Resident Evil Games in Order: Release Order and Story Order

There are 11 numbered or main-line Resident Evil stories, from Resident Evil (1996) to Resident Evil Requiem (2026), plus the two Revelations games, four full remakes and a long tail of spin-offs. The games mostly came out in story order, with two exceptions: Resident Evil 0 is a prequel to the first game, and Resident Evil 3 starts before Resident Evil 2 and ends after it. Both lists below match the Resident Evil timeline. (Resident Evil 0; Resident Evil 3: Nemesis; Resident Evil Requiem)

Release order#

The main series, with first release date and launch platforms:

1. Resident Evil, 22 March 1996, PlayStation (a Windows version followed in Japan that December, then Windows in the West and the Sega Saturn in 1997). S.T.A.R.S. officers trapped in a mansion outside Raccoon City. See the Resident Evil story. (Resident Evil)
2. Resident Evil 2, 21 January 1998, PlayStation. Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield in the fall of Raccoon City. See the Resident Evil 2 story. (Resident Evil 2)
3. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, 22 September 1999, PlayStation. Jill Valentine escapes the city while Nemesis hunts her. See the Resident Evil 3 story. (Resident Evil 3: Nemesis)
4. Resident Evil Code: Veronica, 3 February 2000, Dreamcast (expanded as Code: Veronica X on PlayStation 2 in 2001). Claire and Chris Redfield on Rockfort Island and in Antarctica. See the Code: Veronica story. (Resident Evil Code: Veronica)
5. Resident Evil 0, 12 November 2002, GameCube. Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen, the day before the first game. See the Resident Evil 0 story. (Resident Evil 0)
6. Resident Evil 4, 11 January 2005, GameCube (PlayStation 2 followed that October). Leon in rural Spain against Las Plagas. See the Resident Evil 4 story. (Resident Evil 4)
7. Resident Evil 5, 5 March 2009, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (Windows followed that September). Chris and Sheva Alomar in Africa against Albert Wesker. See the Resident Evil 5 story. (Resident Evil 5)
8. Resident Evil 6, 2 October 2012, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (Windows followed in March 2013). Four linked campaigns about the C-virus. See the Resident Evil 6 story. (Resident Evil 6)
9. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, 24 January 2017, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows. Ethan Winters at the Baker farm in Louisiana. See the Resident Evil 7 story. (Resident Evil 7: Biohazard)
10. Resident Evil Village, 7 May 2021, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Windows and Stadia. Ethan in a village in Eastern Europe. See the Village story. (Resident Evil Village)
11. Resident Evil Requiem, 27 February 2026, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Windows and Nintendo Switch 2. FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft and Leon return to Raccoon City. See the Requiem story. (Resident Evil Requiem)

The two Revelations games are full side stories set between the numbered ones:

1. Resident Evil: Revelations, 26 January 2012, Nintendo 3DS (HD versions followed in 2013). Jill on the cruise ship Queen Zenobia. See the Revelations story. (Resident Evil: Revelations)
2. Resident Evil: Revelations 2, 24 February 2015, released in episodes on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Windows. Claire and Moira Burton, then Barry Burton, on a prison island. See the Revelations 2 story. (Resident Evil: Revelations 2)

