The Resident Evil games in order of release are Resident Evil (1996), Resident Evil 2 (1998), Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999), Resident Evil 4 (2005), Resident Evil 5 (2009), Resident Evil 6 (2012), Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017), Resident Evil Village (2021) and Resident Evil Requiem (2026). Wikipedia’s Resident Evil franchise page calls Requiem the “ninth and most recent main installment”, which is why people search for it as Resident Evil 9.
Four of the nine have been remade, and the remake isn’t automatically the right pick. Counting the share of positive Steam reviews on 13 October 2026, the remake beats the original for Resident Evil (92.3% vs 90.9%), Resident Evil 2 (97.0% vs 90.9%) and Resident Evil 4 (97.4% vs 94.2%), and loses for Resident Evil 3, where the 1999 original sits at 89.4% against the remake’s 83.5%. Below you get the version to play for every game, the two Outbreak spin-offs behind Requiem’s backstory, and the 30-year timeline. Spoilers are limited to each game’s setup.
Quick Start: Which Resident Evil Games Should You Play?
If you want the short answer, start with the 2019 Resident Evil 2 remake and then follow the route that matches your goal. Every price below is a US Steam list price checked on 13 October 2026 and will move with sales.
- Only here for Requiem? Play Resident Evil 2 (2019). Leon S. Kennedy and Sherry Birkin, who both appear in Requiem, come from that game (Wikipedia’s Requiem entry). Resident Evil 2 plus Requiem costs $109.98.
- Want the whole story? Go in release order with the remake for games 1, 2 and 4 and the 1999 original for game 3.
- Want the cheapest route? The 1996, 1998 and 1999 originals are $9.99 each on Steam, $29.97 for all three.
- Curious about Alyssa Ashcroft? Outbreak and Outbreak File #2 are the games that introduce her, but they’re PlayStation 2 only and Capcom’s producer says they aren’t required homework.
- Short on patience for old games? Skip Resident Evil 5 and 6. Neither is a link in Requiem’s story.
Resident Evil Games in Order of Release, and the Version to Buy
The nine numbered games run from 1996 to 2026, and the table shows the version we’d play first for each. The only game where the answer is the old one is Resident Evil 3, and we explain why further down.
| Order | Game | Remade? | Play this version | Steam price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Resident Evil (1996) | Yes: 2002 GameCube, 2015 HD Remaster | HD Remaster | $19.99 |
| 2 | Resident Evil 2 (1998) | Yes: 2019 | 2019 remake | $39.99 |
| 3 | Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999) | Yes: 2020 | 1999 original | $9.99 |
| 4 | Resident Evil 4 (2005) | Yes: 2023 | 2023 remake | $39.99 |
| 5 | Resident Evil 5 (2009) | No | Original | $19.99 |
| 6 | Resident Evil 6 (2012) | No | Original | $19.99 |
| 7 | Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017) | No | Original | $19.99 |
| 8 | Resident Evil Village (2021) | No | Original | $39.99 |
| 9 | Resident Evil Requiem (2026) | Not applicable | Original | $69.99 |
The takeaway: playing all nine in the versions above costs $279.91 at today’s list prices, and the Requiem-focused route (Resident Evil 2 remake, the 1999 Resident Evil 3 and Requiem) costs $119.97. By Capcom’s count the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2 is the best-selling Resident Evil game, at 19.7 million copies by 30 June 2026, and Requiem had reached 8.0 million (Capcom’s own platinum-titles list).
Remake or Original? The Scoreboard for All Four Remade Games
Our rule is simple: the remake wins when Steam players rate it higher than the original and the sources I read document no cut content. That gives three remakes and one original. Critics don’t always agree, so the table shows both, and Steam’s ratings come with a caveat: people who buy a 1990s game on purpose are a self-selected group.
