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How to play the Resident Evil games in Chronological order

The chronological order and timeline for the RE series.

Image credit: Capcom/Eurogamer


Guide
by
Dion Dassanayake
Contributing Guides Writer Updated on Sept. 30, 2025
1 comment Follow Resident Evil

In the decades since the original Resident Evil game debuted in 1996, Capcom’s franchise has spawned multiple sequels, spin-offs, and remakes, along with numerous movies, an animated Netflix show, and even a handful of stage shows. If you’ve never played a Resident Evil game before, though, you may be wondering where the best place to start, and whether you need to play the series in order to get the most out of the franchise.

To help you get started, we’ve put together this guide on how to play the Resident Evil series in order, which walks you through how to play the games in both chronological and release order, which will help you get up to speed on the iconic franchise ahead of the release date for Resident Evil 9 next year.

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How to play the Resident Evil games in order

If you’re looking to play your first Resident Evil game and don’t know where to start, rest assured you don’t have to play the series in any particular order. While you’ll learn more about the lore, returning characters and Umbrella’s nefarious schemes the more games you play, you can easily jump into whichever game interests you the most. Despite some narrative threads continuing, you’ll still be able to enjoy each game as a standalone experience.

For those still not sure about which point in the series to jump in at, read on.

Resident Evil chronological order

In total, there are 10 core Resident Evil games – along with the spin-off Revelations series and light gun games including The Umbrella Chronicles. To help streamline this list, we’ll focus on the mainline RE games and the Revelations games, which can easily be played on modern platforms.

Here’s how to play the Resident Evil series in chronological order:

Resident Evil Zero (2002)

Resident Evil Zero was one of three games in the series originally released as a GameCube exclusive. |
Image credit: Capcom

Original release date: 2002
Time to beat: 11 hours
Where to buy: Steam / Amazon / PlayStation / Xbox

Resident Evil Zero is chronologically the first game in the series, but it’s actually a prequel that was released as the sixth mainline game. It debuted as a GameCube exclusive back in 2002. Players take control of Rebecca Chambers, who is a member of the S.T.A.R.S tactical unit that ends up in the Spencer Mansion in the first Resident Evil. While on an investigation in the mountains, Chambers comes across an abandoned train where all the passengers and crew have turned into zombies.

Like early entries in the series, Zero has a secondary playable character – the ex-marine turned convict Billy Coen – and features the tank-style controls that are synonymous with the games released before Resident Evil 4. It also reveals more about the origins of the T-Virus, the Umbrella Corporation and iconic villain Albert Wesker.

Check-out our Resident Evil Zero review from when the game received its HD re-release in 2016, and discover why, “of all the early Resident Evil games, there is none better to showcase its idiosyncratic charm than this one”.

Resident Evil (1996)

The original Resident Evil game was remade in 2002, and has since received an HD re-release for modern platforms. |
Image credit: Capcom

Original release date: 1996
Time to beat: 11.5 hours
Where to buy: Steam / Amazon / PlayStation

The game that defined the survival horror genre, the first Resident Evil was released for the original PlayStation back in 1996. The seminal title, directed by Shinji Mikami, laid the blueprint for the survival genre that would come to define it for years to come, including the use of fixed camera angles, limited ammo and inventory space, and point and click adventure-style puzzles.

Players choose between two main characters – Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield – who are part of the S.T.A.R.S tactical team that ends up in the mysterious Spencer Mansion after a mission goes wrong. There, they encounter a sprawling house full of zombies, rabid dogs and other nightmarish creatures. The original Resident Evil was remade in 2002, with the remaster widely available on modern formats. The Director’s Cut of the original PS1 game is also available with PS Plus Premium as part of the Classics catalogue and also on GOG.

For more on the game that kickstarted the franchise, read our Resident Evil HD review and find out why it’s still “a fascinating place to revisit”.

