Resident Evil games in chronological order: Timeline & release order

Here is every Resident Evil game in chronological order, so that you can play them in their true timeline order.

Resident Evil is a massive franchise that’s been continuously successful and popular since it first landed back in 1996.

With the success of recent titles like Resident Evil Village and remakes such as Resident Evil 4 encouraging new players to experience the survival horror franchise, many may not have a complete idea of the timeline.

Resident Evil’s story is complex and detailed, spanning many titles. So, you may be wondering what the chronological order is for the Resident Evil games. Here’s a full list of all the Resident Evil games in chronological order.

• How to play Resident Evil games in chronological order
• How to play Resident Evil games in release order
• Should you play Resident Evil games in chronological order?

How to play Resident Evil games in chronological order

For this list, we’re focussing on 12 Resident Evil games, as there are many other spin-offs and less popular titles that diverge from the main timeline for the franchise. Here’s a list of them in chronological order of the Resident Evil story, as well as their release dates:

1. Resident Evil 0 (2002)
2. Resident Evil (1996)
3. Resident Evil 2 (1998 & 2019 remake)
4. Resident Evil 3 (1999 & 2020 remake)
5. Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (2002)
6. Resident Evil 4 (2005 & 2023 remake)
7. Resident Evil Revelations (2012)
8. Resident Evil 5 (2009)
9. Resident Evil Revelations 2 (2015)
10. Resident Evil 6 (2012)
11. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017)
12. Resident Evil Village (2021)

As you can see, the release years do not follow the storyline order, and we expect to see more remakes in the near future, with Resident Evil 5 being among the speculation.

It’s also important to note that Resident Evil Village’s DLC, Shadows of Rose, is set much further into the future, where Ethan Winters’ daughter is much older. Many suspect that the DLC is set around 2037, and with Resident Evil 9 potentially in the works, this could be either a follow-up to the DLC or a new story set before.

How to play Resident Evil games in release order

Here’s a list of the Resident Evil games, in order of their release as opposed to story timeline:

1. Resident Evil (1996)
2. Resident Evil 2 (1998 & 2019 remake)
3. Resident Evil 3 (1999 & 2020 remake)
4. Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (2000)
5. Resident Evil 0 (2002)
6. Resident Evil 4 (2005 & 2023 remake)
7. Resident Evil 5 (2009)
8. Resident Evil Revelations (2012)
9. Resident Evil 6 (2012)
10. Resident Evil Revelations 2 (2015)
11. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017)
12. Resident Evil Village (2021)

Should you play Resident Evil games in chronological order?

You don’t have to play the Resident Evil games in chronological order, in fact, each of the Resident Evil games has its own unique and individual stories that you can enjoy on its own. However, to truly understand the full content of the Resident Evil franchise, we advise either playing, watching, or researching each of the games to get an idea of the story timeline.

For more on Resident Evil, make sure you also check out some of our guides to help get you through the RE4 Remake:

Where to find all Resident Evil 4 Remake Blue Medallions | Does Resident Evil 4 Remake have multiplayer or co-op? | Is Resident Evil 4 Remake on Steam Deck? | What are Spinels in Resident Evil 4 Remake? | Resident Evil 4 Remake treasure combinations & Gemstone reward bonuses explained