With over 30 movies in the franchise, Godzilla films 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+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Then Godzilla Minus One opened in theaters to incredible reviews and was a box office hit. Days later, the trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was 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 December 18, 2023: In honor of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters airing on AppleTV+ and Godzilla Minus One in theaters, this article has been updated with even more entries in the Godzilla franchise and where each title is streaming.

37 All 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 Attack was 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. Stream All Monsters Attack on Max.

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36 Godzilla (1998)

Hollywood's first attempt at a Godzilla movie. 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 a Jurassic Park rip-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 some redemptive 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. Stream Godzilla (1998) on Hulu.

35 Godzilla 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 the trend of child-focused entertainment, the competition aspect hurt Godzilla vs. Megalon in 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. Stream Godzilla vs. Megalon on Max.

34 Son 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 the Son of Godzilla makes it one that is better off skipped over. Still, as it feeds into the franchise's lore, it is not without its redemptive qualities. Stream Son of Godzilla on Max.

33 Ebirah: 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 Deep exists 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. Stream Ebirah: Horror of the Deep on Max.

32 Godzilla 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 employees are the invading aliens, forcing him into his own fight against the threat.

Godzilla vs. Gigan has 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. Stream Godzilla vs. Gigan on Max.

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31 Godzilla 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. Stream Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla on Pluto TV.

30 Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

Godzilla Raids Again is '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. Stream Godzilla Raids Again on Max.

29 King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)

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 of King Kong vs Godzilla are 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.

28 Invasion 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 like Godzilla vs.Gigan, Invasion of the Astro-Monster suffers from a somewhat convoluted plot involving aliens trying 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. Stream Invasion of the Astro-Monster on Max.

27 Destroy All Monsters (1968)

The 'great Monster Bash' entry into the Godzilla franchise has a simple setup of an alien disrupting Monster Island and causing a war among the monsters and a new threat to Earth. This one featured most Toho creations returning and also introduced Manda, Varan, Gorosaurus, and Baragon. Destroy All Monsters is light on plot, but it makes up for it in the amount of kaiju all fit into one feature. Think of it as the ultimate popcorn movie in a franchise already known to deliver entertainment. Still, there is little to speak of for the plot here, so the movie can't rank much higher on our list. Stream Destroy All Monsters on Max.

26 Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)

Interpol searches for the remnants of Mechagodzilla and runs into the sea monster Titanosaurus. Titanosaurus was created by a scientist who wanted to destroy the Earth. Godzilla must battle Titanosaurus and the newly rebuilt Mechagodzilla. While Terror of Mechagodzilla is not as well set up on the kaiju battle side of things, it is one of the franchise's more earnest attempts at injecting human drama into the series, with more meaning than many of the entries of the era. It does succeed in this regard, but there is an undeniable disappointment that the battles suffered for it. Stream Terror of Mechagodzilla on Max

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25 Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)

An alien microbe melds with pollution to form the giant sludge monster, Hedorah. The creature goes through a series of evolutions to reach a form that can defeat Godzilla. Earth's scientists must find a way to weaken him so Godzilla can beat him. One of the more trippy giant monster designs, Hedorah is one of those designs that fans either love or hate. Still, the cosmic horror approach worked wonderfully well in Godzilla vs. Hedorah, and it does stand out as a unique entry into the series with its fair share of entertaining moments and battles. Stream Godzilla vs. Hedorah on Max.

24 Godzilla: City On The Edge of Battle (2018)

The second entry in the Godzilla anime movie series on Netflix follows the continued struggle of humanity to reclaim Earth from Godzilla. This time, the focus is on resurrecting Mechagodzilla, a robotic weapon thought to have been lost nearly 20,000 years ago. Godzilla: City On The Edge of Battle is the most plodding of all the entries on Netflix, and it never really feels like it gets up to an entertaining pace. Moreover, the promise to reinvent Mechagodzilla was a letdown for kaiju fans as it felt like a rather uninspired take on a fan favorite. Stream Godzilla: City On The Edge of Battle on Netflix.

23 Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2018)

The third and final entry in Netflix's Godzilla Trilogy sees the return of Ghidorah as a cult summons him to Earth to face off against Godzilla. The battle settles the fate of humanity and their ability to reclaim Earth. Godzilla: The Planet Eater is a bit of a mixed bag. While dealing with themes of religion and human nature in an intriguing way, the movie lacks excitement, with the battles themselves, once again, falling short in the anime format. The critical reception was moderately positive, scoring 60% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but abysmal with fans, landing at only 27% approval. Stream Godzilla: The Planet Eater on Netflix.

22 Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017)

Humanity had fled Godzilla’s rampage on Earth to another planet, but the planet proved uninhabitable. Now, humanity must return and try to reclaim their planet from the King of the Monsters. The overall visual direction of this one made quite an impact on its release, making that initial spark that showed that the Netflix original animated franchise could be an intriguing prospect for re-inventing Godzilla. However, the characters fall flat and create a rather mediocre drama surrounding the otherwise visually solid presentation. Unfortunately, this was the best entry in the series, as the subsequent releases only got worse. Stream Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters on Netflix.

21 Godzilla (2014)

Hollywood's next attempt at rebooting Godzilla certainly fared better than its 1998 counterpart, crafting a decent drama around the discovery of the kaiju in America. This would be somewhat critiqued for its entertainment value, but it was still praised for sticking closer to the original Godzilla for focusing on destruction and highlighting how terrifying the creature could be. The story is largely told through the perspective of Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a Navy bomb expert. This entry does lose some points, though, for dragging a bit and frustratingly cutting away from the monsters to human characters. However, when it does deliver the monster action, it really delivers. Stream Godzilla (2014) on Max.

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20 Godzilla Final Wars (2004)

It's 2044, and the Earth Defense Force is spent fighting the various kaiju rampaging Earth. Things worsen when an alien force appears and uses mind control to take over the monsters. The Earth Defense Force’s only hope is to awaken Godzilla. Tapping cult director Ryuhei Kitamura of Versus fame was an excellent choice for Godzilla Final Wars. As the final film in the Millennium era, it was a nice send-off, with many action sequences to keep the movie exciting. However, Kitamaru's love of martial arts is also the film's downfall, as the focus on fighters between people left many wanting more kaiju-focused action and story around those bouts. Stream Godzilla Final Wars on Hulu.

19 Godzilla Tokyo SOS (2003)

Mothra and her fairies return to Japan with a warning to return Kiryu to the sea, as the dead must not be disturbed. However, this is ignored, leading to the death of Mothra and a battle between Godzilla and the moth's offspring. At the same time, Earth relaunches Mechagodzilla, who also faces off against Godzilla.

Godzilla Tokyo SOS feels like an update of a classic formula. The battles are a blast in this one, and the entry is praised for its action and thrills among fans. For strictly kaiju action, this is one of the better films in the franchise. Stream Godzilla Tokyo SOS on Pluto TV.

18 Godzilla (2000)

Godzilla comes like a force of nature in this one, with Japan boasting a literal prediction meter similar to a storm warning. When it seems he is returning, humanity goes into a panic. At the same time, an alien force capitalizes on his return by stealing his DNA to create Orga to take down the king of monsters. This film ignores the previous entries in the franchise besides the original movie, and the story benefits from it, offering a fresh take on Godzilla. However, Godzilla (2000) falls short with a rather uninspiring antagonist in Orga. Stream Godzilla (2000) on Hulu.