How Many Resident Evil Games Are There? [Chronologic & Release Order]

Have you ever wondered how many Resident Evil Games are there as you’ve been looking to play the most popular horror game franchise of all time?

Thankfully (or not), you will get to play a total of 30 titles! A lot, right? No need to worry, as you only need to finish some to experience the main lore.

Learn more about them below!

How Many Resident Evil Games Are There?

Since its inception in 1996 with the launch of Resident Evil for the PlayStation, the best-selling horror game series of all time has expanded its story through 29 additional titles, 7 successful movies, a television series, comic books, novels, animation, and other media.

Also, it has brought zombies back into popular culture—an ultimately polarizing outcome—and has defined and then developed the survival horror genre into third-person and, finally, first-person shooters with the release of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017).

However, before enjoying this heart-pounding franchise that perfectly blends vicious action with mind-bending puzzles, you should know that less than half of the games are part of the core series, while the remainder includes remakes and spin-offs for other platforms.

All in all, the Resident Evil games list includes the following groups:

• 12 main games

• 4 remakes

• 3 light gun games

• 11 other spin-offs

While the franchise is known as PlayStation’s best horror series, many of their main games have also made their way to Windows and the Xbox network, while many others are available on Nintendo’s and Sega’s consoles and platforms.

If your preferred platform is PC, be sure to check out Steam’s sale events since the Resident Evil franchise goes on sale regularly.

Note: The Resident Evil universe includes almost 20 mobile games, about 10 pachinko slot titles, and a few browser-based experiences that will not be considered here.

All Resident Evil Games in Chronological Order

If you’ve finally decided to play through the franchise’s main entries, let’s take a look at the Resident Evil chronological order as it’s the best way to experience the story:

1. Resident Evil Zero

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Despite being released six years after the eponymous Resident Evil (1996), the events in RE Zero take place a day before the incident at the Spencer Mansion of the original game.

In Resident Evil 0, you take control of Billy Coen, a wrongfully convicted felon, and Rebecca Chambers, a S.T.A.R.S. Beta Team member, and help them navigate the Ecliptic Express and discover Umbrella’s sinister plans to create the deadly virus.

2. Resident Evil

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In the first-ever Resident Evil game, you are introduced to some of the series’ most popular characters: Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, both members of the S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team.

You can play as either of them on a mission to find the missing Bravo Team by exploring the menacing Spencer Mansion and learning all about Umbrella’s Tyrant bioweapon.

3. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (First Half)

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While you’d think that Resident Evil 2 should be up next, you will first have to play the beginning of Resident Evil 3 up to Jill’s infection by Nemesis—Umbrella’s newest bioweapon.

The game’s first half takes place right at the start of the T-Virus outbreak in Raccoon City.

4. Resident Evil 2

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Leon Kennedy, our favorite rookie policeman, makes an appearance in the RE universe for the first time ever, and joined by Claire Redfield, Chris’s sister, navigates the zombie-infested streets of Raccoon City while investigating Umbrella’s dirty deeds.

5. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (Second Half)

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Now you can pick up RE 3 again as it continues the story three days after Jill’s infection from the standpoint of Carlos, who is searching for a vaccine to save her.

In the end, Carlos helps Jill, defeats Nemesis, and they both escape Raccoon City before a nuclear bomb annihilates it.

6. Resident Evil CODE:Veronica

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The plot centers on Claire Redfield yet again and her search for Chris, her missing brother.

Eventually, Claire ends up imprisoned on Rockfort Island where she has to fight through a T-Virus outbreak before finally reuniting with Chris.

You also see the return of a mutated Albert Wesker, who is looking to snag a sample of a new deadly virus strain and ultimately succeeds.

7. Resident Evil 4

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The Resident Evil story picks up again six years after the events of the previous five titles, which all took place near the end of the series’ fictional 1998.

This time around, you see the return of Leon Kennedy, now a secret agent on a mission to rescue the president’s daughter from a zombie-plagued Spanish village.

Ada Wong, a double-crossing FBI agent you met in RE 2, also makes an appearance but is not working for Wesker and looking for the Las Plagas zombifying parasite.

