It’s a deceptively simple question. You’d think the answer to how many How to Train Your Dragon movies and shows are there would be a quick "three movies and a couple of cartoons," but honestly, the DreamWorks franchise is a sprawling mess of content that spans over a decade. If you're trying to binge-watch the whole thing, you’re looking at a massive time commitment that involves jumping between different streaming services, hunting down obscure DVD extras, and even prepping for a live-action reboot.
Cressida Cowell started this whole thing with her books, but the cinematic universe evolved into its own beast entirely. It’s not just about Hiccup and Toothless anymore. Between the main trilogy, the various spin-off series, the holiday specials, and the upcoming 2025 live-action adaptation, the count is much higher than most casual fans realize. We’re talking about dozens of hours of footage.
The Core Trilogy: The Movies Everyone Knows
Most people start and end with the theatrical releases. These are the heavy hitters. You've got the original How to Train Your Dragon (2010), which introduced us to Berk and the idea that dragons aren't just pests—they're partners. Then came How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), which aged up the characters and broke everyone’s heart with Stoick’s fate. Finally, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) wrapped up the main story of Hiccup and Toothless.
Three movies. Simple, right?
Well, sort of. While these are the "main" entries, they don't actually tell the whole story. If you only watch the films, you miss out on years of character development, new dragon species, and the actual mechanics of how Berk transformed from a Viking village into a dragon sanctuary. The movies provide the emotional beats, but the connective tissue is found elsewhere.
The Television Expansion: Beyond the Big Screen
This is where the numbers start to climb. If you want to know how many How to Train Your Dragon entries exist in total, you have to look at the TV shows, which are split across different networks and eras.
The first major foray into television was DreamWorks Dragons. It’s a bit confusing because the title changes depending on which season or platform you’re looking at. The first two seasons, Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk, aired on Cartoon Network. They take place between the first and second movies. After that, the show moved to Netflix and was rebranded as Race to the Edge.
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Race to the Edge is actually the meat of the franchise for many die-hard fans. It ran for six seasons. If you’re keeping count, that’s eight seasons of television just focusing on the original "Dragon Riders" crew. It introduces the Dragon Eye, the Dragon Hunters, and some of the coolest species like the Death Song and the Snow Wraith. Without these shows, the jump from Hiccup being a teenager in the first movie to a young man in the second feels a bit jarring.
But wait, there’s more.
DreamWorks eventually decided to target a younger audience with Dragons: Rescue Riders. This one is controversial among the older fanbase because the dragons actually talk to the humans. It’s set in the same world but features a completely different cast of characters and dragons. There are six seasons of this, plus several standalone specials.
Then we have Dragons: The Nine Realms. This show takes a massive leap into the modern day. It’s set 1,300 years after the events of The Hidden World. It follows a group of kids who discover that dragons have been hiding in a massive fissure in the earth. It ran for eight seasons, concluding in late 2023.
The Short Films and Holiday Specials
If you’re a completionist, you can’t ignore the shorts. These are often tucked away in the "Extras" menu of Blu-rays or released as standalone holiday events.
- Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon (2010) - A fun, 16-minute quest.
- Book of Dragons (2011) - Basically an encyclopedia entry in movie form.
- Gift of the Night Fury (2011) - The classic Christmas/Snoggletog special.
- Dawn of the Dragon Racers (2014) - Explains how the sport of dragon racing started.
- How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019) - A poignant special set after the third movie featuring Hiccup’s kids.
- Snoggletog Log (2019) - Literally just a Yule Log video, but it counts as official media.
The Live-Action Shift: What’s Coming Next?
As of early 2026, the count is about to change again. Universal and DreamWorks are moving forward with a live-action remake of the original film. Mason Thames is playing Hiccup, and Nico Parker is Astrid. Interestingly, Gerard Butler is returning to play Stoick the Vast, which is a rare move for these kinds of remakes.
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This isn't just a "fourth movie." It’s a complete ground-up reimagining. It adds a whole new layer to the question of how many How to Train Your Dragon movies and shows are there because it effectively restarts the clock.
Doing the Math: The Final Tally
Let’s get down to the actual numbers. If we categorize everything produced by DreamWorks Animation since 2010, here is the breakdown:
Theatrical Movies: 3
(The original trilogy).
Live-Action Movies: 1
(The 2025/2026 remake).
Primary TV Series: 22 Seasons
This includes Riders/Defenders of Berk (2), Race to the Edge (6), Rescue Riders (6), and The Nine Realms (8).
Short Films and Specials: 5-6
Depending on whether you count the Snoggletog Log as a "film" or just background ambiance.
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When you add it all up, you aren't just looking at a trilogy. You are looking at a massive ecosystem of over 300 individual episodes of television and four feature-length films. It is one of the most prolific animated franchises in history, rivaling the likes of Shrek or Kung Fu Panda in sheer volume of content.
Navigating the Watch Order
If you actually want to watch all of this, don’t just go by release date. It’s a mess. The best way to experience the story of Hiccup and Toothless specifically is to go:
- How to Train Your Dragon (Movie 1)
- Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon
- Gift of the Night Fury
- Riders of Berk / Defenders of Berk (TV)
- Race to the Edge (TV)
- How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Movie 2)
- How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Movie 3)
- How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming
You can basically skip Rescue Riders and The Nine Realms if you only care about the original characters, as they are separate storylines. The Nine Realms is technically canon to the distant future, but it doesn't impact the emotional arc of the Berkians.
The complexity of the franchise reflects how much people love this world. It wasn't enough to just have three movies. Fans wanted to see how the saddles were made, how specific dragon species were named, and what happened when the dragons finally left. While some of the spin-offs (looking at you, The Nine Realms) have mixed reviews from the core fanbase, the sheer volume of content ensures there is something for every age group.
To get the most out of your next marathon, verify which streaming platforms currently hold the rights. Currently, the movies tend to bounce between Peacock and Netflix, while Race to the Edge remains a Netflix original. If you’re looking for the short films, many are now bundled on YouTube via the official DreamWorks "Dragons" channel or available on DVD collections. Start with the 2010 original—it still holds up as a masterclass in animation and score.