Order of Rocky movies and Creed movies: Best way to watch

Rocky Balboa is one of the most iconic characters in film history. His underdog story of a journeyman boxer who gets an unlikely shot at the title has inspired over 40 years’ worth of films and even a statue in Philadelphia.

Pocket-lint decided it was time to give the legend his due, by compiling every film in the Rocky Universe (Creed movies too) into one handy list of everything Italian Stallion-related. Honestly, it’s never a bad time to start a re-watch of Rocky. We recommend watching all nine films just to perfect your argument about which is best. Or you can just catch up to prepare for Creed IV, which is in early development. It’ll see Michael B. Jordan return to direct, as well as reprising his role as Adonis Creed.

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R ocky and Creed movies in chronological order

Here’s the Rocky Universe in release date order, which also happens to be chronological. You can find a detailed list below. You can also find most lists below for how to watch just the movies you need to see in order to understand the Creed films.

NOTE: THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW.

1 Rocky

The original underdog story

In this ultimate underdog story, Rocky Balboa (played by Sylvester Stallone) is a small-time prizefighter who’s given a shot against the undefeated world heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weather). This first installment in the Rocky franchise was written by Stallone and eventually won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

2 Rocky II

Rocky gets a second shot at the title

Sylvester Stallone wrote, directed, and starred in the follow-up to the original Rocky.

The film picks up right where the first film ended, following Creed’s victory by split decision. It sees Rocky retire from boxing due to injuries he sustained, but Creed (Weathers) wants a rematch to prove Rocky’s success is a fluke.

3 Rocky III

A new challenger pushes Rocky to the brink

After his victory in Rocky II, Rocky (Stallone) has a string of title defenses, but little does he know his manager, Micky (played Burgess Meredith), has been keeping him from an up-and-coming fighter, Clubber Lang (played by Mr T), who might be too much for Rocky to handle. Stallone once again directed, starred, and wrote this Rocky installment.

4 Rocky IV

Rocky ends the Cold War

Rocky (Stallone) is out for vengeance against the top boxer from the Soviet Union, Ivan Drago (played by Dolph Lundgren), who killed his friend Apollo Creed in an exhibition bout. Rocky heads to Russia to fight the dangerous Drago on his own turf on Christmas. Like the two films before this installment, Stallone not only directed but also wrote and starred in Rocky IV.

5 Rocky V

A retired Rocky takes on a protégé

After his fight with Drago, Rocky (Stallone) is forced to retire from boxing again. This time, he quickly falls into financial ruin due to poor business decisions made by his brother-in-law, Paulie (played by Burt Young). Rocky eventually finds and trains a young fighter by the name of Tommy Gunn (played by Tommy Morrison). Keep in mind Rocky V was a critical and box office failure and is considered the worst Rocky film.

Interestingly, although Stallone wrote this film, he didn’t direct it. John G Avildsen did, the same guy who directed the first Rocky.

6 Rocky Balboa

Rocky returns for one last fight

Sylvester Stallone was lured back to his most iconic role 16 years after the failure of Rocky V. The film sees Rocky – now in his 60s and running a small restaurant after the death of his wife – return to boxing. When the current heavyweight champion, Mason “The Line” Dixon (played by Antonio Tarver), hears of Rocky’s return to the ring, he moves to set up a fight between himself and the legendary Rocky Balboa.

Stallone directed, wrote, and starred in Balboa.

7 Creed

Apollo Creed’s son begins his own boxing journey

Creed sees the debut of Michael B Jordan as Adonis Johnson. He’s the son of Apollo Creed from an extramarital affair. Adonis decides to become a boxer like his father but has trouble finding anyone who will train him, so he heads to Philadelphia to see if Rocky (Stallone) will help him.

It’s worth noting Rocky isn’t the lead character in the Creed series. And, although Stallone reprises his role, he didn’t write or direct Creed.

8 Creed II

Adonis fights the son of his father’s killer

Three years after the events in Creed, Adonis (Jordan) – who is now sporting his father’s last name – has become the heavyweight champion of the world. This leads to Ivan Drago (Lundgren), the man who killed his father in the ring, seeing an opportunity to promote a fight between Creed and his own son, Viktor Drago (played by Florian Munteanu). Once again, Rocky isn’t the lead, and Stallone didn’t write or direct.

9 Creed III

Adonis takes on a childhood friend

Adonis Creed returns to face off against a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian, portrayed by Jonathan Majors. Damian resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, eager to prove himself in the ring. Also returning in the film is Tessa Thompson, who plays Adonis’ wife, Bianca. Michael B. Jordan took the reigns to direct the film while also starring.

FAQ

Q: What’s the spoiler-free Rocky and Creed movie order?

Here’s the order above without any spoilers:

• Rocky (1976)
• Rocky II (1979)
• Rocky III (1982)
• Rocky IV (1985) and Rocky IV: Rocky vs Drago
• Rocky V (1990)
• Rocky Balboa (2006)
• Creed (2015)
• Creed II (2018)
• Creed III (2023)

Q: What’s the order for just Rocky movies

Here’s the order for just the original Rocky movies:

• Rocky (1976)
• Rocky II (1979)
• Rocky III (1982)
• Rocky IV (1985) and Rocky IV: Rocky vs Drago
• Rocky V (1990)
• Rocky Balboa (2006)

Q: What’s the order to watch the Creed movies?

Here’s the watch order to follow if you just want to catch up for the new Creed films:

• Rocky (1976)
• Rocky II (1979)
• Rocky III (1982)
• Rocky IV (1985) and Rocky IV: Rocky vs Drago
• Creed (2015)
• Creed II (2018)
• Creed III (2023)