One might assume, given the consensus about the simplistic plots of movies with giant monsters smashing cities, that you don’t need a list of what order to watch all the MonsterVerse movies in. However, that’s not really the case.
Legendary, the studio behind the films, has constructed a cinematic universe with an ever-expanding backstory and a corporation of ambiguous morality called Monarch running through the entire thing. Sound confusing? It’s not really that bad, and once you decide how to watch the movies and shows of the MonsterVerse — by release order or chronologically — you’ll be all set to go.
How to Watch the MonsterVerse Movies by Release Date
Probably your best bet for watching the series is by release date. There really aren’t that many entries in this cinematic universe yet (at least compared to other long-running franchises), so watching by release date doesn’t get all that complex in terms of plotting, despite the fact that the franchise loves to jump around in time. While you can pretty much watch all the films on their own and still have fun, the way the universe has been built up is best experienced by watching everything in the order it was released. That order is below, including the upcoming film and TV show:
- Godzilla (2014)
- Kong: Skull Island (2017)
- Godzilla: King of Monsters (2019)
- Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
- Skull Island (2023)
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023)
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
How to Watch the MonsterVerse Movies in Chronological Order
For a franchise with only seven entries (and two of them not even released yet), the MonsterVerse does a lot of jumping around in time. There are prequels to sequels, animated stories that fill in time gaps, and an entire series that jumps between two different times throughout every episode. That makes watching things in chronological order sound a bit more appealing, as you’ll be able to keep the timelines of everything easily in your head — when exactly did they build a giant dome on Skull Island? Here’s how to watch them in chronological order with dates. Note: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters takes place both in the 2010s and the mid-1900s, but is listed as the former time period.
- Kong: Skull Island (1973)
- Skull Island (1990s)
- Godzilla (2014)
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (1950s, 2015)
- Godzilla: King of Monsters (2019)
- Godzilla vs. Kong (2024)
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (TBD)
There you have how to watch the MonsterVerse in both release and chronological order. If you’re stumped on which to choose, we’d recommend going by release date but it’s up to you.
