How to Watch the ‘Godzilla’ Movies in Order

This guide is designed to make it as easy as possible for you to wrap your head around the iconic Godzilla movie franchise in as clear a way as possible. You’ll find a massive list of every official movie sorted in release order, along with several, more practical watch order guides based on groups of movies that are connected to each other.

All 'Godzilla' Movies in Order of Release

Here’s every Godzilla movie listed in release order from the classic 1954 Japanese original through to the modern Monsterverse films and 2023’s Godzilla Minus One. The various American movies and the Netflix anime trilogy are officially considered part of the franchise which is why they’re all included in this list.

How to Watch the 'Monsterverse' Movies and Shows in Order

The "Monsterverse" is the name of the cinematic universe containing modern, American Godzilla and King Kong movies and their connected TV series. All of the events in these entries happen within the same continuity with most of them referencing each other, expanding on certain plot points, and introducing new lore and characters.

Here’s the complete Monsterverse timeline watch order including all of the connected King Kong and Godzilla movies, Netflix’s animated Skull Island series, and Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

How to Watch the Original Japanese ‘Godzilla’ Movies in Order

The first 15 Japanese movies from Godzilla (1954) to Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) all take place within the same timeline or cinematic universe.

While the majority of these classic films are standalone, there is a notable progression of the world with the gradual introduction of new monsters, technology, and characters in each subsequent entry.

How to Watch the '80s and '90s Japanese ‘Godzilla’ Movies in Order

After the release of Terror of Mechagodzilla in 1975, the Japanese movies took a break that lasted almost an entire decade. When it came to producing 1984’s The Return of Godzilla, the continuity started fresh with only the events of the original 1954 Godzilla movie considered official canon.

This new continuity lasted until 1995’s Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, after which the Japanese films took a break to make room for the first American entry in 1998. 

The 1998 ‘Godzilla’ Movie and Cartoon Series

Godzilla (1998) was an American reboot of the franchise which featured a radical redesign of both the Godzilla monster and its lore. While many hardcore fans criticized this USA reimaging of the popular Japanese franchise, this version does have its fans.

The planned movie sequels never happened, but the 1998 film did spawn a cartoon series that ran for 40 episodes from 1999 to 2000. The animated Godzilla: The Series took off from where the movie finished, introduced more monsters, and even featured several actors from the film reprising their roles in animated form.

The final appearance (so far) of the 1998 American Godzilla monster, which has since been officially nicknamed and trademarked as Zilla, was in the 2004 Japanese movie, Godzilla: Final Wars.

The Modern Japanese Standalone ‘Godzilla’ Movies

After the release of the American Godzilla movie in 1998, the Japanese movies got back into the action with Godzilla 2000: Millennium which, despite its name, hit cinema screens in Japan in 1999. That film, and all of the Japanese entries in the franchise that follow, are mostly standalone movies that you can watch without having seen any other movie.

You don’t need to worry too much about how to watch new, Japanese Godzilla movies in order.

The ‘Godzilla’ Anime Netflix Trilogy Watch Order

The three anime movies on Netflix were produced by Toho Animation and Polygon Pictures, and they're official entries in the overall franchise. All three films form one large story that takes place 20 years after Godzilla's rampage forces humanity to abandon Earth.

Is There an Official Godzilla Anime Series?

Godzilla Singular Point is an official anime series that debuted in 2021 and ran for 13 episodes. Despite featuring numerous monsters from the live-action movies, Singular Point, like many other entries in the franchise, takes place within its own timeline. You don’t need to watch any of the movies to understand the anime series.

Godzilla Singular Point is available to watch in both original Japanese audio with English subtitles and in an official English language dub on Netflix.

What Do Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa Mean?

Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa are names given to specific time periods in Japanese history. The Showa era spanned the rein of Emperor Showa, often referred to as Emperor Hirohito outside of Japan, from December 25th, 1926 to January 7th, 1989. The Heisei era spanned Emperor Emeritus Akihito’s ruling period from January 8th, 1989 through to April 30th, 2019. Heisei means “peace everywhere”.

The current period in Japan is the Reiwa era, which began on May 1st, 2019 when Akihito’s son, Naruhito, became emperor. Reiwa means “beautiful harmony”.

Most Japanese films and television shows are often categorized by the era they were released in. While this can be useful for sorting productions by release order, it isn’t always ideal when working out which movies connect to each other or have their own continuity, which is why these phrases weren’t used in the above lists.

There’s also the fact that a fourth, non-traditional, era label is used with the Godzilla movies, Millennium era, which makes things a bit more complex.

Here’s a brief breakdown of which movies fit into which Japanese era.

• Showa era: Godzilla (1954) to Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975).
• Heisei era: The Return of Godzilla (1984) to Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995).
• Millennium era: Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999) to Godzilla Final Wars (2004).
• Reiwa era: Shin Godzilla (2016) and later.

The American movies and shows are typically not included in Japanese era lists.