In this monothematic special we want to analyze in what order to recover the games of the Resident Evil series, one of the largest and longest-running franchises in the videogame industry
The Resident Evil series was born in the distant 1996, when many of you probably were not yet born yet. Capcom has made it an icon, among characters, settings and “enemies” now considered memorable, despite the ups and downs of the various chapters that have followed over the years, both from the public and from the critics. The franchise is, as of this writing, now made up of more than twenty console video games, six movies, two recent Netflix series, novels, comics and even plays. A jumble of content, therefore, to which we would like to try to make sense with this article, in which, however, we will only deal with our daily bread: video games.
The release order: from 1996 to …
The thing that many might find the most sensible is, of course, to retrieve all the games in the Resident Evil series in chronological order. Surely on an authorial level it is the best choice, we admit it, but if the guide were to end here it would not be so useful, come on. Below, however, find the release order of the main titles and which we will then reorder in chronological order from the first chapter of 1996 to Resident Evil Village and its DLC. In bold you see the video games from the main timeline of the franchise.
- Resident Evil (1996)
- Resident Evil 2 (1998)
- Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)
- Resident Evil: Code – Veronica (2000)
- 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 Village / Shadows of Rose (2021/2022)
How to play them in chronological order? | Resident Evil: in what order to recover the games of the franchise
In this guide we have focused on the 12 titles in the Resident Evil franchise, specifically the 10 main chapters and the two spin-offs Revelations. Considering the amount of content that we have discarded, you can consider this article, more than an exhaustive and complete history of the franchise, a guide for all those who want to enter the world of Resident Evil.
Missing, in this list, all mobile games and pachinko as well as shooters on Wii (Resident Evil Survivor, Resident Evil Survivor 3, Dead Aim, Umbrella Chronicles, Darkside Chronicles) and non-canon video games or spin-offs that are hard to find (Resident Evil Gaiden, Outbreak, Outbreak: File #2, Mercenaries 3D, Operation Raccoon City, Resistance, Umbrella Corps, Re:Verse).
Before moving on to the list, we announce that we will talk about two video games per paragraph and that there will obviously be some spoiler light about the plot, characters or various details. Let’s begin!
Resident Evil 0 / Resident Evil | Resident Evil: in what order to recover the games of the franchise
Resident Evil 0 is actually the fifth installment of the series, but the first to be considered in chronological order. It is set exactly before the events of the first chapter, with a young Rebecca Chambers from STARS and ex-marine Billy Coen discovering a train full of zombies in the Arklay Mountains. Billy and Rebecca reveal important information related to historical villains in the series, such as Albert Wesker and William Birkin, as well as the origins of the Umbrella Corporation and the deadly Virus T. The title ends with Rebecca heading towards the Villawhere he will be a support character at the events of Resident Evil 1. The game is available on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, Wii, GameCube and PC.
The first chapter of the franchise was released in 1996 on Sony PlayStation, although we advise you, if you decide to recover it today, in 2022, to throw yourself on the 2002 remake or on the even more recent version HD Remastered which not only improves the gameplay, but expands history too. Resident Evil begins immediately after Resident Evil 0, and in this chapter you will play as two STARS agents, Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, who arrive at Villa Spencer while investigating a series of murders in the suburbs of Raccoon City. The game is available on PS4, PS3, PS1, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, Wii, GameCube, Nintendo DS, Saturn and PC.
Resident Evil 2 / Resident Evil 3 | Resident Evil: in what order to recover the games of the franchise
Resident Evil 2 comes to life two months after Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil introducing two new protagonists – Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield (Chris’s sister) – both with a separate campaign, albeit connected to the other. Additionally, Resident Evil 2 introduces the recurring character of Ada Wong and the iconic enemy Tyrant. More information on William Birkin’s figure and his work is added, as well as the G Virus introduced. The game is available on PS5, PS4, PS1, Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch (from November 11th), GameCube, N64, Dreamcast and PC.
Resident Evil 3 makes the chronology of the franchise a little more complex than what has been done so far by the prequels, but for simplicity we advise you to play it after the second chapter. The first part of RE 3 is set before the events of RE 2, while the second part tells about subsequent events. You will start playing as Jill Valentine, still in crisis after the events of the first Resident Evil, who tries to escape from a Raccoon City overrun by zombies. For part of the game, Jill will not be available and control of the gamer will pass to her mercenary ally Carlos Oliviera. Resident Evil 3 also introduces the Nemesis. The game is available on PS5, PS4, PS1, Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch (starting November 18), GameCube, Dreamcast and PC.
