Undoubtedly one of the most popular and enduring sports classics, the Rocky movie series stands out as the inspiring underdog story it is. The brainchild of Hell’s-Kitchen-born Sylvester Stallone, this emotionally charged tale spans nine films (so far), seven of them entirely or partially written by Stallone himself. Inspired by the 1975 title fight between Chuck Wepner and Muhammad Ali, Stallone wrote the first draft of the first Rocky movie in less than 4 days. Though that’s where the story began, it transformed into much more over the span of 40 years, resulting in the latest iteration, Michael B. Jordan's Creed 3.
The Rocky movies are known for the increasingly well-made training montages and well-written stories and continues to be just that. If you're wondering how and where to watch all of the Rocky and Creed movies in order, we've got you covered with our guide below.
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How Many Rocky Movies Are There?
There are a total of nine movies in the Rocky franchise: five in the main series to start it off, a one-off continuation close to 30 years after the first film, and three Creed films that serve as a new storyline based off the originals.
How to Watch the Rocky Movies in Chronological Order
1. Rocky (1976)
The story that started it all: Rocky is the truly inspiring and original story that rocketed Sylvester Stallone to Hollywood stardom in a beautiful way. When a local, amateur boxer named Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) gets a chance to fight against the heavyweight champion Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), he must train hard so that he can achieve his dream to ‘go the distance’. While the fight at the climax of the film is thoroughly entertaining, the story that builds up to it is an inspiring, heartfelt tale that makes it worth the wait.
2. Rocky II (1979)
The Rocky Balboa story continues with Rocky 2, an expected and welcome sequel to a film with such underdog success. Apollo Creed is eager and persistent for a rematch to regain his honor, causing emotional turmoil and stress in Rocky’s life as he trains to face him again. Though the plot is a bit similar to the first, it was Stallone that, for the first time, took over the position of director to see his script through.
3. Rocky III (1982)
Featuring a new challenger and a blooming bromance, Rocky 3 is a fun and amusing sequel that capitalizes on the success of the first two in a logical way. Rocky has a dangerous, new opponent named Clubber Lang (Mr. T) who threatens to unpack unprecedented strength upon him, which once again causing troubles in his attempts to live a normal life. While the dialogue gets a bit corny, this addition to the franchise does a good job of keeping things exciting with multiple ring scenes throughout the film.
4. Rocky IV (1985)
In what some might call a very corny and characteristically 80’s movie, Rocky 4 pushes the story to a wider scope in a time-appropriate way. When an insanely strong Russian boxer named Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) incidentally kills Apollo Creed in a boxing match, Rocky sees no other path other than to fight Drago in a revenge match. As kitschy as it can be, this movie takes the training montages to the next level with some more kickass songs that any 80s nostalgia fan can get into.
5. Rocky V (1990)
While it’s likely the weakest of the Rocky movies in quality, Rocky V is still worth watching. Shaken by his past of violent fights and losses, Rocky steps out of the ring and takes a ferocious and promising student under his wing. While it doesn’t follow the same classic Rocky movie formula, it brings a rare quality to the series that delves into the aftermath of living a Balboa lifestyle. This is also the first time since the original that John G. Avildsen directed the picture; the second and last time he would direct a movie with Stallone.
6. Rocky Balboa (2006)
An energetic revival of the series, Rocky Balboa does a good job of mirroring the spirit of the original in a new way. After a virtual simulation victory over the new heavyweight champion Mason ‘The Line’ Dixon (Antonio Tarver) Rocky Balboa is coaxed out of retirement to fight for one last time. Again directed by Stallone, he helps guide this film to success with his inspired vision and surprisingly emotional performance.
Read our review of Rocky Balboa.
7. Creed (2015)
A new era begins with Creed: a modern-day continuation of the beloved sport's classics that sparked a wild flame of interest upon arrival. The son born of Apollo Creed after his untimely death, Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) transitions from underground boxing to pursue career under the training of Rocky Balboa himself. Besides its impressive performances from all actors involved, this movie also boasts an emotional and original story that opened the doors to a new and exciting series of films.
Read our review of Creed.
8. Creed II (2018)
Following in the footsteps of the original saga, Creed 2 successfully utilizes the formula to its advantage to continue the success of the first movie. Challenged by Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), son of Ivan Drago, Adonis must take his new family and mentor into consideration while making this dangerous choice. Fueled by nostalgia in a sort of Cobra Kai fashion, the return of well-known characters and rivalries is an exciting and logical way to expand this new story.
Read our review of Creed 2.
9. Creed III (2023)
In the brand-new Creed 3 directed by Michael B. Jordan himself, emotions run high and a shadow of the past comes back to haunt our hero. Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors), a friend from the past, is finished with 18 years of prison and is eager to prove himself while exacting revenge for a perceived betrayal. As the first of these films that don’t star Stallone or anyone from the original franchise, this movie takes a big step out of the shadow of the past and into the promising future.
Read our review of Creed 3.
Rocky and Creed Movies in Order of Release Date
Although the release order has a pretty consistent numbering system, Rocky Balboa does break this trend to separate the Rocky and Creed films.
- Rocky (1976)
- Rocky II (1979)
- Rocky III (1982)
- Rocky IV (1985)
- Rocky V (1990)
- Rocky Balboa (2006)
- Creed (2015)
- Creed II (2018)
- Creed III (2023)
The Future of Rocky and Creed Movies
Although the future of the Rockyverse isn't fully clear yet, we did get confirmation from Michael B. Jordan that Creed 4 is for sure going to happen. He also mentioned in that interview that more Creed spin-offs could be possible in the future.
Connor Sheppard is an Oregon-grown entertainment writer for IGN with a love for pop culture and movies.