| Game | Original: Steam players / critics | Remake: Steam players / critics | What the remake changed | Our pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Evil | 90.9% of 1,805 / Metacritic 91 (8 reviews) | 92.3% of 37,021 (HD Remaster) / 91 (35), HD 83 (49) | New areas, redesigned puzzles, Crimson Heads, a second control scheme | Remake (close call) |
| Resident Evil 2 | 90.9% of 2,361 / no comparable page | 97.0% of 226,129 / 91 (94) | New camera, tougher zombies, same two-hero structure plus a second run | Remake |
| Resident Evil 3 | 89.4% of 2,612 / 91 (19) | 83.5% of 127,634 / 79 (90) | Four locations cut, live choices and branching endings removed | Original |
| Resident Evil 4 | 94.2% of 98,995 / 96 (82) | 97.4% of 282,898 / 93 (133) | Modern controls, durable knife, fewer quick-time events, a partner-style Ashley | Remake (critics split) |
The takeaway: players prefer the remake in three of four cases, and the one exception is also the only remake where the sources I read document cut locations. Critic scores favor the original for Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 4, but the Resident Evil 3 gap is a 12-point one and the Resident Evil 4 gap is three points.
Resident Evil (1996): Play the HD Remaster
Play the HD Remaster unless you want the 1996 original for its own sake. The 2002 GameCube remake added new areas, changed most of the puzzle designs, and made zombies come back to life as more dangerous Crimson Heads, so every body you leave behind becomes a later problem. The 2015 HD Remaster brought that version to PC in 16:9 (Wikipedia’s entry on the 2002 remake and HD Remaster), and its Steam page says you can switch between the original controls and an analog-stick scheme. The score gap is only 1.4 points, so this is a taste call. The 1996 original is the uncut Windows version, with more blood than the PlayStation release according to its own store page, and it costs half as much ($9.99).
Resident Evil 2 (1998): The Remake, and It Isn’t Close
Play the 2019 remake. It has 97.0% positive reviews across 226,129 Steam ratings against 90.9% for the 1998 original, and it kept the part people loved: choosing Leon or Claire changes the weapons, areas, items, subplot and the final boss, and finishing it unlocks a second run for the other hero (Wikipedia’s entry on the 2019 remake). What changed is the pressure. Zombies are much stronger than in the original, take more bullets, and can chase you between rooms. It matters for Requiem too, because this is the game that introduces Leon and where he rescues the child Sherry Birkin.
Resident Evil 3 (1999): The One Case Where the Original Wins
Play the 1999 original. It has 89.4% positive Steam reviews against 83.5% for the 2020 remake, and Metacritic’s critic scores agree: 91 from 19 reviews against 79 from 90, though the original’s critic sample is small. The cause is what the remake threw away. Wikipedia’s entry on the 2020 remake lists the clock tower, graveyard, park and city hall as cut locations and says the original’s live choices and multiple endings were removed “in favor of a more focused story”. Push Square scored it 7/10 and blamed “a disappointing amount of cut content” (VGC’s review round-up). The Steam original also includes Mercenaries Mode, which is part of its $9.99 price.
The cost is real: you accept fixed cameras and tank controls. If Raccoon City’s destruction is all you want before Requiem and you hate old controls, the remake gets you there faster, and critics called it “short but sweet”. It just isn’t the better game.
Resident Evil 4 (2005): The Remake, With One Caveat
Play the 2023 remake. It has 97.4% positive reviews across 282,898 Steam ratings against 94.2% for the 2005 original, but critics still rate the original higher, 96 to 93 on Metacritic, so this is the closest of our three remake calls. The remake replaced the laser sight with a reticle (the laser stays as an attachment), gave Leon’s knife a durability meter, used fewer quick-time events, and made Ashley always follow Leon with her health bar removed (Wikipedia’s entry on the 2023 remake). Shinji Mikami, who directed the original, said he enjoyed the remake and that it fleshed out a “half-assed scenario” he wrote in two weeks. If you’ve never played either, start with the remake. If you’ve loved the 2005 game for twenty years, nothing here says you should stop.
Resident Evil 5, 6, 7 and Village: No Remake, So Do You Need Them?
