You’ve probably seen the toys. You might’ve even owned the lunchbox back in the day. But trying to sit down and watch the g i joe movies in order without a map is like trying to navigate a Cobra base without a flashlight. Honestly, it’s a bit of a headache.
The franchise has this weird habit of reinventing itself every five minutes. One second you're watching a neon-soaked 2009 action flick, and the next, everything you just learned is basically thrown out the window for a gritty reboot. It's not like the MCU where everything fits together like a perfect Lego set. No, G.I. Joe is more like a pile of action figures in a sandbox.
If you want to make sense of the chaos, you have to decide how you want to suffer. Do you want the order they hit theaters, or do you want to try and piece together the "story" chronologically?
The G I Joe Movies in Order of Release
Look, the simplest way is just to watch them as they came out. It’s the least stressful method. You get to see the CGI evolve (or not) and watch the cast shift from Channing Tatum to The Rock to Henry Golding.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
This is where the modern live-action era kicked off. Directed by Stephen Sommers, it’s loud, it’s shiny, and it features those infamous "accelerator suits" that looked cool in 2009 but feel a bit like a fever dream now. Channing Tatum plays Duke, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt shows up as a very different kind of Cobra Commander.
It’s campy. It doesn’t take itself seriously. Basically, it’s a Saturday morning cartoon with a $175 million budget.
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G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
Four years later, Paramount decided they wanted to shake things up. Most of the original cast? Gone. They brought in Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Roadblock and Bruce Willis as the original Joe Colton. It’s a sequel, but it feels more like a soft reboot. The tone is way more grounded—well, as grounded as a movie about a ninja fight on a mountain can be.
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (2021)
This is where the timeline gets messy. After nearly a decade of silence, we got an origin story for the world’s most famous silent ninja. Except, Henry Golding’s Snake Eyes talks. A lot. This movie completely ignores the first two films. It’s a hard reboot. If you’re looking for a connected universe here, you’re gonna be disappointed.
Trying to Find a Chronological Order
If you really want to try and watch the g i joe movies in order of the "actual" timeline, you have to do some mental gymnastics. Since Snake Eyes is an origin story that reboots the world, it technically happens first in its own universe.
- Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (The beginning of the new "Joeverse")
- G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (The start of the original timeline)
- G.I. Joe: Retaliation (The continuation of the original timeline)
The problem is that Snake Eyes doesn't lead into The Rise of Cobra. It's a fork in the road. You’re essentially watching two different versions of the same reality. It’s kinda like how there are three different Spider-Man actors, but they haven't all met in a portal yet for the Joes.
What About the Animated Stuff?
We can't talk about G.I. Joe without mentioning 1987’s G.I. Joe: The Movie. Honestly? It’s better than the live-action ones for a lot of fans. It’s where we got the "COBRA-LA-LA-LA-LA!" yell and the truly bizarre origin of Cobra Commander as a mutated snake person. If you're a purist, you start here.
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The Crossover Everyone is Talking About
By now, you've probably heard the rumors or saw the ending of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. The big secret is out: the Joes are officially crossing over with the Autobots.
As of early 2026, we’re seeing more movement on the live-action crossover than ever before. This is the "G.I. Joe 4" people have been speculating about for years. It looks like Paramount is finally giving up on the standalone Joe movies and hitching the wagon to Optimus Prime.
It makes sense. The Joes have always struggled to carry a solo franchise at the box office. Pairing them with giant robots? That’s basically a license to print money.
Why the Movies Keep Changing
It’s all about the toys. Hasbro wants to sell figures, and Paramount wants a "Mission: Impossible" style hit. But G.I. Joe has a weird identity crisis. Is it a sci-fi military epic? A ninja movie? A superhero flick?
The movies have tried to be all three and usually end up confusing the general audience. Fans of the 80s comics by Larry Hama want deep lore and tactical gear. Kids want bright colors and explosions. Finding that middle ground is why we keep getting reboots instead of a "G.I. Joe 5."
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How to Watch Them Right Now
If you're planning a marathon this weekend, here's the reality:
- Watch Rise of Cobra if you want 2000s nostalgia and goofy gadgets.
- Watch Retaliation if you just want to see The Rock shoot things.
- Watch Snake Eyes if you like martial arts choreography and want to see where the franchise is (theoretically) heading next.
Don't worry too much about the plot holes. There are a lot of them. Just enjoy the fact that we have live-action versions of Storm Shadow and Baroness at all.
To get the most out of the experience, I'd suggest starting with the 1987 animated film to see the "soul" of the franchise, then moving into the 2009 film. It’s the best way to see the jump from hand-drawn madness to CGI spectacle. After that, keep an eye out for the upcoming Transformers crossover, which is set to be the next official entry in the g i joe movies in order.
Start by checking your favorite streaming services—these movies tend to hop between Paramount+ and Netflix pretty frequently. Pick one, grab some popcorn, and don't take the "science" of the nanomites too seriously.