Resident Evil: Code – Veronica / Resident Evil 4 | Resident Evil: in what order to recover the games of the franchise
Resident Evil: Code – Veronica makes a time jump of about two months and puts us in the shoes of Claire Redfield, who continues the search for her brother Chris. It is set in one of Umbrella’s offices in France, from which Claire escapes after being imprisoned. From her side, Chris returns as the second playable character in Code Veronica and, just like Claire, she is looking for her sister. The game is available on PS4, PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, GameCube, Dreamcast. 
Resident Evil 4 is, almost undoubtedly, one of the most beloved chapters of the series and puts gamers in the shoes of Leon Kennedy, six years after the events recounted in Raccoon City in Resident Evil 2. Leon is on his way to a rural village in Spain to rescue the daughter of the president of the United States of America. In this chapter the presence of Albert Wesker and Ada Wong make a strong comeback. The remake of the fourth chapter will arrive on March 24, 2023, for now the game is available on PS4, PS3, PS2, Xbox One, Xbox 350, Nintendo Switch, Wii, GameCube, PC and VR devices.
Resident Evil Revelations / Resident Evil 5 | Resident Evil: in what order to recover the games of the franchise
Resident Evil Revelations is a spin-off that tells the events between Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5. Revelations explores another consequence of Umbrella’s development of biological weapons and introduces the BSAA, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance. Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield are BSAA agents and travel to the Mediterranean to confront the aftermath of the Abyss T, a new variant of the Virus T. The game is available on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, Wii U, 3DS and PC.
Resident Evil 5 is set five years after the fourth installment. Chris Redfield, as a BSAA agent, flies to Africa with his partner Sheva Alomar to prevent the black market from selling a biological weapon. However, the inhabitants of Kijuju have already been infected with an even more updated version of the Resident Evil 4 parasite. In this chapter, Chris is also looking for Jill, who has long since disappeared, and more information about Albert Wesker’s plan is explored. . The game is available on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Resident Evil Revelations 2 / Resident Evil 6 | Resident Evil: in what order to recover the games of the franchise
Resident Evil Revelations 2 tells the events between Resident Evil 5 and 6. In Revelations 2 takes place the great return of Claire Redfield, absent from the spotlight from Code Veronica. The game is divided into four episodes, each consisting of two further parts: one sequence narrates past events, starring Claire and Moira Burton, while the second narrates events of the present, starring Barry Burton, Moira’s father, who is in search of the two girls. The game is available on PS4, PS3, PSVita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Resident Evil 6 is a pure action adventure which tells an even more convoluted story than that of Resident Evil 5. It combines four different campaigns starring Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield, Ada Wong and a mercenary named Jake Muller. The BSAA introduced in Revelations plays a very important role in this sixth chapter, as our large group tries to counter the Neo-Umbrella bioterrorists and prevent the spread of another version of the parasite, the Virus C. The game is available on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard / Resident Evil Village | Resident Evil: in what order to recover the games of the franchise
The arrival of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard pointed out Capcom’s will to revolutionize the franchise in many ways. The fifth and sixth chapters had disillusioned the expectations of the fans, and for this reason the company decided to detach from its past and create a sort of Reboot, also passing from the third to the first person. The protagonist is Ethan Winters and, despite all the changes, basic RE 7 still exists in the canonical timeline of the series, probably coming to life in the modern era sometime after RE 6. Set in rural Louisiana, Biohazard takes up some of the founding themes of the franchise, such as experimentation on humans, biological weapons and towards the end … there are also familiar faces. The game is available on PS5, Xbox Series X | S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Resident Evil Village is the conclusion of the story of Ethan Winters, set three years after the events of Resident Evil 7. Village has some more connection with the past of the series, giving even more importance to the “familiar faces” mentioned above. and gives more information on the origins of Umbrella. The recently released DLC, Shadows of Rose, stars Ethan’s daughter, Rose, trying to free herself from the unsolicited powers inherent in her father. Shadows of Rose makes the series make the biggest time jump ever, being set sixteen years after the end of Village. Both Village and DLC are available on PS5, Xbox Series X | S, PS4, Xbox One, …