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.
On this page:
How to play the Resident Evil games in orderResident Evil games in chronological orderResident Evil games in release orderTo see this content please enable targeting cookies. 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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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.