijing. 2010: Odyssey Two Novel 1982 2010 Sequel to the 2001: A Space Odyssey book; the Soviet Union still exists in 2010. 2012 Film 2009 2009–2012 See also: 2012 phenomenon. 2012: Supernova Film 2009 2012See also: 2012 phenomenon. 2019, After the Fall of New York Film 1983 2019 Post-apocalyptic film in which nuclear war and radiation have rendered the populace infertile. Survivors head to New York City to rescue the last allegedly fertile woman on Earth. Inspired by Escape from New York. 2020 Texas Gladiators Film 1984 2020 Neo-Western set in a post-apocalyptic Texas. 2020 Visions Comic 1997 2020 Accurately predicts New York City would be the epicenter of a pandemic in the year 2020. It additionally predicts Ellis Island becoming a plague colony, Florida becoming an independent state, Detroit being ruled by Sharia law, and unlicensed children becoming illegal.2020Webseries20132020Based on the White Paper "Project 2020: Scenarios for the future of Cybercrime" published by the ICSPA, Europol and Trend Micro.2025 ArmageddonFilm20222025Aliens invade Earth employing artificial monsters copied from Asylum movies. 2061: Odyssey Three Novel 1987 2006–2022 (opening) In 2007, the spaceship Tsien was built. In the 2020s, a major earthquake occurs in California and two nuclear bombings occur in a war. Predicted the end of apartheid in South Africa (albeit in the early 21st century instead of 1994) followed by a mass exodus of Afrikaners and capital flight.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: 20th Century Boys Manga 1999–2006 2014–2015 The second major part of the story occurs in 2014–15 where society has become a dystopia ruled by the Friend Democratic Party. The live-action film series sets some of its events in 2015.334Novel19722025Birth control and eugenics are used to control overpopulation. 7th Dragon 2020 Video game 2011 2020 Dragons invade Tokyo. The sequel, 7th Dragon 2020-II takes place in 2021.A for AndromedaTV series19611970–1972Scientists discover and decipher a signal from outer space.A Philosophical InvestigationNovel19922013Violent criminal acts (by men only) can be more-or-less accurately predicted with brain scans. Other predicted technologies include smartphones, video calls, and virtual reality. Absolon Film 2003 2010 In 2010, a virus wiped out half of Earth's human population. The Absolute at Large Novel 1922 1943 A reactor is invented that can annihilate matter to produce cheap and abundant energy. Unfortunately, it produces something else as a by-product, the Absolute. This leads to an outburst of religious and nationalist fervor, causing the greatest, most global war in history. Some of the more prominent political changes the war causes include expulsion of the Russian army to Africa (via Europe) by the Chinese invasion, the conquest of East Asia by Japan that cuts the Chinese conquests in Russia and Europe down to the limits of the former Austro-Hungarian empire, and the Japanese conquest of North America. The latter happened because the United States were exhausted by a bloody civil war between the supporters and opponents of the Prohibition. The Abyss Film 1989 1994Set in a submersible drilling platform. Acción mutante Film 1993 2012A dystopian future in which the beautiful rule and the disabled become terrorists. Action Comics #396–397 Comic 1971 1980s–1990s In the 1980s, there was a crewed mission to Saturn. In the 1990s, the US National Sea Frontier Project established a giant marine laboratory on the ocean floor. By this time, flying cars were common. Climate control resulted in the Arctic being defrosted. Construction workers were equipped with anti-gravity pulse rays to move heavy objects. Banks had bulletproof glass cages which could be erected to prevent robbers from escaping. Lampposts were equipped with automatic fire sensors which alerted the fire department, which used hovercraft that shot out fireproof foam. Ships had flotation collars which could keep them adrift in the event of an emergency. An instant fertilizer existed which allowed crops to grow in seconds. Adrenalin: Fear the Rush Film 1996 2007Boston is quarantined after the outbreak of a deadly virus. Aeon FluxFilm20052011A pathological virus kills 99% of the human population in 2011. "Age of Peril" (from Tales of Tomorrow) TV series episode 1952 1965 In 1965, lie detector results are the primary means of securing convictions. Akira Manga, Anime 1982–1990 2019 Set in a dystopian, post-WWIII Neo-Tokyo in the midst of civil unrest and government corruption.