Resident Evil games in order: Release & story timeline

By Joe Julians

Published: Tuesday, 20 December 2022 at 12:00 am

Resident Evil has been making us jump since 1996, and its most recent edition, Resident Evil: Village, proved that there is still a lot of life to be found in the horror gaming franchise all these years later.

If you’re a newbie to them, or you fancy revisiting them, here are all the games in the order they were released, and chronologically if you want to go the story order route.

There are some games missing from the list. We decided to stick to the main games in the series rather than include the smaller releases, but even with them taken out there is still a dauntingly large amount of games to get through if you are a first-timer in the Resident Evil world.

Keep in mind, we will be lightly entering spoiler territory here, but we’ll be sure not to give any major talking points away.

How to play Resident Evil games in story order

Our recommended story order for the main Resident Evil games is:

Not all of these games have made it onto modern consoles (yet), of course. We’ve included links to the versions we’d most recommend buying at the moment, taking into account the various remakes that have made this franchise more accessible on modern systems.

Just to complicate things further, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis technically takes place before and after the second game. It’s pretty much half and half, though, so you could stop at the midway point of Resi 3 and then play through the rest once you have completed the second game. (Or if you can’t be bothered to do that, we’d say it’s safe to just play 3 after 2, as we’ve recommended in the list above.)

Also, note that the recent remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 do change some elements of those games, expanding some segments as well as adding new ideas (and in some cases, removing old content). You can play the originals or the remakes, depending on your interest in retro gaming, or try both if you want to see absolutely everything.

Resident Evil games in release date order

There is another option, though! To play the Resident Evil games in release date order, so you see the graphics getting better as you go along, follow this chronology below. Where games are still readily available, we’ve included links to help you collect them.

Resident Evil (1996)

One of the most iconic games in the horror genre, the original Resident Evil released originally in 1996 may not hold up as well as later entries, but even playing now will give you a good indication of why we all fell in love with it. The game is largely confined to a mansion in Raccoon City, and it is the perfect setting for some tense gameplay and some bone-chilling jump scares.

Resident Evil 2 (1998)

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Raccoon City has fallen in the second game in the franchise, and the mission is to get out of there in one piece, while also learning more about what started the whole mess – and who is helping to cover it up. Resident Evil 2 was a stand-out game at the time, and that is even more the case now with the gorgeous remake available to play (more on that later).

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)

Former elite agent Jill Valentine has to escape from a city that has been infected by a virus in the third instalment of the franchise – one that has also been remade from the ground up to look right at home on your current-gen consoles. The action gets dialled up a tad in this one, but it remains a tense and fun game from start to finish as you work to avoid the terrifying Nemesis.

Resident Evil Survivor (2000)

Resident Evil Survivor is a first-person light gun shooter game and the first major spin-off in the horror franchise. While there is a lot to like about the mysterious story that has you play as an amnesiac working to find out who they are and how they got into the mess they are in, the game is not exactly beloved, with many calling it out for being a cash grab coasting off the Resident Evil name – ouch.

Resident Evil Code Veronica (2000)

Claire and Chris Redfield have to survive a viral outbreak at a remote prison island in the Southern Ocean and a research facility in Antarctica – so they have their hands full. The game is split between the two leads and it is one that was, at the time, beloved by fans of the series. And it is still worth a play now with a lot of the story and gameplay elements holding up.

Resident Evil Gaiden (2001)

A rare handheld entry in the franchise, Resident Evil Gaiden was a Game Boy Color title that jumped between a top-down perspective and first-person combat. If you’re playing the games in the modern day, this one is pretty skippable, but purists would urge you to seek out a cartridge anyway.

Resident Evil Remake (2002)

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The era of Resident Evil remakes truly began in 2002, with this new spin on the original game. It originally launched on GameCube, and then came to the Wii, before eventually spreading like a virus onto all of the modern consoles (including the Nintendo Switch). If you want to see how this franchise began without having to go all the way back to the 1990s, this is the way to do it, with modernised graphics that blow the original out of the water.

Resident Evil 0 (2002)

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Prequel time with Resident Evil 0. Players can switch between police officer and medic Rebecca Chambers and convicted former Force Reconnaissance Officer Billy Coen as they explore an old Umbrella training facility – and get ready for one of the tougher main games of the series from the earlier days as this was designed with difficulty in mind.

Resident Evil: Dead Aim (2003)

Another light-gun shooter, Dead Aim is a Resident Evil game that most players would skip if they were working through the franchise in order. It originally came out to mixed reviews, and hasn’t been revisited with a remake since. Move along, folks.

Resident Evil Outbreak (2003)

Introducing co-op and online multiplayer to the series, Resident Evil Outbreak is notable on a technical level but not considered a mainline entry in the franchise. Again, you could skip this one. The same goes for its 2004 sequel, Outbreak File 2.

Resident Evil 4 (2005)

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One of the best ones! A Resident Evil 4 remake is on the way in a few months’ time which will almost certainly present the best version of this game possible, but the original is still very much worthy of your time. US government special agent Leon S Kennedy is at the heart of the action (again) when he is sent to rescue the president’s daughter from an evil cult in rural Spain.

It’s a stunning game and one of our favourites in the series, so to say we are excited for the remake is an understatement. Also, we’d recommend the recent VR port – it’s a great way to experience this story.