Resident Evil 2 (1998)

Resident Evil 2 is one of the most iconic games of the PS1 era. It was remade from the ground up in 2019. |
Image credit: Capcom

Original release date: 1998
Time to beat: 9 hours
Where to buy: Steam / iOS / PlayStation / Xbox

Set two months after RE1’s Mansion Incident, Resident Evil 2 shows the wider impact of the T-Virus outbreak, with the action now shifting to Raccoon City, where most residents have been transformed into zombies. Once again, players can choose between two characters – Raccoon City Police officer Leon Kennedy or college student Claire Redfield – who both make their first appearance in the series.

Originally released in 1998, Resident Evil 2 is one of the defining games of the PS1 era. It was later fully remade from the ground up by Capcom in 2019, bringing the game up to modern standards and acting as a launchpad for more HD remakes of classic games in the series. If you want to know more, read our Resident Evil 2 Remake review and visit our Resident Evil 2 Remake walkthrough if you need help with this reimagined classic.

Resident Evil 3 (1999)

Resident Evil 3 was the final mainline game released on the PS1. It was remade with the RE Engine and released in 2020. |
Image credit: Capcom

Original release date: 1999
Time to beat: 6 hours
Where to buy: Steam / Amazon

Resident Evil 3 takes place almost concurrently with its predecessor. The game is once again set in Raccoon City and the police headquarters, but this time around players take control of Jill Valentine, who returns from the first game. While Jill explores the same overrun city that Leon and Claire encountered in RE2, this time around she also has to deal with a terrifying new enemy known as Nemesis. This huge, powerful monstrosity stalks the player in specific scenes, leading to terrifying encounters where the Terminator-like villain chases you from room-to-room until you can escape its clutches.

RE3 was originally released on the PS1 in 1999, just one year after Resident Evil 2 launched. Like its predecessor, Resident Evil 3 later got the remake treatment that fully rebuilt the game for modern times. If you’d like to know more, check out our Resident Evil 3 Remake review. We’ve also got a Resident Evil 3 Remake walkthrough if you need a hand surviving Jill’s campaign.

Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (2000)

Resident Evil Code Veronica was originally released as a Dreamcast exclusive. |
Image credit: Capcom

Original release date: 2000
Time to beat: 12 hours
Where to buy: PlayStation / Xbox

While not a numbered game, Code Veronica is one of the mainline games in the Resident Evil series. Set a few months after the Raccoon City Incident, it follows Claire Redfield as she continues the search for her brother that began in Resident Evil 2.

Originally released for the Dreamcast, it’s the final core game that featured the old tank controls – but advanced the series in other ways, with real-time backgrounds instead of pre-rendered ones and a more dynamic camera.

Resident Evil 4 (2005)

Resident Evil 4 is one of the most groundbreaking games in the series. A remake was released in 2023. |
Image credit: Capcom

Original release date: 2005
Time to beat: 16 hours
Where to buy: Steam / Amazon

Arguably the most beloved game in the entire series, Resident Evil 4 was a turning point for the franchise. First released as a GameCube exclusive in 2005 before heading to the PS2, RE4 switched up the series’ formula for a more action-orientated approach. Gone were the tank controls of old, in favour of more fluid character movements and an over-the-shoulder view that let you aim anywhere.

Players once again take control of Leon Kennedy, who is sent on a mission to rural Spain where he has to rescue the President’s daughter from a sinister cult. Resident Evil 4 is the most recent game in the series to get the remake treatment, with the reimagined version of the iconic game launching in 2023 for modern formats. Make sure you read our Resident Evil 4 Remake review, and visit our Resident Evil 4 Remake walkthrough if you need help surviving Leon’s mission.

Resident Evil Revelations (2012)

The spin-off Revelations game was originally released for the 3DS, before heading to consoles. |
Image credit: Capcom

Original release date: 2012
Time to beat: 6 hours
Where to buy: Steam / PlayStation / Xbox / Switch

Resident Evil Revelations is a spin-off to the mainline franchise. Set between the events of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, it was designed as a return to the series’ roots – which by then had long delved into the action-orientated gameplay RE4 introduced.