Story (chronological) order#

1. Resident Evil 0, 23 to 24 July 1998. (Resident Evil 0)
2. Resident Evil or the 2002 remake, 24 to 25 July 1998. (Resident Evil; Resident Evil (2002))
3. Resident Evil 3, first half, 28 September 1998. Jill's story starts a day before Leon and Claire arrive. (Resident Evil 3: Nemesis)
4. Resident Evil 2 or the 2019 remake, 29 to 30 September 1998. (Resident Evil 2; Resident Evil 2 (2019))
5. Resident Evil 3, second half, to dawn on 1 October 1998, when Raccoon City is destroyed. (Resident Evil 3: Nemesis; Resident Evil 3 (2020))
6. Resident Evil Code: Veronica, December 1998. (Resident Evil Code: Veronica)
7. Resident Evil 4 or the 2023 remake, autumn 2004. (Resident Evil 4; Resident Evil 4 (2023))
8. Resident Evil: Revelations, 2005, with flashbacks to 2004. (Resident Evil: Revelations)
9. Resident Evil 5, March 2009. Its Lost in Nightmares chapter is a flashback to 2006. (Resident Evil 5)
10. Resident Evil: Revelations 2, 2011. (Resident Evil: Revelations 2)
11. Resident Evil 6, December 2012 to July 2013. (Resident Evil 6)
12. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, July 2017. (Resident Evil 7: Biohazard)
13. Resident Evil Village, February 2021. Its Shadows of Rose expansion jumps to 2037. (Resident Evil Village)
14. Resident Evil Requiem, 2026, nearly 28 years after Raccoon City. (Resident Evil Requiem)

Where to start#

There are two good doors in. The first is the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2. It's the best modern take on the classic Raccoon City story, it explains who Leon, Claire, Ada and the Umbrella Corporation are, and it leads straight into the Resident Evil 3 and 4 remakes. You'll want the 2002 remake of the first game too, since that's where Chris, Jill and Wesker's story begins. (Resident Evil 2 (2019); Resident Evil (2002))

The second is Resident Evil 7. It starts a new story with a new hero who knows nothing about Umbrella, so it needs no homework. Village continues it directly. Requiem draws on both eras, with Leon and the ruins of Raccoon City, so play at least one of the Raccoon City games before it. (Resident Evil 7: Biohazard; Resident Evil Village; Resident Evil Requiem)

Remakes or originals? For Resident Evil 2, 3 and 4 the remakes keep the core plot and characters while cutting, moving and adding scenes. The Resident Evil 3 remake cuts the most, so the 1999 original is worth a look later. For the first game, the 2002 remake is a full rebuild that adds new backstory, such as the Trevor family, and it's the version most fans treat as definitive. (Resident Evil 3 (2020); Resident Evil 3: Nemesis; Resident Evil (2002))

For the whole plot without playing everything, read Resident Evil story explained.

Remakes#

• Resident Evil, 22 March 2002, GameCube. A full remake of the first game. An HD remaster followed in Japan in November 2014 and worldwide in January 2015. (Resident Evil (2002))
• Resident Evil 2, 25 January 2019, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows. (Resident Evil 2 (2019))
• Resident Evil 3, 3 April 2020, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows. (Resident Evil 3 (2020))
• Resident Evil 4, 24 March 2023, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Windows. Ada's side story, Separate Ways, followed as DLC that September. (Resident Evil 4 (2023))
• Resident Evil Veronica, a remake of Code: Veronica, was announced in June 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Windows and Nintendo Switch 2, due in 2027. (Resident Evil Veronica)

Spin-offs#

None of these are needed for the main story. A few add useful background.

• Resident Evil Outbreak (11 December 2003, PlayStation 2) and Outbreak: File #2 (9 September 2004, PlayStation 2). Ordinary citizens trying to survive the fall of Raccoon City. One of them, the reporter Alyssa Ashcroft, is Grace's mother in Requiem. (Resident Evil Outbreak; Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2; Resident Evil Requiem)
• Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (13 November 2007, Wii) and The Darkside Chronicles (17 November 2009, Wii). On-rails retellings of the early games. Umbrella Chronicles adds the only game account of Umbrella's fall in 2003. (Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles; Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles)
• Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (20 March 2012, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360). A squad shooter about Umbrella's own soldiers in Raccoon City, outside the main continuity. (Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City)
• Other spin-offs: Resident Evil Survivor (2000), Resident Evil Gaiden (2001), Resident Evil: Dead Aim (2003), The Mercenaries 3D (2011), Umbrella Corps (2016), the multiplayer games Resident Evil Resistance (2020) and Re:Verse (2022), and Village's Shadows of Rose expansion (28 October 2022), which is the one extra that continues the main story. (Resident Evil Village)

The CG films and Netflix series also slot in between the games. The Resident Evil films guide and CG films explainer cover them.