With over 30 movies in the franchise,Godzillafilms run the gamut from philosophical and haunting to ludicrously over the top. Godzilla has undergone several adaptations and remakes, like any large franchise that has been around for a long time.
The first phase, commonly known as the Showa era, covers the 15 titles released between 1954 and 1975. The second phase is called the Heisei era and consists of seven titles released between 1984 and 1995. The third phase is the Millennium era, which covers the six titles released between 1999 and 2004. Then, there are the multiple Japanese and American reboots and the three-part Netflix series.
The first week of December was likely the biggest week Godzilla has ever had as a property. First, audiences got a new episode of the AppleTV+ seriesMonarch: Legacy of Monsters. ThenGodzilla Minus Oneopened in theaters to incredible reviews and was a box office hit. Days later, the trailer forGodzilla x Kong: The New Empirewas released online before its 2024 release date. Godzilla is about to celebrate his 70th anniversary in 2024 as well, and the character is now more accessible than ever before.
To help tackle the massive catalog of Godzilla films, we have ranked all the movies in the franchise from the different eras and filmmakers that have made the giant kaiju a staple of cinema.
Update August 02, 2025: In honor ofMonarch: Legacy of Monstersairing on AppleTV+ andGodzilla Minus Onein theaters, this article has been updated with even more entries in the Godzilla franchise and where each title is streaming.
37All Monsters Attack (1969)
Young Ichiro dreams of traveling to Monster Island, where he meets Minilla (Godzilla’s son), who is bullied by the ogre Gabara. Ichiro helps Minilla deal with Gabara and gains the courage to face his own bullies.All Monsters Attackwas designed to appeal to a younger audience with a focus on Ichiro and his dealing with themes of bullying. This puts the movie at odds with the majority of the franchise. Combine this with the character of Minilla not being well received and sub-par special effects, and this is easily the least remarkable entry in the Godzilla canon.StreamAll Monsters Attackon Max.
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36Godzilla (1998)
Hollywood’s first attempt at aGodzillamovie. This film featured a Godzilla that is the result of irradiated iguanas, an indestructible cab chase (if you have seen it, you know), and a lot of Hollywood cheese and bad CGI. The movie came across as aJurassic Parkrip-off and is only a Godzilla film in the name. The movie was also a box office dissapointment and was panned by fans and critics. That said, the movie still has someredemptive qualities when approaching it in the ‘so bad it’s good’ sense, and it can be a blast to revisit with friends who want to make fun of it.StreamGodzilla (1998)on Hulu.
35Godzilla vs. Megalon (1976)
This film was the product of a design competition among Japanese schoolchildren that resulted in the creation of ‘Jet Jaguar.’ The movie follows Jet Jaguar, who is unwittingly used to summon Megalon by an underwater group called the Seatopians. When the original creator of Jet Jaguar learns of this, he regains control of his invention and sends it off to Monster Island to team up with Godzilla to take him down.
Continuing thetrend of child-focused entertainment, the competition aspect hurtGodzilla vs. Megalonin offering a one-off character that fans knew was not meant to stick. Megalon, one of the less-liked kaiju in the franchise, also hindered this. The fights are also visually dull, which makes for one of the more tedious Godzilla films to get through.StreamGodzilla vs. Megalonon Max.
34Son of Godzilla (1967)
Scientists are working on a giant weather control system on an island filled with giant insects. They find an egg that hatches, revealing a baby Godzilla. The adult Godzilla eventually shows up to defend his offspring from the island’s creatures. As mentioned previously, poor little Minilla was never really well received by the fanbase, especially when retrospectively looking at the era of Godzilla films. This guaranteed it a lower placing, as the focus on theSon of Godzillamakes it one that is better off skipped over. Still, as it feeds into the franchise’s lore, it is not without its redemptive qualities.StreamSon of Godzillaon Max.
33Ebirah: Horror of the Deep (1966)
Terrorists have been kidnapping the residents of Mothra’s Island to manufacture heavy water for them. An encounter with Ebirah, a giant lobster monster, shipwrecks them on an island, where they accidentally wake Godzilla up. While part of the first wave,Ebirah: Horror of the Deepexists in a weird space where it works better off as a stand-alone than part of the franchise. Depending on the viewer, this will either be a bad or good thing. Still, Ebirah is not the best-conceptualized antagonist to go up against Godzilla, making this land a bit lower despite the fights being of good quality.StreamEbirah: Horror of the Deepon Max.
32Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
An invasion from the Space Hunter Nebula-M aliens is threatening Earth. The aliens use Ghidorah and Gigan to aid in their destruction of humanity, and it becomes up to Godzilla and Anguirus to stop them. At the same time, a manga artist learns that his new employeesare the invading aliens, forcing him into his own fight against the threat.
Godzilla vs. Giganhas a few things going for it. Notably, this is the last instance of Haruo Nakajima donning the Godzilla suit, giving a slight nostalgic edge to the entry. Gigan is also a great design, and the team-up with Ghidora adds a lot of entertainment to the battles. However, the one thing holding back the movie is a convoluted plot that makes everything outside the kaiju battles tedious to get through.StreamGodzilla vs. Giganon Max.
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31Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla (1994)
Created from Godzilla’s cells that were brought into space by Biollante and Mothra, Space Godzilla heads to Earth and begins to take over, including converting the city of Fukuoka into its crystal fortress. It comes up to Godzilla and the anti-Godzilla mech MOGUERA to save the Earth.Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla, the 1994 entry into the franchise, offers only what one would expect from a Godzilla film. It is passable entertainment, but it does not build or offer anything new to the world of Godzilla, making it a middle-of-the-road entry. Plus, it has Minilla, which is a strike against it.StreamGodzilla vs. Space Godzillaon Pluto TV.
30Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
Godzilla Raids Againis ‘technically’ not a Godzilla movie, as the original synopsis specifies that this is not the same creature awakened in the first Godzilla; they are similar but not the same. The American edition called this creature “Gigantis” and replaced Godzilla’s signature roar with Anguriurs' roar to differentiate it further. This film introduced the fan-favorite Anguirus, making it worthy of note.StreamGodzilla Raids Againon Max.
29King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)
King Kong vs. Godzilla
Godzilla thaws out and heads to Fuji, looking for trouble. Meanwhile, King Kong has been taken by a movie mogul and is being transported to Japan. The two collide partway and have it out. The special effects ofKing Kong vs Godzillaare rough by today’s standards, especially concerning Kong’s suit. Still, this was quite the epic clash of two of the world’s most famous monsters, an East vs West of gigantic portions that is reason enough to place it a bit higher on the list. The concept is still cool, even if the film did not deliver the actions fans had hoped for.Not Available for Stream or Rent.
28Invasion of the Astro-Monster (1965)
The residents of Planet X, known as xiliens, reach out to Earth with the request to use Godzilla and Rodan to help save their planet from Ghidorah. Earth agrees, but they soon learn of a sinister plot that the xiliens are also planning on turning the monsters against them. Much likeGodzilla vs.Gigan,Invasion of the Astro-Monstersuffers from a somewhat convolutedplot involving alienstrying to control kaiju. However, this entry fairs a bit better, as King Ghidorah is at his coolest here, and the large-scale battles are well executed.StreamInvasion of the Astro-Monsteron Max.