8. Resident Evil: Revelations

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You are presented with the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), an international group operating as the first line of defense against the deadly viruses sweeping the globe.

The former Alpha Team members, Jill and Chris, work as BSAA’s vanguard on the hunt for the new T-Abyss Virus. How many variants can they think of? Right?

9. Resident Evil 5

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While RE 4 began the transition to a full action-centered horror game, and Revelations set up BSAA and their international operations, RE 5 explores these two paths further.

Chris yet again spearheads the franchise as he is sent to Africa to deal with a new deadly bioweapon, which is revealed to be Wesker himself.

Chris finally puts an end to Albert Wesker and his evil plots to wipe out humankind.

10. Resident Evil: Revelations 2

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After Chris’s exploits in RE 5, you take a look at his sister Claire’s exploits, who is now working with TerraSave, another agency looking to prevent bioterror incidents around the world.

In this title, Claire and Moira Burton, daughter of a former S.T.A.R.S. member, attempt to escape from a monster-infested island before learning that Chris is in China setting up for RE 6.

11. Resident Evil 6

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You had to wait for 10 games before seeing every major protagonist come together to contain the new C-Virus in RE 6 (another one, eh?), all at the expense of a very convoluted plot.

Ultimately, RE 6 is a disappointing entry as it attempts to do too much for every character in too little a time, including Leon, Sherry, Ada, Chris, and Jake Wesker (Albert’s son).

12. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

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Biohazard is a significant turning point for several reasons: consolidates its Japanese and Western markets with a combined name, implements a soft reboot by replacing zombies with mold monsters, and offers a first-person shooter gameplay for the first time ever.

In this title, you meet Ethan Winters, our new protagonist, looking for his missing wife on a creepy Louisiana plantation while fighting against the Mold. Ultimately, Chris Redfield returns to eliminate the threat as a Blue Umbrella operative, a new and mysterious organization.

Since this RE7: Biohazard is available in VR, we’d suggest you take a look at our list of best VR headsets . Not for the faint of heart though.

13. Resident Evil Village

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Ethan’s story continues in RE Village, which takes place in a remote Eastern European village (trying to replicate RE 4’s success), where Ethan lives with his family.

Chris shows up again, but this time around, he hurts our protagonist by killing his wife and kidnapping his daughter, who must figure out what is happening.

Oh, and the old has helped create vampires and werewolves now. That should be fun!

All Resident Evil Games in Order of Release

While playing all the Resident Evil games chronologically is the best way to experience the full story, you should also check out their release order based on console generations to see what hardware you need if you decide to go through older titles:

• First-Generation Console Games

  (for the

  PS

  1, Sega Saturn, N64, and Dreamcast):

• Resident Evil (1996)

• Resident Evil 2 (1998)

• Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)

• Resident Evil Survivor (2000)

• Second-Generation Console Games

  (for the PS2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube):

• Resident Evil CODE:Veronica (2000)

• Resident Evil Survivor 2—CODE:Veronica (2001)

• Resident Evil Gaiden (2001)

• Resident Evil (2002 remake)

• Resident Evil Zero (2002)

• Resident Evil: Dead Aim (2003)

• Resident Evil Outbreak (2003)

• Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2 (2004)

• Resident Evil 4 (2005)

• Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (2006)

• Third-Generation Console Games

  (for the PS3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii):

• Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007)

• Resident Evil 5 (2009)

• Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009)

• Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (2011)

• Resident Evil: Revelations (2012)

• Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City (2012)

• Resident Evil 6 (2012)

• Fourth-Generation Console Games

  (for the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch):s

• Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015)

• Umbrella Corps (2016)

• Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017)

• Resident Evil 2 (2019 remake)

• Resident Evil 3 (2020 remake)

• Resident Evil: Resistance (2020)

• Fifth-Generation Console Games

  (for the PS5 and Xbox X|S):

• Resident Evil Village (2021)

• Resident Evil 4 (2023 remake)

Bottom Line

In a nutshell, the Resident Evil franchise consists of 12 core games whose timeline does not coincide with their release order. However, you only have to swap a few titles around to play all Resident Evil games in order of story thus experiencing the full lore from start to end.