Godzilla and Kong movies in order (2026)
7 released titles (5 movies, 2 series seasons), about 26 hours of viewing. Next release: Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, 26 Mar 2027.
Last verified 24 Oct 2026.
The order the films and series came out. Best for a first viewing: Kong: Skull Island was written to stand alone, and its post-credits reveal that Godzilla exists in the same world only works if you have seen Godzilla (2014) first.
8 titles · release order · 7 count towards completion
Community picks
Once a few people vote on the titles, this shows the Monsterverse entries the community calls must-watch, the ones you can skip on a first run, and the highest rated. Open any title and tap 🔥, 👍 or 😴.
How to watch Monsterverse: the short version
The Monsterverse is Legendary Pictures' shared universe built around Godzilla (licensed from Toho) and King Kong. It is small: five films released between 2014 and 2024, a sixth (Godzilla x Kong: Supernova) dated for March 2027, the live-action Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (two seasons so far) and Skull Island, an eight-episode animated series on Netflix. The connective tissue is Monarch, the secret organisation that studies the giant creatures the films call Titans; it appears in every entry.
Release order and story order differ in exactly two places. Kong: Skull Island is set in 1973, four decades before Godzilla (2014), even though it was the second film released, and the Skull Island cartoon is set in 1993, between the two. Everything else runs forward in a straight line: Godzilla (2014), then Monarch's main thread in 2015–2017, then King of the Monsters (2019), Godzilla vs. Kong (2024) and The New Empire (2027), each set a few years after the last. Monarch itself jumps between the 1950s and the 2010s, so it does not slot cleanly anywhere; it belongs after Godzilla (2014), whose attack on San Francisco it is about.
For a first viewing, release order is the better choice. Kong: Skull Island was written as a standalone film and its post-credits scene is designed to work as the reveal that it shares a world with Godzilla; watching it first spoils nothing but also lands flatter. The chronological order is the one to use on a rewatch, or if you want to see how Monarch's 1950s and 1970s scenes feed into the films. Monarch is the only part people ask whether they can skip: you can. The films never depend on it, although it fleshes out Monarch's history and the aftermath of 2014, and season 2 brings Kong and Godzilla into the show directly.
Time commitment: the five released films run 600 minutes in total, which is exactly 10 hours. Monarch's 20 episodes are roughly 40–54 minutes each, around 15 and a half hours, and Skull Island's eight episodes add about three hours. The whole catalogue is therefore a little under 29 hours. If you only want the films, you can finish before Supernova arrives in a single weekend.
Orders explained
The order the films and series came out. Best for a first viewing: Kong: Skull Island was written to stand alone, and its post-credits reveal that Godzilla exists in the same world only works if you have seen Godzilla (2014) first.
Story order. Kong: Skull Island (1973) and the Skull Island cartoon (1993) move to the front, Monarch sits after Godzilla (2014) because its main storyline is the aftermath of that attack, and the remaining films follow in release order because each is set a few years after the last.
Just the six films, in release order, with no television. The only chronological change you could make is moving Kong: Skull Island to the front, since it is set in 1973.
Optional extras
The 2023 Netflix cartoon. Officially part of the Monsterverse and set on Kong's island in the 1990s, but no film or Monarch episode refers to it. Include it if you want everything the franchise has produced; skip it if you only care about the live-action story.
Frequently asked
What order should I watch the Godzilla and Kong movies in?
Release order is Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), with Godzilla x Kong: Supernova due on 26 March 2027. Story order is the same except that Kong: Skull Island, set in 1973, moves to the front. Release order is better for a first viewing.
Is Kong: Skull Island connected to Godzilla?
Yes. It is the second Monsterverse film and is set in 1973, when Monarch is still a small, half-discredited agency. The post-credits scene shows Monarch recruiting the survivors and cave paintings of Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah, setting up King of the Monsters. Kong himself returns in Godzilla vs. Kong.
Do I need to watch Monarch: Legacy of Monsters before Godzilla x Kong?
No. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was written to follow Godzilla vs. Kong directly and does not reference the show. Monarch is a side story about the organisation's founders in the 1950s and a family in 2015–2017 dealing with the fallout of Godzilla's attack on San Francisco. It adds background to Monarch and to Skull Island, and season 2 features Kong and Godzilla, but nothing in the films depends on it.
Are the Japanese Godzilla films part of this?
No. Toho's Japanese films, including Shin Godzilla (2016) and the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One (2023), are separate productions with their own continuities and share nothing with the Monsterverse except the licensed character. The same goes for the 1998 American Godzilla and Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005). The Monsterverse is only the Legendary films and series listed here.
Where does Monarch fit in the timeline?
Season 1 has two main threads: 2015, one year after Godzilla's attack on San Francisco, and the 1950s, when Bill Randa, Keiko Miura and Lee Shaw are founding Monarch. Its finale jumps to 2017, and season 2 continues from there, with flashbacks to the late 1950s and 1960s. In a chronological watch, put both seasons after Godzilla (2014) and before King of the Monsters (2019).
Is the Skull Island animated series canon?
It is an official Legendary production and a sequel to Kong: Skull Island, set in 1993 on Kong's island. Nothing else in the franchise refers to it, so treat it as optional. Netflix released all eight episodes on 22 June 2023, and no second season has been announced, although the showrunner said in late 2023 that scripts had been written.
How long does it take to watch all the Godzilla and Kong movies?
The five released films run 123, 118, 131, 113 and 115 minutes, 600 minutes in total, which is exactly 10 hours. Adding Monarch's 20 episodes (roughly 15 and a half hours) and Skull Island's eight (about three hours) takes the complete catalogue to a little under 29 hours.
When is the next Godzilla x Kong movie out?
Godzilla x Kong: Supernova is dated for 26 March 2027 in the United States. Grant Sputore directs, taking over from Adam Wingard, with Dan Stevens returning as Trapper alongside Kaitlyn Dever, Jack O'Connell and Sam Neill. Filming ran from April to October 2025 in Australia, Utah, Mexico City, London and Bangkok, and the villain is SpaceGodzilla.
Will there be a Monarch season 3?
As of October 2026, Apple has not announced a third season. Season 2 ran from 27 February to 1 May 2026. Apple did confirm in December 2025 that a spin-off series about Wyatt Russell's Lee Shaw, set in 1984, is in development, but it has no date yet and is not listed here until it does.