Resident Evil spoilers follow.
Are you a Resident Evil newbie who's keen to devour every game, film, and show? Or are you a diehard fan who wants to revisit this entire saga again in the correct order? That's where we come in.
Join us here at Digital Spy as we reveal how to watch and play every Resident Evil game, film, and show in both release and chronological order. It's a lot, but Raccoon City can be a pretty fun place to visit. And Leon's hot, so that's always a bonus.
And while you're here, would you also like to check out the MCU timeline? Or what about The Walking Dead's timeline order? If the Star Wars timeline is giving you trouble, we're here to help with that too.
Resident Evil in order - how to watch and play the Resident Evil timeline in chronological order
Resident Evil's timeline is as messy as a zombie buffet in downtown Raccoon City.
While the main games are tied into CGI films and Netflix's new show, there are also plenty of spin-offs to complicate things further. And then, of course, there's Milla Jovovich's iconic films that exist as their own separate thing, not to mention the recent reboot, which really could have used some of that Milla magic.
What to Read Next
So, ignoring the occasional use of flashbacks and time jumps, here's the best way to watch and play Resident Evil chronologically from the very start of this expansive saga.
• July 1998 — Resident Evil Zero (game)
• July 1998 — Resident Evil (game)
• September 1998 — Resident Evil 2 (game)
• September 1998 — Resident Evil 3 (game)
• November, 1998 — Resident Evil Survivor (game)
• December 1998 — Resident Evil: Code Veronica (game)
• 2002 — Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (game)
• February 2003 — Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (game)
• 2004 — Resident Evil 4 (game)
• 2004-2005 — Resident Evil: Revelations (game)
• Late 2005 — Resident Evil: Degeneration (CGI film)
• 2006 — Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (CGI film)
• 2009 — Resident Evil 5 (game)
• 2011 — Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (game)
• 2011 — Resident Evil: Damnation (CGI film)
• 2012 — Umbrella Corps (game)
• 2012-2013 — Resident Evil 6 (game)
• 2014 — Resident Evil: Vendetta (CGI film)
• 2017 — Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (game)
• 2021 — Resident Evil: Village (game)
• 2022/2036 — Resident Evil season one (Netflix series)
Netflix's new live-action adaptation, the first Resident Evil series of its kind, slightly complicates the timeline by looking ahead beyond anything we've seen.
Mostly, this show alternates between two timelines, one set in 2022 and the other in 2036. That means this first season takes place both 24 years and 38 years after the original game trilogy.
What's key is that everything happening in the show could be considered canon, so it will be interesting to see how future seasons continue to expand the Resident Evil mythos further.
The same can't be said for Paul WS Anderson's film adaptations, as they are set in their own world, merely inspired by the games. So that means Milia Jovovich's Alice isn't technically canon, unfortunately.
On the plus side though, all six films unfold in chronological order, which means that you can easily watch this story from start to finish without worrying about spinoffs or game tie-ins. So here they are listed in both chronological and release order for your viewing pleasure:
• Resident Evil (2002)
• Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
• Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
• Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
• Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)
• Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
And then there's Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. Written and directed by Johannes Roberts, this 2021 film is set in 1998 and draws much inspiration from the games. However, it ultimately stands alone, canon-wise, totally separate from those games and the previous films as well, not to mention Netflix's live-action series.
Resident Evil — future projects
Once you've zombie shuffled your way through all things Resident Evil, there's still no time for eternal rest because a few more projects also lie waiting on the horizon.
Resident Evil season two (TBC)
Netflix hasn't officially renewed the live-action series just yet, but given all of those big cliffhangers at the end of season one, we'd be surprised if any news on season two doesn't arrive soon.
Showrunner Andrew Dabb explained to TVLine what could lie in store next, explaining that:
"Whether that's two seasons or three seasons or four seasons or five seasons, we'll let the audience dictate to us. I will say that the deeper we get into it, the more story we're finding as we bring in more elements from the games and expand these worlds and these characters."
