Godzilla has been around for decades, and he's been lurching out of the ocean in countless films so far, with more to come. The King of Monsters is definitely here to stay, and we're interested in finding out how we can watch Godzilla movies in order.
Of course, Godzilla's 70-year history is full of cinematic wonders, with more recent films really bringing in the special effects. In fact, there's a brand new film coming in on HBO Max named Godzilla vs. Kong, where we see the two giants clash again.
How to Watch Godzilla Movies in Chronological Order
When it comes to continuity, Godzilla's franchise isn't necessarily the strictest of the bunch. Mostly, the films have no impact on one another, but we do have a few series that you should watch as they are. For the most part, we need to split the chronology into eras and also by the country of origin.
Shōwa era (Japanese Movies)
This era is considered to be a "classic," as it started in the '50s.
- Godzilla (1954)
- Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
- King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
- Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
- Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
- Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
- Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
- Son of Godzilla (1967)
- Destroy All Monsters (1968)
- All Monsters Attack (1969)
- Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
- Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
- Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
- Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
- Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
Heisei Era (Japanese Movies)
- The Return of Godzilla (1984)
- Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
- Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
- Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
- Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
- Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
- Godzilla vs. Destoryah (1995)
Millennium Era (Japanese Movies)
- Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999)
- Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)
- Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
- Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)
- Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)
- Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
Reiwa Era (Japanese Movies)
- Shin Godzilla (2016)
- Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017)
- Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018)
- Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2018)
American Movies
- Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)
- King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)
- Godzilla 1985 (1985)
- Godzilla (1998)
- Godzilla (2014)
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
- Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
How to Watch Godzilla Movies in Order of Release
There's also the option of watching the Godzilla movies in release date order. In the end, this may be the best way to go through this whole list.
- Godzilla – 1954
- Godzilla Raids Again – 1955
- King Kong vs. Godzilla – 1962
- Mothra vs. Godzilla – 1964
- Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster – 1964
- Invasion of Astro-Monster – 1965
- Ebirah, Horror of the Deep – 1966
- Son of Godzilla – 1967
- Destroy All Monsters – 1968
- All Monsters Attack – 1969
- Godzilla vs. Hedorah – 1971
- Godzilla vs. Gigan – 1972
- Godzilla vs. Megalon – 1973
- Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla – 1974
- Terror of Mechagodzilla – 1975
- The Return of Godzilla – 1984
- Godzilla vs. Biollante – 1989
- Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah – 1991
- Godzilla vs. Mothra – 1992
- Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II – 1993
- Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla – 1994
- Godzilla vs. Destoroyah – 1995
- Godzilla - 1998
- Godzilla 2000: Millennium – 1999
- Godzilla vs. Megaguirus – 2000
- Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack – 2001
- Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla – 2002
- Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. – 2003
- Godzilla: Final Wars – 2004
- Godzilla – 2014
- Shin Godzilla – 2016
- Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters – 2017
- Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle – 2018
- Godzilla: The Planet Eater – 2018
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters – 2019
- Godzilla vs. Kong – 2021
Where to Stream Godzilla Movies?
- Godzilla – 1954 - HBO Max, The Criterion Channel, Shout Factory TV
- Godzilla Raids Again – 1955 - HBO Max
- King Kong vs. Godzilla – 1962 - not available for streaming
- Mothra vs. Godzilla – 1964 - HBO Max, The Criterion Channel
- Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster – 1964 - HBO Max, The Criterion Channel
- Invasion of Astro-Monster – 1965 - HBO Max, The Criterion Channel
- Ebirah, Horror of the Deep – 1966 - HBO Max, The Criterion Channel
- Son of Godzilla – 1967 - HBO Max, The Criterion Channel
- Destroy All Monsters – 1968 - HBO Max, The Criterion Channel, TCM, Tubi
- All Monsters Attack – 1969 - The Criterion Channel
- Godzilla vs. Hedorah – 1971 - HBO Max, The Criterion Channel
- Godzilla vs. Gigan – 1972 - HBO Max, The Criterion Channel
- Godzilla vs. Megalon – 1973 - HBO Max, The Criterion Channel
- Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla – 1974 - HBO Max, The Criterion Channel
- Terror of Mechagodzilla – 1975 - HBO Max, The Criterion Channel
- The Return of Godzilla – 1984 - not available for streaming
- Godzilla vs. Biollante – 1989 - not available for streaming
- Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah – 1991 - not available for streaming
- Godzilla vs. Mothra – 1992 - not available for streaming
- Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II – 1993 - fuboTV
- Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla – 1994 - fuboTV, Crackle, Plex
- Godzilla vs. Destoroyah – 1995 - fuboTV, Crackle, Plex
- Godzilla - 1998 - not available for streaming
- Godzilla 2000: Millennium – 1999 - fuboTV
- Godzilla vs. Megaguirus – 2000 - not available for streaming
- Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack – 2001 - not available for streaming
- Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla – 2002 - not available for streaming
- Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. – 2003 - not available for streaming
- Godzilla: Final Wars – 2004 - Plex, Crackle
- Godzilla – 2014 - HBO Max, TBS, TNT
- Shin Godzilla – 2016 - not available for streaming
- Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters – 2017 - not available for streaming
- Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle – 2018 - Netflix
- Godzilla: The Planet Eater – 2018 - Netflix
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters – 2019 - HBO, HBO Max
- Godzilla vs. Kong – 2021 - HBO Max, starting with March 31st, 2021
Please keep in mind that licensing deals can change so you may not be able to watch the content on the platforms we mentioned above.