We’ve put together this Resident Evil in order guide so you know the chronological order of events dating back to the original breakout in Raccoon City. There are plenty of places to jump in if you want to experience the stories, but that does mean it’s a little tough to know when the individual events transpire.
Before we bust into our guide like Leon Kennedy busting into a zombie-filled police station and start to unload bullets of knowledge into your brains, be sure to check out our other great guides, covering things like the best Resident Evil games on Nintendo Switch, Resident Evil 2 safe codes, and Resident Evil 3 safe codes.
Let’s dive into our Resident Evil in order guide.
Table of Contents
Resident Evil 0
A prequel to the game that starts it all, Resident Evil 0 begins the story a few days before the events of Resident Evil. Starring Brave team medic Resident Evil’s Rebecca Chambers and death-row inmate Billy Coen, the narrative explores a train owned by the Umbrella Corporation, known as the Elliptical Express, that’s transporting a series of genetically modified leeches.
After a series of accidents, the train crashes, zombies start to terrorize the local area, and members of STARS are called in to deal with the threat. This game leads directly into the events that kickstart the entire series, and it explains a bit more about the infamous T-Virus. Though it’s the first chronologically, we recommend you play it after Resident Evil.
Resident Evil
The classic, the original, and the reason I don’t go near windows at night. Resident Evil is a phenomenon and has been since its original launch in 1996, positioning the PlayStation as the ‘mature’ console, and convincing countless teenagers that they were edgy if they played it. While the fixed perspective is a little clunky, and the tank controls haven’t aged well, the original is still a belter.
If you want to play this game on Switch, you actually purchase the Gamecube remake of Resident Evil. It updates a lot of the graphics and controls, making it much easier to revisit the story of Resident Evil’s Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. This is the best place to start, as it introduces players to the main characters of the series, the T-Virus, and every important concept you need going forward.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (First Half)
Like many of the entries in the Resident Evil series, you can play this game in the form of its remake for modern consoles. Capcom, please just let us download and play the original Resident Evil 1/2/3 as well!
Resident Evil 3 starts out a few days before the events of Resident Evil 2, with Resident Evil’s Jill Valentine working as a mercenary who’s being relentlessly pursued by a gigantic zombie-like creature known as the Nemesis. A creature whose sole purpose is to destroy STARS.
