How Do You Watch the Godzilla Movies in Order?

How many Godzilla movies are there?

Godzilla's official website says the monster has appeared in more than 30 films across seven decades and several eras ^[1]. By our count from that official list and Wikidata ^[2], there are 31 live-action Japanese Godzilla films from Toho, 3 Japanese anime films, one 1998 Hollywood film, and 5 films in Legendary's MonsterVerse (four with Godzilla, plus Kong: Skull Island).

Godzilla does not have one single timeline. Toho has restarted the story several times, and the American films are their own continuities. So the best "order" depends on which version of Godzilla you want to follow. This guide lists every era in release order and explains where to start.

What are the Godzilla eras?

Fans group the Japanese films into eras. The Showa label is used officially; Godzilla's store sells a Showa-era collection covering 1954 to 1975 ^[1]. Heisei and Millennium are long-standing labels for the later eras, and fans commonly call the films since 2016 the Reiwa era, even though Shin Godzilla came out before that period began in 2019. The years below come from each film's earliest release in Wikidata ^[2].

Showa era (1954 to 1975), 15 films. The original Godzilla (1954) and its sequels, which move from serious monster horror toward colorful monster team-ups.

• 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)
• Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966; also known as Ebirah, Horror of the Deep)
• 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 (1984 to 1995), 7 films. A restart that picks up from the 1954 original and runs as a connected series. Godzilla's official site describes Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, the last Heisei film, as a battle with a foe born of the aftermath of the 1954 film ^[1].

• 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)

Millennium era (1999 to 2004), 6 films. Several of these start fresh from the 1954 film rather than following one another, though Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. form a pair. Godzilla's official site, for example, describes the Mechagodzilla in Against Mechagodzilla as built on the bones of the original 1954 Godzilla ^[1].

• Godzilla 2000 (1999; also listed as Godzilla 2000: Millennium)
• 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 (2016 onward), 3 live-action films. Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One are separate fresh takes. TheWrap's review of Shin Godzilla describes it as the third reboot of Toho's monster, not counting the U.S. versions ^[4].

• Shin Godzilla (2016)
• Godzilla Minus One (2023)
• Godzilla Minus Zero (2026)

Anime trilogy (2017 to 2018), 3 films. A separate science-fiction story set in the far future; Godzilla's official site describes it as taking place 20,000 years after humanity flees Earth ^[1].

• Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017)
• Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018)
• Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2018)

Which film should you watch from each era?

If you want a taste of every era without watching all of them, here is one pick from each. These are our suggestions, chosen for how well each film works as an entry point, not a ranking.

• Showa: Godzilla (1954) for the original's tone, then Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) to see the shift toward monster team-ups.
• Heisei: The Return of Godzilla (1984), the film that restarted the series, so the rest of the era follows from it.
• Millennium: Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001), a self-contained story that is easy to drop into.
• Reiwa: Shin Godzilla (2016) for a very different, government-focused take, and Godzilla Minus One (2023) for a character-driven one.
• Anime: Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017), the first part of the trilogy, since the three films tell one story.
• MonsterVerse: Kong: Skull Island (2017) to start at the beginning of the story, or Godzilla (2014) to start with the first release.

Watching one film per era is a good way to decide which era you want to explore in full. The Showa era is the biggest commitment at 15 films; the Heisei era, at seven connected films, is the most manageable of the long eras.

What is the MonsterVerse watch order?

The MonsterVerse is the American series from Legendary that began with Godzilla (2014), directed by Gareth Edwards ^[2]. TheWrap's chronological guide puts Kong: Skull Island first, because it is set just after the Vietnam War, then Godzilla (2014). Godzilla: King of the Monsters is set five years after that film, and Godzilla vs. Kong five years after King of the Monsters; Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire follows shortly after ^[3].

Release order: Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024).

Story order: Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla (2014), Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

The series also includes two TV shows. TheWrap places the animated Skull Island (2023) in the 1990s and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023) mainly in 2015, one year after the 2014 film ^[3]. The next film, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, is listed in Wikidata as a project dated March 2027 ^[7]; treat that date as tentative.

Where does the 1998 Godzilla fit?

Godzilla (1998), directed by Roland Emmerich ^[2], is a stand-alone American film. It is not part of the Toho eras or the MonsterVerse, so you can watch it any time or skip it without missing anything.

Two older American releases can also cause confusion. Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) and Godzilla 1985 are American versions of Japanese films; Wikidata, for example, records Godzilla 1985 as based on The Return of Godzilla ^[5]. Because they are not separate stories, we list the Japanese originals instead.

What is the newest Godzilla movie?

As of November 2026, the newest Godzilla film of any kind is Godzilla Minus Zero, directed by Takashi Yamazaki, who also made Godzilla Minus One. Wikidata lists its release in early November 2026, including in Japan and the United States ^[6]. If you plan to see Minus Zero, we suggest watching Minus One first, since the two come from the same director.

Where should you start with Godzilla?

You can start in any era, because each one stands on its own. Three good starting points:

• The original: Godzilla (1954). It is where everything began, and we think it is still the most serious film in the series.
• Modern Japanese: Godzilla Minus One (2023). It needs no background, and it is our suggested lead-in to Minus Zero.
• Hollywood: Kong: Skull Island (2017), then the rest of the MonsterVerse in story order; or Godzilla (2014) if you want to start with the first release.

If you like giant-monster films, the Jurassic Park watch order and the Transformers watch order are two more large-scale series, and our list of the best sci-fi movies is a good next stop.