Lore FortressWhen Does Each Resident Evil Game Take Place?
Resident Evil 1 happens on 24 and 25 July 1998 and Revelations 2 in 2011. Here is every mainline game with its in-universe year, plus the games that split across two dates and the one that jumps to 2037.
Resident Evil 1 takes place on 24 and 25 July 1998, and the later mainline games run forward from there to Requiem in October 2026. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 happens in 2011, with an epilogue two years later in 2013. The table below gives every mainline game and the dates the Resident Evil Wiki assigns to it. (Resident Evil Wiki, Timeline by media)
Every mainline game and its in-universe date#
Dates are from the wiki's timeline of the main Resident Evil continuity. Where a game covers more than one stretch, the table lists the main one and the footnotes below cover the rest. (Resident Evil Wiki, Timeline by media)
| Game | In-universe date | Incident | | --- | --- | --- | | Resident Evil 0 | 23 to 24 July 1998 | Ecliptic Express Incident | | Resident Evil | 24 to 25 July 1998 | Mansion Incident | | Resident Evil 3: Nemesis | 23 September to 1 October 1998 | Raccoon City Incident | | Resident Evil 2 | 29 to 30 September 1998 | Raccoon City Incident | | Resident Evil Code: Veronica | 27 to 28 December 1998 | Rockfort Island Incident and Antarctic Base Outbreak | | Resident Evil 4 | Autumn 2004 | 2004 Abduction of the President's Daughter | | Resident Evil 5 | 4 to 6 March 2009 | Kijuju Autonomous Zone Incident | | Resident Evil 6 | 24 December 2012 to 1 July 2013 | Edonian Civil War, Tall Oaks and Lanshiang | | Resident Evil 7: Biohazard | 19 to 20 July 2017 | Baker House Incident | | Resident Evil Village | 8 to 10 February 2021 | Village Incident | | Resident Evil Requiem | 8 to 9 October 2026 | Wrenwood City Outbreak, Rhodes Hill and the Search for Elpis |
The Revelations games#
Neither Revelations game is in the table, but the wiki places both in the same continuity. Resident Evil: Revelations is set in 2005, in the Queen Zenobia Incident, and its Episode 3, Ghosts of Veltro, is in the summer of 2004. (Resident Evil Wiki, Timeline by media)
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 takes place on Sein Island in 2011. The Claire episodes are in January and February, and the Barry episodes, with the extra episode Little Miss, are in July and August. The epilogue, Two Years Later, is dated 29 June 2013. (Resident Evil Wiki, Timeline by media)
The dates that don't fit one row#
Several games cover more than one period, and the single dates in the table hide that.
Resident Evil 5 mostly happens in March 2009, but its Lost in Nightmares chapter is in August 2006, in the Raid on the Spencer Estate. Resident Evil 6 starts on 24 and 25 December 2012 with parts of Chris's and Jake's stories, then the rest runs from 27 June to 1 July 2013. (Resident Evil Wiki, Timeline by media)
Resident Evil 7 has a 2014 prologue. Old Videotape is on 5 October 2014 and Daughters on 10 October 2014. The main story is on 19 and 20 July 2017, Not A Hero is on 20 July, and End of Zoe is in July and August. (Resident Evil Wiki, Timeline by media)
Village's main game is 8 to 10 February 2021. Its Shadows of Rose chapter and epilogue cutscene jump to 2037. Requiem's main game is 8 to 9 October 2026, but the wiki also dates Chloe's orphanage scene to February 1990 and the Wrenwood Hotel case to 19 October 2018. (Resident Evil Wiki, Timeline by media)
Resident Evil story explained in date order#
Read the table top to bottom and the story is a staircase. July 1998 is the mansion. September 1998 is Raccoon City. December 1998 is Rockfort Island and Antarctica. Then no mainline game until 2004, which is why Resident Evil 4 feels like a fresh start to me. For the plot of each game, the story explained guide goes through them, and the full timeline adds the events before 1998.
My read is that Resident Evil 3 is the odd one out. It starts on 23 September, before Resident Evil 2, and finishes on 1 October, after it. So the "right" order is the first half of 3, then 2, then the second half of 3, and almost nobody plays it that way. (Resident Evil Wiki, Timeline by media)
Canon Notes#
The wiki lists the Mansion Incident under the 2002 Resident Evil game, since that version retells the original, so I've treated the two as the same events. The wiki's timeline covers its main continuity only, which takes in the CG films but not the live-action ones, and the films guide deals with both. (Resident Evil Wiki, Timeline by media)
Frequently asked questions
- When does Resident Evil 1 take place?
- On 24 and 25 July 1998, in the Mansion Incident near Raccoon City, with Chris and Jill. The wiki lists it under the 2002 game, which retells the original.
- When does Resident Evil Revelations 2 take place?
- The Claire episodes are in January and February 2011, and the Barry episodes are in July and August 2011, both on Sein Island. The epilogue, Two Years Later, is on 29 June 2013.
- What order should you play Resident Evil in story order?
- By the wiki dates: Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil in July 1998, then Resident Evil 3 and 2 across September and October 1998, then Code: Veronica in December 1998, then 4, Revelations, 5, Revelations 2, 6, 7, Village and Requiem.
- Does Resident Evil 2 happen before Resident Evil 3?
- They overlap. The wiki puts the opening of Resident Evil 3 on 23 to 27 September 1998, Resident Evil 2 on 29 and 30 September, and the second half of Resident Evil 3 on 1 October.
- When does Resident Evil Requiem take place?
- The main game is on 8 and 9 October 2026. The wiki also lists scenes from 2018 and 1990 for the backstory.
Sources
- WikiResident Evil Wiki: Timeline by media, residentevil.fandom.com, CC BY-SA, read 8 November 2026; every date in the table comes from this page
- GameResident Evil 0, Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Resident Evil Code: Veronica, Capcom, 1996 to 2002; in-universe dates as listed by the wiki
- GameResident Evil 4, 5, 6, 7: Biohazard, Village and Requiem, Capcom, 2005 to 2026; in-universe dates as listed by the wiki
- GameResident Evil: Revelations and Revelations 2, Capcom, 2012 and 2015
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
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