Resident Evil Games in Order (2026 Guide)

The fastest answer to “what are the Resident Evil games in order?” is release order: Resident Evil (1996), Resident Evil 2 (1998), Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999), Code: Veronica (2000), Resident Evil Zero (2002), Resident Evil 4 (2005), Resident Evil 5 (2009), Resident Evil 6 (2012), Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017), Resident Evil Village (2021), and Resident Evil Requiem in 2026.

But that list hides a lot. There are remakes that replace originals, two Revelations side-stories that carry real plot weight, and roughly a dozen spin-offs ranging from decent to genuinely bad. Here is the complete, sorted picture — what each game is, where it sits, and what is safe to skip.

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All Resident Evil Games in Order of Release

Capcom has shipped over thirty Resident Evil products since 1996, but only about a dozen matter to the story. Sorted by release year, the essential spine looks like this: 1996 Resident Evil; 1998 Resident Evil 2; 1999 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis; 2000 Code: Veronica; 2002 Resident Evil remake and Resident Evil Zero; 2005 Resident Evil 4; 2009 Resident Evil 5; 2012 Revelations and Resident Evil 6; 2015 Revelations 2; 2017 Resident Evil 7; 2019 Resident Evil 2 Remake; 2020 Resident Evil 3 Remake; 2021 Village; 2023 Resident Evil 4 Remake; and 2026 Resident Evil Requiem.

The Classic Era (1996–2002)

The first four games share a design language: pre-rendered backgrounds, fixed camera angles, tank controls, limited saves via ink ribbons, and a storage box that magically links across the map. They are slower and more puzzle-driven than anything Capcom makes now, and they are unapologetically about resource anxiety. The 2002 GameCube remake of the original is the high point of this era and still one of the best-looking games of its generation thanks to those hand-painted backdrops. If you plan to run the classic collection at high refresh, our notes on the best gaming monitors for retro and classic titles explain why frame pacing matters more than raw resolution here.

The Action Era (2005–2012)

Resident Evil 4 tore up the rulebook. Leon Kennedy, an over-the-shoulder camera, an inventory grid you play Tetris with, and a merchant who never explains himself. It was so successful that Gears of War, Dead Space, and The Last of Us all borrowed from it. Resident Evil 5 kept the formula and added a permanent co-op partner. Resident Evil 6 pushed further into blockbuster action with four interlocking campaigns and lost most of the horror in the process. It is still the most content-dense entry in the series at roughly 30 hours, and its Mercenaries mode is genuinely excellent.

The Modern Era (2017–2026)

Resident Evil 7 reset everything. First person, a single decaying house in Louisiana, and a nobody protagonist named Ethan Winters searching for his missing wife. It reintroduced scarcity and vulnerability, and it sold the series to a whole new audience. Village followed with a bigger, weirder, more varied map, and Requiem continues the modern arc. All three lean on precise aiming and directional sound, so this is where peripherals genuinely change your results — a look at the best gaming mouse buying guide is worth ten minutes before a Village hardcore run.

The Remakes and Which Version to Play

Four games have been fully remade: Resident Evil (2002), Resident Evil 2 (2019), Resident Evil 3 (2020), and Resident Evil 4 (2023). In every case the remake is the recommended version for a first playthrough. The 2019 RE2 in particular is a masterclass — it converts the fixed-camera original into a modern over-the-shoulder game while making the Raccoon City Police Department feel larger and more oppressive than it did in 1998. The 2020 RE3 is the one genuine downgrade, cutting the original’s clock tower and branching choices, though its combat feels superb.

The Revelations Sub-Series

Revelations takes place in 2005, between RE4 and RE5, and follows Jill Valentine aboard the abandoned cruise liner Queen Zenobia. Revelations 2 jumps to 2011 with Claire Redfield and Barry Burton’s daughter Moira on a Soviet-era prison island, told across four episodes. Both are shorter and cheaper than mainline entries, both have addictive score-attack modes, and both run comfortably on modest hardware. That makes them a good fit for handheld PCs — see the best handheld gaming PC guide if you want to play them on the move.

Spin-Offs, Ranked Bluntly

Worth playing: Resident Evil Outbreak and its sequel for their ambitious early online co-op, and the Chronicles rail shooters if you enjoy light-gun games. Skip: Operation Raccoon City, Umbrella Corps, Resistance, and the mobile Gaiden oddity. The Dead Aim and Survivor PS2 experiments are curiosities only. None of these affect the canon in a way that will confuse you if you skip them, and Capcom itself has quietly stopped referencing most of them.

Where the Movies and Shows Fit

They do not. The Paul W. S. Anderson film series starring Milla Jovovich is its own continuity with an original protagonist. The 2021 Welcome to Raccoon City film adapts the first two games loosely, and the Netflix animated series Infinite Darkness is technically game-canon but inessential. If your goal is understanding the games in order, treat all screen adaptations as optional extras. A decent living-room setup helps for co-op sessions and marathons alike — our gaming TV and 4K display buying guide covers input lag thresholds that actually matter.

How Long the Whole Series Takes

A complete run of the eleven story-essential games sits at roughly 110 to 130 hours, assuming a single playthrough each and no completionist detours. Resident Evil 6 is the longest at around 25 to 30 hours; Resident Evil 3 Remake is the shortest at around five. Most entries reward replays with unlockable weapons and higher difficulties, and the series has always been built around speedrun-friendly ranking screens. If you plan to record or stream a full marathon, check the best capture card buying guide before you commit to a console-based run.

Frequently Asked Questions

What order should I play the Resident Evil games in for the story?

For pure story chronology, play Zero, then the original Resident Evil, then Resident Evil 3‘s opening, Resident Evil 2, the rest of RE3, Code: Veronica, Resident Evil 4, Revelations, Resident Evil 5, Revelations 2, Resident Evil 6, Resident Evil 7, and finally Village. Most fans still recommend release order for a first run.

Are the Resident Evil remakes canon?

Capcom treats the remakes as the current canonical versions of those stories, though it has never formally invalidated the originals. Small details differ between versions, such as character encounters and the presence of certain locations, but the major events — the mansion outbreak, the fall of Raccoon City, Leon’s rescue mission in Spain — are identical across both.

Which Resident Evil game is the scariest?

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is generally considered the most frightening, largely because of the first-person perspective and the claustrophobic Baker house. The 2019 Resident Evil 2 remake runs a close second thanks to Mr. X, an unkillable pursuer who tracks you by sound through the police station and cannot be permanently stopped.

Do I need to play every Resident Evil game to understand the story?

No. The essential path is the original trilogy or its remakes, Code: Veronica, Resident Evil 4, and Resident Evil 5, which together close out the Umbrella and Wesker storylines. Resident Evil 7 onward begins a largely self-contained arc that requires almost no prior knowledge to follow.