We can also definitely expect more explicit ties into the game mythos moving forward. In that same interview, Dabb explains why season one was a bit light on lore and how that's going to change for season two:
"We're producing, hopefully, a show every 18 months or so, and the games take a little bit longer to ramp into production… We made the choice [in season one] to just touch the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the game lore. If we're lucky enough to go into season two and beyond, you'll start to see a lot more game elements coming into the show."
Resident Evil Re:Verse (October 28, 2022)
Originally set to launch alongside Resident Evil Village, this new multiplayer game will become available the same day the Winters' Expansion arrives for Resident Evil Village.
Resident Evil Re:Verse will pit players against each other in four to six-person survival horror revenge matches. And most importantly of all, fans will be able to play as some of their all-time faves from across the franchise.
It looks unlikely that Resident Evil Re:Verse will expand the franchise's ongoing story much, but it's one to keep on your radar nonetheless.
Resident Evil 4 (March 24, 2023)
Regarded by many as the pinnacle of this entire franchise, 2005's Resident Evil 4 is finally on track for the remake treatment.
For the most part, Leon Kennedy's journey to rescue the President's daughter will remain the same, but it's safe to say we can expect a darker and even more chilling take on the classic story this time around when the game arrives March 24, 2023.
Resident Evil in order — how to watch and play the Resident Evil universe in release order
Just in case you're not interested in Resident Evil's chronological timeline, we've also included a guide that reveals the entire franchise's history in order of release (including a few extra obscure games that don't really impact the overall story, in case you're wondering why they didn't show up above).
• 1996 — Resident Evil (game)
• 1998 — Resident Evil 2 (game)
• 1999 — Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (game)
• 2000 — Resident Evil Survivor (game)
• 2000 — Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (game)
• 2001 — Resident Evil Survivor 2 – Code: Veronica (game)
• 2001 — Resident Evil Gaiden (game)
• 2002 — Resident Evil (game remake)
• 2002 — Resident Evil Zero (game)
• 2002 — Resident Evil (live-action film)
• 2003 — Resident Evil: Dead Aim (game)
• 2003 — Resident Evil Outbreak (game)
• 2004 — Resident Evil: Apocalypse (live-action film)
• 2004 — Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2 (game)
• 2005 — Resident Evil 4 (game)
• 2006 — Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (game)
• 2007 — Resident Evil: Extinction (live-action film)
• 2007 — Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (game)
• 2005 — Resident Evil: Degeneration (CGI film)
• 2009 — Resident Evil 5 (game)
• 2009 — Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (game)
• 2010 — Resident Evil: Afterlife (live-action film)
• 2011 — Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (game)
• 2012 — Resident Evil: Retribution (live-action film)
• 2012 — Resident Evil: Revelations (game)
• 2012 — Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (game)
• 2012 — Resident Evil 6 (game)
• 2012 — Resident Evil: Damnation (CGI film)
• 2015 — Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (game)
• 2016 — Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (live-action film)
• 2016 — Umbrella Corps (game)
• 2017 — Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (game)
• 2017 — Resident Evil: Vendetta (CGI film)
• 2019 — Resident Evil 2 (game remake)
• 2020 — Resident Evil 3 (game remake)
• 2020 — Resident Evil: Resistance (game)
• 2021 — Resident Evil Village (game)
• 2021 — Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (live-action film reboot)
• 2021 — Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (CGI film)
• 2022 — Resident Evil (Netflix series)
• 2022 — Resident Evil RE:Verse (game)
• 2023 — Resident Evil 4 (game remake)
That's hours upon hours of disturbing zombie-fuelled content for you to enjoy. You should probably start devouring it all now if you haven't already because plenty more is coming. Like all those T-virus-infected zombies, this franchise will never die — and we wouldn't want it any other way.
Resident Evil is now available to watch on Netflix.
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
