With Resident Evil Requiem fresh on everyone’s minds, many players, both veterans and newcomers, might want to start a tour through the many Resident Evil games released throughout the decades. And while some prefer to play the games in release order, playing them in chronological order to prioritize the franchise’s lore is also valid, and even preferred.
Capcom’s zombies have tormented us since 1996, and there are dozens of games ready to be played. However, for today’s list, we’re focusing on the main ones. That means that on-rails light gun shooters, mobile games, and entries that are difficult to access given platform limitations are off the table.
With those rules in mind, you are looking to play a total of 13 games: 0 to Requiem and the two Revelations games. Here is how to play them in chronological order. Minor spoilers ahead!
1. Resident Evil Zero
Released in 2002, Resident Evil 0 is actually the fifth RE game, if you don’t count the first game’s remake, also released in 2002. The game follows S.T.A.R.S. officer Rebecca Chambers and convict Billy Coen, who come across a train full of zombies.
Exploring the T-virus origin, the Umbrella Corporation, and Albert Wesker, RE0 ends with Rebecca heading to the Spencer Mansion, leading to the events of the first Resident Evil.
2. Resident Evil
The first Resident Evil came to the original PlayStation in 1996. We meet Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, both members of S.T.A.R.S., who are forced into Spencer Mansion after zombified dogs attack their team while they were investigating cannibalistic murders in Raccoon City.
By trying to escape the horrors lurking in the shadows, RE presented us with features, such as limited ammo, puzzle solving, and fixed camera angles, that defined the franchise for a long time. Be sure to play the 2015 version, as it is the high-definition version of the 2002 remaster.
3. Resident Evil 2
With Raccoon City falling to the T-virus, Resident Evil 2 (1998) takes place just two months after the Spencer Mansion events. This time around, you are in control of Raccoon City Police Officer Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, Chris’s sister.
Considered by many as one of the best games ever released, RE2 got a 2019 remake, replacing the fixed-camera and tank-control gameplay with a more modern over-the-shoulder third-person perspective.
4. Resident Evil 3
The events of Resident Evil 3 (1999) happen before and after the ones from its predecessor, so one can make the argument that RE3 should be played first. However, to keep things from going overly strict, RE2 to RE3 is the way to go.
Jill Valentine returns as our protagonist, with RE3 focusing on her efforts to escape Raccoon City and, of course, Nemesis, one of gaming’s most iconic and stalking villains. Just like RE2, RE3 received its modern extreme makeover with its 2020 remake.
5. Resident Evil: Code – Veronica
Code Veronica, released in 2000, features Claire as the main protagonist, who is still searching for her brother Chris, months after the events of RE2. Raccoon City is replaced with Rockfort Island and a research facility in Antarctica, both swarmed by zombies.
While it isn’t numbered, Code Veronica is, in fact, a mainline RE game. It might be the one game that feels the most dated, as it hasn’t been remade (therefore, you have tank controls). Its remastered X version is available on modern consoles as a classic.
6. Resident Evil 4
With Resident Evil 4 (2005) came a new chapter for RE. Set six years after the events of RE2, players take control of Leon, who is tasked with saving the US president’s daughter from a religious cult in Spain. The T-virus is replaced with Las Plagas, replacing the traditional zombies with mind-controlled, aggressive enemies.
Gone were the fixed camera angles in favor of an over-the-shoulder perspective, and the over-the-top tone mixed perfectly with its intense action. RE4 was later remade in 2023.
7. Resident Evil: Revelations
Released after RE5, Revelations (2012) actually takes place before it, but after the events of RE4. Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, now part of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), must investigate the threat of the T-Abyss, a new T-virus strain.
Revelations is a classic RE game, as it brings back gameplay elements similar to the first, not remade RE games. It is a survival horror game rather than a shooter, and is available on modern platforms via backward compatibility and on PC.
8. Resident Evil 5
Five years after the events of RE4, Resident Evil 5 (2009) has Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar traveling to Africa to prevent a bioweapon from being sold. An enhanced version of Las Plagas already infected the local population, leading to an action-packed, shooting adventure.
RE5’s campaign was designed as a cooperative experience, with the second player taking control of Sheva (the computer controls her if you solo the game). While the game has not been remastered, it is available on modern platforms.
9. Resident Evil: Revelations 2
Similar to its predecessor, Revelations 2 (2015) takes place between two numbered entries (RE5 and RE6). Claire Redfield is back, and Barry Burton, one of the original RE supporting characters, becomes playable for the first time.
The game’s episodes were originally released each week by Capcom, and it shares Revelations’ survival horror traits, with new stealth elements being added this time around. You can play the game via backward compatibility on modern consoles and PC.
10. Resident Evil 6
Three years after RE5, Resident Evil 6 (2012) features a whopping four playable characters: Leon, Chris, Ada Wong, and Jake Muller, Wesker’s son. In a somewhat convoluted manner, RE6 brings forth four different, intersecting campaigns, with the protagonists working to prevent the spread of the C-virus.
RE6, playable on modern consoles and PC, is considered a low point in the series, with many believing that its heavy action-oriented gameplay was too much of a deviation from its survival horror roots.
11. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Five years after RE6 was released, Capcom put out Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Featuring a new protagonist, Ethan Winters, the game overhauled a decade of action and shooter games in favor of a creepy, puzzle-solving, survival horror experience with a first-person perspective.
Instead of fighting off giant corporations or escaping zombie cities, Ethan searches for his missing wife at the Baker Ranch, with the Baker family being infected by Eveline, a mold human bioweapon.
While it is unclear exactly how much time has passed since RE6, Biohazard exists in the main RE timeline, despite it feeling more like a reboot given its characteristics. The game is available on all current platforms.
12. Resident Evil Village
A direct sequel to Biohazard, Resident Evil Village (2021) takes place three years after the Baker Ranch events. Ethan is back as our protagonist, who is now tasked with finding his kidnapped daughter in a village filled to the brim with werewolf-like creatures and other mutants.
Village’s DLC, Shadows of Rose, takes place 16 years after the events at the aforementioned village, featuring Ethan’s daughter, Rose, as the protagonist, bringing back the third-person perspective seen in previous RE games in the series.
13. Resident Evil Requiem
The newest Resident Evil game, Requiem, takes place years after Village, and decades after the events at Spencer Mansion. Newcomer Grace Ashcroft and series veteran Leon Kennedy must go back to investigate what remains of Raccoon City.
The game blends the tense nature of Biohazard and Village with the action seen in RE4 and its remake, using first and third-person perspectives to haunt the player into madness.
All mainline Resident Evil games in release order
You have more than a hundred hours of RE games ready to play, with way more if you plan to play the other not listed games, such as the Outbreak games, Survivor, or Resistance.
In case you were wondering, here are the listed games in release order, including the original RE games and their remakes:
Resident Evil (1996)
Resident Evil 2 (1998)
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)
Resident Evil: Code - Veronica (2000)
Resident Evil 1 Remake (2002)
Resident Evil 0 (2002)
Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Resident Evil 5 (2009)
Resident Evil: Revelations (2012)
Resident Evil 6 (2012)
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015)
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017)
Resident Evil 2 Remake (2019)
Resident Evil 3 Remake (2020)
Resident Evil Village (2021)
Resident Evil 4 Remake (2023)
Resident Evil Requiem (2026)
Now that you’re ready to tackle the Resident Evil franchise, make sure you also check our full game and tech release calendar so you can keep up with plenty of other games, too.
