Monsterverse Movies in Order: Release Order and Chronological Order

The Monsterverse release order runs from Godzilla (2014) to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), five theatrical films in total, and every date below is the US theatrical release.

1. Godzilla (2014), directed by Gareth Edwards, released May 16, 2014
2. Kong: Skull Island (2017), directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, released March 10, 2017
3. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), directed by Michael Dougherty, released May 31, 2019
4. Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), directed by Adam Wingard, released March 31, 2021
5. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), directed by Adam Wingard, released March 29, 2024

Release order is the order audiences met the creatures. Godzilla (2014) opens in 1999 with a disaster at the Janjira nuclear plant in Japan, then jumps fifteen years to Ford Brody, a naval bomb disposal officer.

Kong: Skull Island (2017) goes back to 1973, where Bill Randa of the secret agency Monarch talks the government into funding a survey of a newly found island.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) arrives five years after the Titans were revealed to the world. It premiered on May 18, 2019 at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Mark Russell blames Godzilla for the death of his son, which makes a rescue mission built around the monster a tricky sell.

Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) was first dated for November 20, 2020, before it reached screens in March 2021. Kong lives under Monarch's watch inside a dome on Skull Island, and a deaf orphan named Jia, who uses sign language, shares a bond with him. Godzilla vs. Kong opened in Australia on March 25, 2021; no UK date is confirmed.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) places Kong in Hollow Earth, searching for others of his kind, while Godzilla deals with Titans on the surface, including one that attacks Rome. It premiered on March 25, 2024 at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles.

Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, the sixth Monsterverse film, is directed by Grant Sputore and dated for March 26, 2027 in the US. Warner Bros. is distributing, and the film is listed as in production after filming wrapped in 2025. No UK or Australian date is confirmed. See all Monsterverse movies on the films page.

If you are new, my pick is Godzilla (2014) first and then release order, because in my opinion the series is easiest to follow in the order its monsters were introduced.

Why not begin with Kong: Skull Island, since it is first chronologically? It could be argued that it works as a starting point, and it does introduce Monarch through Bill Randa. That being said, Godzilla (2014) sets up the idea of a world quietly aware of giant creatures, and it introduces Godzilla himself, which in my opinion makes it the cleaner entry point. Skull Island then plays as a loud, creature-forward companion piece, which I find lands better once you have seen the first film.

Chronological order suits a rewatch. Once you know the characters, starting in 1973 and finishing with The New Empire gives you one continuous run, and in my opinion it makes Randa's arc more satisfying.

The shortest useful pair is Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, 229 minutes together. Both are directed by Adam Wingard and run 114 and 115 minutes. The New Empire refers back to the Mechagodzilla fight, so watch them in that order. You will miss the Russell family history from Godzilla: King of the Monsters, though Madison Russell appears again in Godzilla vs. Kong. For comparison, all five films run 602 minutes (10 hours 2 minutes).

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is optional, in my view. It adds depth around Monarch, but no film requires it.

To begin tonight, start with Godzilla (2014) and check where to watch Monsterverse for your country, since streaming rights change often. If you want our verdict on how the films stack up afterward, read Monsterverse movies ranked. You can also return to the Monsterverse movies hub for characters and cast.