Resident Evil Series in Order (2026 Guide)

If you want the Resident Evil series in order by story, the timeline runs: Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil (July 1998), Resident Evil 2 and 3 (September 1998), Code: Veronica (December 1998), then a six-year jump to Resident Evil 4 (2004), followed by 5, 6, 7, Village, and Requiem. Almost the entire classic era happens in a single catastrophic year, which is why the chronology confuses so many newcomers.

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The Resident Evil Series in Order of Story Chronology

Capcom has never released the games in timeline order, so the chronology has to be reconstructed. Here it is, mainline entries plus the spin-offs that actually matter.

1998: The Raccoon City Year

• Resident Evil 0 — 23 July 1998. Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen aboard the Ecliptic Express, hours before the original game.
• Resident Evil — 24 July 1998. S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team enters the Spencer Mansion. Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine.
• Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (first half) — 28 September 1998. Jill’s escape begins before RE2’s events.
• Resident Evil 2 — 29 September 1998. Leon Kennedy’s first day on the job; Claire Redfield searching for Chris.
• Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (second half) — 1 October 1998. Jill’s escape concludes after RE2.
• Resident Evil Code: Veronica — December 1998. Claire on Rockfort Island, and the definitive Wesker chapter.

That interleaving of RE2 and RE3 is the single most confusing point in the Resident Evil series in order. RE3 literally brackets RE2 on either side. Play RE2 first regardless, because RE3’s payoff assumes you know what happened at the police station.

2004 Onward: The Global Era

• Resident Evil 4 — 2004. Leon rescues the President’s daughter in rural Spain; Umbrella is already gone.
• Resident Evil Revelations — 2005. Jill and Chris investigate the Queen Zenobia. Slots between 4 and 5.
• Resident Evil 5 — 2009. Chris in Kijuju, West Africa. Closes the Wesker arc.
• Resident Evil Revelations 2 — 2011. Claire and Barry Burton on Sejm Island.
• Resident Evil 6 — 2012–2013. Four intertwined campaigns across three continents.
• Resident Evil 7: Biohazard — 2017. Ethan Winters in Dulvey, Louisiana.
• Resident Evil Village — 2021. Ethan in an unnamed European village three years later.
• Resident Evil Requiem — the ninth mainline entry, released February 2026, returning to Raccoon City with FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft.

The Best Way to Play the Resident Evil Series in Order

The Recommended Route for Newcomers

Do not start chronologically. Start with the Resident Evil 2 remake (2019). It is the most approachable, best-paced, and most representative entry Capcom has ever made. From there play the RE3 remake, then the RE4 remake, then RE7 and Village. Circle back to the 2002 RE remake and RE0 once you have decided you like the fixed-camera classic style.

Remake or Original?

For RE1, RE2, RE3, and RE4 the remakes are the better games with the caveat that they change content. The RE3 remake in particular cuts several areas and the choice-based Nemesis encounters from the 1999 version. The RE4 remake is the most faithful and adds Ada’s Separate Ways as DLC. Purists should play both; everyone else should play the remakes. Modern remakes are demanding on hardware, and RE Engine scales aggressively — our gaming graphics card buying guide covers what these titles actually need.

The Gap Nobody Fills: Code: Veronica

Code: Veronica is the most narratively important game Capcom has never remade. It resolves Claire’s story after RE2, reveals Wesker’s post-mansion transformation, and introduces Alexia Ashford. It is also the hardest of the classics to obtain legally on modern hardware. If you care about the story, find a way to play it before RE5.

As for what to skip: Operation Raccoon City, Umbrella Corps, and the light-gun Chronicles games are non-canonical or negligible. Resident Evil Resistance and Re:Verse are multiplayer modes bundled with other releases. None affect the mainline story.

Understanding the Resident Evil Series in Order of Its Three Design Eras

Era One: Fixed Camera Survival Horror (1996–2002)

Tank controls, static camera angles, ink ribbons, and item boxes. Resources are genuinely scarce and the map itself is the puzzle. Modern players find the controls stiff, but this era’s tension has never been improved upon. A responsive pad makes tank controls far less painful, which our gaming controller buying guide gets into.

Era Two: Over-the-Shoulder Action (2005–2015)

RE4 reinvented the third-person shooter and the whole industry followed. RE5 added co-op, RE6 pushed into full action spectacle and overreached badly. Horror steadily receded across this era, which is precisely why RE7 pivoted so hard.

Era Three: First-Person Horror and the RE Engine (2017–present)

RE7 moved to first person and reset the tone. The RE Engine then powered every remake and Village, giving the series a technical consistency it never had before. Village blends first-person horror with RE4’s inventory and merchant systems, which is why it feels like a synthesis of everything.

First-person horror lives on sound design — the Baker house and Village’s Castle Dimitrescu both use audio to place threats you cannot see, so our gaming headset buying guide is genuinely relevant here. Dark scenes also expose bad panels immediately, covered in our gaming monitor buying guide. For mouse-and-keyboard players tackling the remakes, our gaming mouse buying guide and mechanical keyboard buying guide address the precision these games demand under pressure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the correct Resident Evil series in order for story?

Chronologically it runs Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil, Resident Evil 3 first half, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3 second half, Code: Veronica, Resident Evil 4, Revelations, Resident Evil 5, Revelations 2, Resident Evil 6, Resident Evil 7, Village, then Requiem. Most players are better served starting with the RE2 remake instead.

Does Resident Evil 3 happen before or after Resident Evil 2?

Both. Jill Valentine’s escape from Raccoon City begins on 28 September 1998, one day before Leon and Claire arrive, and concludes on 1 October, after they have already left. The two games overlap deliberately, with Resident Evil 3 wrapping around Resident Evil 2 on either side of the timeline.

Do I need to play the older Resident Evil games before the new ones?

No. Resident Evil 7, Village, and Requiem all feature new protagonists and are designed to be entry points. They contain references and returning characters that reward series knowledge, but the core plots are self-contained. Village in particular explains everything a newcomer needs about its predecessor.

Which Resident Evil game should I play first?

The 2019 Resident Evil 2 remake. It has modern over-the-shoulder controls, the tight resource management the series is famous for, one of its best campaigns, and two scenarios that add replay value. It also sits at the centre of the timeline, giving you useful context for almost everything else in the series.