If you’re looking for the Rocky movies in order, you’re in luck — this is one franchise where release order is chronological order. No confusing timelines, no prequels dropped in the middle. Just lace up and start from the top.
Created by Sylvester Stallone, the Rocky franchise turned a small-time Philadelphia boxer into one of the most recognizable characters in film history. Across six Rocky films and three Creed sequels, the series has earned Academy Award recognition, inspired the real-world “Rocky Steps” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and given pop culture lines and anthems that still get quoted decades later.
Below is the full Rocky movies in order list, plus the Creed spin-off series, so you can watch the whole saga the way it was meant to be seen.
Quick Answer: Rocky Movies in Order
| # | Film | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocky | 1976 | John G. Avildsen |
| 2 | Rocky II | 1979 | Sylvester Stallone |
| 3 | Rocky III | 1982 | Sylvester Stallone |
| 4 | Rocky IV | 1985 | Sylvester Stallone |
| 5 | Rocky V | 1990 | John G. Avildsen |
| 6 | Rocky Balboa | 2006 | Sylvester Stallone |
| 7 | Creed | 2015 | Ryan Coogler |
| 8 | Creed II | 2018 | Steven Caple Jr. |
| 9 | Creed III | 2023 | Michael B. Jordan |
Want the short version? Bookmark that table. Want the full story behind each film? Keep scrolling.
Rocky Movies in Order: The Complete Watch Guide
1. Rocky (1976)
The one that started it all. Rocky Balboa is a small-time boxer scraping by as a debt collector when heavyweight champion Apollo Creed picks him, on a whim, as an opponent for a title fight in Philadelphia. Stallone wrote the script himself, and the film went on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, along with Best Director for John G. Avildsen and Best Film Editing.
This is non-negotiable as the starting point for anyone building out their Rocky movies in order marathon — every sequel, and eventually every Creed film, builds off what happens here.
2. Rocky II (1979)
Rocky and Apollo Creed run it back. After the split-decision result of the first fight leaves both men unsatisfied, Creed goads Rocky into a rematch. Stallone stepped into the director’s chair for the first time here, a role he’d hold for most of the sequels that followed.
3. Rocky III (1982)
Now the champion, Rocky faces a brutal new challenger in Clubber Lang. This installment is best known for introducing “Eye of the Tiger” as its theme song (an Oscar nominee in its own right) and for deepening Rocky’s bond with his former rival, Apollo Creed, who steps in as his trainer.
4. Rocky IV (1985)
The Cold War enters the ring. Soviet fighter Ivan Drago kills Apollo Creed in an exhibition bout, sending Rocky to Moscow for a Christmas Day showdown built on revenge and national pride. Stallone later revisited the film with an extended cut, Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago, released in 2021 with roughly 38 additional minutes and a reworked opening.
5. Rocky V (1990)
Widely considered the franchise’s weakest entry, Rocky V finds Balboa broke and dealing with brain damage from years of fighting. He returns to his roots, training a young prospect named Tommy Gunn, only to be betrayed by him later in the film. It’s the one Rocky movie Stallone didn’t direct after the original.
6. Rocky Balboa (2006)
Sixteen years after Rocky V, Stallone brought the character back for a quieter, more reflective finale. Now a widower running a small restaurant, Rocky accepts one last exhibition fight against the current champion, Mason Dixon. It closes the original six-film arc on a note far better received than Rocky V.
7. Creed (2015)
The torch passes. Adonis Creed, Apollo’s son from an affair his family never knew about, seeks out Rocky to train him in Philadelphia. Ryan Coogler directed, Michael B. Jordan stars, and Stallone earned a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for reprising Rocky as a supporting mentor figure rather than the lead.
8. Creed II (2018)
The Drago storyline comes full circle. Adonis, now heavyweight champion, is challenged by Viktor Drago, son of the man who killed his father in Rocky IV. Steven Caple Jr. directed this one, with Stallone returning again as Rocky.
9. Creed III (2023)
Michael B. Jordan takes over directing duties as well as starring, in a story centered on Adonis facing a childhood friend, Damian, freshly released from a long prison sentence. Notably, this is the first film in the entire franchise where Rocky Balboa doesn’t appear.
Do You Need to Watch the Rocky Movies Before Creed?
Not strictly, but it helps. The Creed films assume you know who Apollo Creed and Ivan Drago are, and a lot of their emotional weight comes from callbacks to Rocky IV and the original Rocky. If you’re short on time, the minimum viable watch order is:
- Rocky (1976)
- Rocky IV (1985)
- Creed (2015)
- Creed II (2018)
- Creed III (2023)
But if you’ve got the time, watching all nine in full is worth it, especially since Stallone wrote every Rocky film himself and starred in all six.
How many Rocky movies are there?
There are six core Rocky films starring Stallone plus three Creed spin-offs, making nine total movies in the Rocky franchise universe so far released.
All Rocky Movies in Order Release Date
Here is the list of Rocky films in order, they were released.
1. Rocky — December 3, 1976
2. Rocky II — June 15, 1979
3. Rocky III — May 28, 1982
4. Rocky IV — November 27, 1985
5. Rocky V — November 16, 1990
6. Rocky Balboa — December 20, 2006
How many Creed movies are there?
There are three Creed movies released so far: Creed from 2015, Creed II from 2018, and Creed III from 2023. A fourth film remains in early development stages without any confirmed release date yet.
All Creed Movies in Order Release Date
Here is the list of Creed films in order, they were released.
1. Creed — November 25, 2015
2. Creed II — November 21, 2018
3. Creed III — March 3, 2023
What’s Next for the Franchise?
The Rocky universe isn’t done. A fourth Creed film is in early development, with Michael B. Jordan expected to return as director and star. A separate spin-off centered on Ivan and Viktor Drago has also been in the works at MGM since 2022, and Stallone has spoken publicly about a Rocky prequel series set in the 1960s, along with a possible standalone “Rocky VII” epilogue film. None of these have a confirmed release date yet, but they show the franchise still has plenty of fights left in it.
FAQ
What order should I watch the Rocky movies in? Release order and chronological order are the same: Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, Rocky Balboa, then Creed, Creed II, and Creed III.
Do I have to watch all 6 Rocky movies before Creed? No. At minimum, watch Rocky and Rocky IV, since Creed and Creed II both build directly on the relationships and events from those two films.
Is Creed III connected to the original Rocky movies? Yes, though loosely. Creed III doesn’t feature Rocky at all, but Adonis Creed’s arc still carries the emotional history built up across the earlier films.
How many Rocky movies are there in total? Nine films make up the core series: six Rocky movies and three Creed movies, not counting the Rocky IV director’s cut or the Japanese anime short, Creed: Shinjidai.
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