Film · in order
Rocky & Creed Movies in Order
All nine films in the Rocky saga and Creed spin-off trilogy. The six Rocky movies (1976-2006) run straight into the three Creed films (2015-2023), so release order is the story timeline.
Rocky & Creed Movies in Order — complete list
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Why this order?
The good news for the Rocky and Creed saga is that there is essentially one correct way to watch it: release order. Across nearly fifty years and two title characters, every film picks up the timeline where the last one left off, so the order they came out in is also the order the story happens. Start with Rocky (1976) and run straight through to Creed III (2023) and you will never be confused about who someone is or what just happened.
The first six films follow Philadelphia underdog Rocky Balboa from club-fight nobody to world champion and, eventually, aging mentor. Watching them in sequence matters because the emotional payoffs are cumulative: Rocky II resolves the first film's cliffhanger, Rocky III and Rocky IV escalate the rivalries and losses, and Rocky V and Rocky Balboa (2006) are explicitly about looking back. Skipping around robs the later films of their weight.
The Creed trilogy then hands the gloves to Adonis Creed, the son of Rocky's late rival-turned-friend Apollo Creed, with Rocky himself as the trainer in the corner. Creed (2015) assumes you remember Apollo and Ivan Drago from Rocky IV, and Creed II (2018) leans on that history even harder, so the Rocky films are not optional warm-up — they are setup. Creed III (2023) is the one entry where Rocky does not appear, but it still builds directly on the first two Creed movies.
If you only have time for the spin-off, the three Creed films work as a tighter modern trilogy on their own, which is why we include a Creed-only order below. But for the full arc — and to understand why the final fights land — watch all nine in order. Fans of long-running underdog and legacy-sequel sagas may also enjoy how this compares to franchises like Rambo, Sylvester Stallone's other signature series.
Timeline 1976–2023
Every entry plotted by release year — see the gaps, clusters and revivals at a glance.
Where to play it today
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Frequently asked questions
How many Rocky and Creed movies are there?
There are nine films in total: six Rocky movies (1976-2006) and three Creed spin-off films (2015-2023). Together they tell one continuous story spanning nearly fifty years.
What order should I watch Rocky in?
Watch in release order, which is also chronological: Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV, Rocky V, then Rocky Balboa. Each film continues directly from the last, so this is the intended viewing order.
Do I need to watch the Rocky films before Creed?
It helps a lot. Creed and Creed II rely on history from the Rocky films, especially Apollo Creed and Ivan Drago from Rocky IV. You can follow Creed alone, but the emotional payoffs land harder with the Rocky backstory.
Is release order the same as chronological order?
Yes. Unlike many franchises, the Rocky and Creed saga has no flashback prequels or out-of-sequence stories, so the order the films were released matches the order events happen on screen.
Does Rocky appear in the Creed movies?
Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone, appears as Adonis Creed's trainer in Creed and Creed II. He does not appear in Creed III, which focuses entirely on Adonis.
Can I watch the Creed trilogy on its own?
Yes. The three Creed films form a self-contained modern trilogy about Adonis Creed and work well together, though references to Apollo Creed and the Drago family come from the original Rocky series.
Last verified · Sources: en.wikipedia.org, Wikidata
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