Watch Order (Release = Chronological)Recommended
0 / 9 watchedOne list doing both jobs: every film came out in the order its story happens, so this is release order and story order at once.
Rocky
- 1 Rocky Best Picture winner. Stallone wrote it and fights Apollo Creed.
- 2 Rocky II The rematch, picked up right after the first film.
- 3 Rocky III Mr. T as Clubber Lang, and Eye of the Tiger.
- 4 Rocky IV Apollo Creed dies against Ivan Drago. A director's cut, Rocky vs. Drago, followed in 2021.
- 5 Rocky V Set soon after Rocky IV. The entry most viewers skip.
- 6 Rocky Balboa Sixteen years later, an ageing Rocky takes one exhibition fight.
Creed
- 7 Creed Ryan Coogler's spin-off. Adonis, Apollo's son, trains with Rocky.
- 8 Creed II Viktor Drago, son of Ivan. Stallone's final outing as Rocky.
- 9 Creed III Michael B. Jordan directs and stars. Stallone does not appear.
About Rocky
Nine films in a straight line. Rocky (1976) gives Stallone's club fighter a shot at Apollo Creed, and the sequels move forward in step with their release years: Rocky II through IV stay in the ring, Rocky V picks up not long after the Drago fight, Rocky Balboa puts an ageing Stallone back in the gym, and Creed hands the story to Adonis, Apollo's son, for three more films.
Nothing jumps backward, so story order and release order are the same list, which is why there is no second order to argue about. The choices that do exist are smaller: which cut of Rocky IV to watch, and whether Rocky V earns its place.
Good to know
Rocky IV has two versions: Rocky vs. Drago, the 2021 director's cut, trims the stock footage and works just as well. Rocky V is the common skip, and Rocky Balboa assumes you remember it anyway. Creed III has no Stallone in it, only references. Creed IV is in development with Jordan directing, no date, next to a Drago film and a Prime Video series. I Play Rocky, a biopic about making Rocky, opens November 6, 2026.