Originally released on the Nintendo 3DS handheld, Revelations sees players once again take control of Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, the protagonists from the first game. The former S.T.A.R.S members are now part of a counter-terrorism unit that are investigating a biological threat onboard an abandoned cruise ship.

If you need help surviving this nightmare at sea, make sure you check out our Resident Evil Revelations walkthrough.

Resident Evil 5 (2009)

Resident Evil 5 built on the action-focused blueprint that RE4 laid before it. |
Image credit: Capcom

Original release date: 2009
Time to beat: 12 hours
Where to buy: Steam / Amazon / PlayStation / Xbox

Set five years after the events of RE4, Resident Evil 5 continues the action-orientated gameplay that its predecessor introduced but adds a twist. It’s the first game, and one of the few, in the series that lets you play the campaign cooperatively. One player takes control of Chris Redfield, who is making his first appearance in a numbered game since RE1, while the other takes control of the newly introduced character Sheva. If played solo, Sheva is controlled by the computer.

Both characters are agents with the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA) counter-terrorism unit, with the action this time shifting to Africa, where the locals have been infected with the mind-controlling ‘Las Plagas’ parasite from RE4. The setting was controversial, and with more Resident Evil remakes on the way we’ll have to see how Capcom tackles this if RE5 is rebooted for modern audiences.

If you’d like to know more, visit our Resident Evil 5 review from the game’s release in 2009, and find out that while it “might not be the game that the traditionalist might have hoped for, it still stands out as hugely enjoyable in its own right”.

Resident Evil Revelations 2 (2015)

Revelations 2 is currently the final game released in the Resident Evil spin-off series. |
Image credit: Capcom

Original release date: 2015
Time to beat: 10 hours
Where to buy: Steam / Amazon / PlayStation / Xbox

Resident Evil Revelations 2 is the second and, so far, final game in the spin-off series. The action takes place between Resident Evil 5 and 6, with Claire Redfield a protagonist for the first time since Code Veronica. Revelations 2 also marks the debut of Barry Burton, who was one of the S.T.A.R.S members from the original game, as a playable character.

Like its predecessor, Revelations 2 features an episodic format, which is divided into scenes in the past with Claire and Barry’s daughter, and scenes in the present where Barry is trying to find them. It also shakes-up the traditional Resident Evil gameplay by introducing stealth elements.

Resident Evil 6 (2012)

Resident Evil 6 features four intersecting campaigns, including one with RE2 and RE4 hero Leon. |
Image credit: Capcom

Original release date: 2012
Time to beat: 21 hours
Where to buy: Steam / Amazon / PlayStation / Xbox

Resident Evil 6 takes place three years after the events of RE5. It has the largest playable roster of characters for a mainline game, with four different protagonists – the returning characters Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield and Ada Wong (from RE2 and RE4), along with new character Jake Muller, who is the son of series villain Albert Wesker. Each of these characters have their own campaign, which intersect with one another and have their own distinct gameplay and style.

RE6 continues the action-orientated approach that RE4 introduced but takes it to a whole new, over-the-top level. It marked the low point of this more action-focused style of gameplay, and was met with a mixed reception at launch. The series went into a slump in the years that followed, which led to Capcom changing tack completely with the seventh game.

Resident Evil 7 (2017)

Resident Evil 7 is the first game in the series to ditch the third-person perspective and go first-person. |
Image credit: Capcom

Original release date: 2017
Time to beat: 9.5 hours
Where to buy: Steam / Amazon / PlayStation / Xbox

Resident Evil 7 ushered in a bold new direction for Capcom’s long-running survival horror series. Not only did it drop the more action-focused approach of previous games, it ditched the third-person perspective the series had used for decades. The action instead took place from a first-person perspective, as RE7 tried to return the series to its roots, with more of a focus on creepy exploration, along with terrifying scares akin to Hideo Kojima’s influential P.T. demo.

RE7 also took the brave decision to put players in the shoes of a brand new character – Ethan Winters – in a new setting far removed from what the series is known for. Like the original game, Resident Evil 7 is a haunted house-style experience, with Ethan exploring the terrifying Baker Ranch after he receives an email from his missing wife Mia, who he hasn’t seen for years.

For more on Resident Evil 7, visit our review from the game’s launch in 2017, and if you find yourself stuck exploring the Baker Ranch check out our Resident Evil 7 walkthrough.

Resident Evil Village (2021)

Village is the eighth Resident Evil gane, and the concluding chapter of Ethan’s story. |
Image credit: Capcom

Original release date: 2021
Time to beat: 9.5 hours
Where to buy: Steam / Amazon / PlayStation / Xbox / iOS

Resident Evil Village is the eighth mainline game in the series, and is a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7. Players once again take control of Ethan Winters, with the game set three years after the events of the previous game. This time around, Ethan has to rescue his kidnapped daughter from a village filled with mutant creatures – including werewolf-like enemies.

Village marks the concluding chapter of Ethan’s story. While Village, like its predecessor, is a first-person game, there’s also a DLC called Shadows of Rose which is set 16 years after Village and returns the series to the third-person perspective it’s known for.

In our Resident Evil Village review, we called it “an entertaining if uneven slice of horror”. If you need a hand surviving the game’s eponymous village, head to our Resident Evil Village walkthrough.

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Resident Evil series release date order

The original Resident Evil game, in all its 90s’ glory. |
Image credit: Capcom

If you’d rather go back to the very beginning, then here’s how you can play the main games in the Resident Evil series in release date order:

• 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)

For the purpose of this list, we stuck to the release date order of the main Resident Evil games. Besides these titles, there are other spin-offs you can play like the Resident Evil Survivor and Umbrella Chronicles light gun games. These act as companion games, and in the case of Umbrella Chronicles feature levels set during different points in the series’ timeline.

In case you’re wondering though, here are the list of the RE spin-off games and when they were released:

• Resident Evil Survivor – (2000)
• Resident Evil Survivor 2 – (2001)
• Resident Evil Gaiden – (2001)
• Resident Evil: Dead Aim – (2003)
• Resident Evil Outbreak – (2003)
• Resident Evil Outbreak: File 2 – (2004)
• Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles – (2007)
• Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles – (2009)
• Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D – (2011)
• Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City – (2012)
• Umbrella Corps – (2016)
• Resident Evil: Resistance – (2020)
• Resident Evil Re:Verse – (2022)

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What’s next for the Resident Evil series?

Image credit: Capcom

The next mainline game in the Resident Evil series is out in 2026. Resident Evil Requiem, which is Resident Evil 9, was officially revealed at Summer Game Fest 2025. It was the final announcement of the Geoff Keighley-fronted show, with the reveal trailer announcing the highly anticipated survival game will be launching on 27th February 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. A second trailer was revealed at Gamescom Opening Night with a third trailer dropping not long afterwards that announced Resident Evil Requiem will be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2.

Resident Evil 9 features a brand new protagonist for the series called Grace Ashcroft, and it marks the first time since Resident Evil 7 that a new main character has been introduced. The FBI agent is the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, who was a playable character in the Resident Evil Outbreak games. Requiem sees players return to Raccoon City, which was the setting of the early games in the series, and can also be played in either first or third-person. If you want to know more, make sure you check out our hands-on from Summer Game Fest and our preview from Gamescom.

Resident Evil Requiem – Reveal Trailer
Watch on YouTube

Besides Resident Evil 9, there’s another Resi games in the works which is coming to mobile devices. It’s called Resident Evil Survival Unit and it’s a strategy game that devs have said will “appeal to both longtime fans and new players”. The mobile strategy game is due out before the end of the year, and it brings together characters from throughout the series’ history including Leon Kennedy, Jill Valentine and Barry Burton.

Resident Evil Survival Unit – Exclusive Cinematic Trailer
Watch on YouTube

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That’s a wrap for our guide on how to play the Resident Evil series in order. For more on Capcom’s beloved franchise, check out our retrospective look at Resident Evil 2. You can also find out about what could have been with the cancelled Resident Evil 1.5, or learn about the rumoured Resident Evil games that Capcom allegedly has in the works.