For these four the question isn’t which version but whether to play them at all. None of them is required for Requiem, and the scores show where the series’ weakest and strongest stretches are.
| Game | Needed for Requiem? | PC Metascore on Steam | Why play it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Evil 5 | No | 86 | Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar in Kijuju, West Africa, with co-op (Wikipedia’s Resident Evil 5 entry); sold 10.9 million on its original PS3 and Xbox 360 release |
| Resident Evil 6 | No | 69 | Four interwoven campaigns, including Leon’s (Wikipedia’s Resident Evil 6 entry); the lowest PC Metascore of the nine |
| Resident Evil 7 | Optional | 83 | First-person survival horror (Wikipedia’s Resident Evil 7 entry) and the closest older game to Grace’s first-person sections |
| Resident Evil Village | Optional | 83 | Ethan Winters’ second game, set four years after Resident Evil 7 (Wikipedia’s Village entry) |
The takeaway: Resident Evil 6 is the series’ lowest-scoring numbered game on PC, and skipping it costs Requiem’s plot nothing. Ethan’s two games are a separate question, which our Ethan Winters explainer answers: Requiem isn’t his sequel, so you can skip both. If you do play Requiem, our Resident Evil 9 beginner’s guide covers camera choice and our Resident Evil 9 best PC settings guide covers the settings that cost the most frames.
Do You Need Outbreak? The 2 Spin-Offs Behind Requiem
No, but two spin-offs explain Requiem’s backstory. Requiem’s Grace Ashcroft is the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, a playable character in Resident Evil Outbreak (2003) and its sequel Outbreak File #2 (2004), and Alyssa appears in Requiem in flashbacks set eight years before its story (Wikipedia’s Outbreak entry). In File #2 she leads the “Flashback” scenario, which takes the survivors to a cabin in the woods (Wikipedia’s File #2 entry).
Capcom has said you can skip them. Producer Masato Kumazawa told Stevivor the team made sure players who did and didn’t play Outbreak “will both be able to enjoy” Requiem, and that Alyssa was chosen because “she was just a victim of the Raccoon City incident” (Automaton’s report on the Stevivor interview).
| Spin-off | Confirmed link to Requiem | Should you play it? | How to play it today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resident Evil Outbreak (2003) | Alyssa Ashcroft, Grace’s mother, is playable; Metacritic 71 | Only for backstory | PlayStation 2 only; US servers closed 31 December 2007 and Japanese servers 30 June 2011, so you play offline with two AI partners |
| Outbreak File #2 (2004) | Alyssa leads the Flashback scenario; Metacritic 58 | Only if you want her story | PlayStation 2 only; official servers closed in March 2007 and fan servers started on 1 January 2014 |
| Revelations and Revelations 2 | Structure only: Requiem alternates between characters the way these two do; I found no story link | No | Both have PC releases on Capcom’s sales list |
| Code: Veronica (2000) | I found none confirmed | No | A remake, Resident Evil Veronica, is listed for 2027 |
The takeaway: Outbreak is homework you can’t do on a current console, and it sold about 1.45 million copies on PlayStation 2 (Capcom’s own platinum-titles list). As of 13 October 2026 I found no announced re-release, so treat both games as optional lore. If you can only track down one, File #2 is the lower-rated of the two, but it holds the scenario Alyssa leads.
The 30-Year Timeline: Release Order vs Story Order
The first Resident Evil reached Japan on 22 March 1996, so 2026 is the series’ 30th anniversary, and Capcom made Requiem part of that celebration (Automaton’s report on the Stevivor interview). But the story covers only 28 of those years: it starts in 1998 and ends in October 2026, which Wikipedia describes as 28 years after Raccoon City’s destruction.
| Story order | Game | Released | Set in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Resident Evil | 1996 | 1998, the Spencer Mansion |
| 2 | Resident Evil 3: Nemesis | 1999 | 28 September 1998, 24 hours before Resident Evil 2 |
| 3 | Resident Evil 2 | 1998 | September 1998, Raccoon City |
| 4 | Resident Evil 4 | 2005 | 2004, rural Spain |
| 5 | Resident Evil 5 | 2009 | 2009, five years after Resident Evil 4 |
| 6 | Resident Evil 7 | 2017 | 2017, Louisiana |
| 7 | Resident Evil Village | 2021 | February 2021, four years after Resident Evil 7 |
| 8 | Resident Evil Requiem | 2026 | October 2026, Raccoon City and the Wrenwood Hotel |
The takeaway: among the games in the table, story order differs from release order in one place, because Resident Evil 3 starts about a day before Resident Evil 2. The Steam page for the 1999 game says “just hours” and the Resident Evil 3 remake’s Wikipedia page says 24 hours, so we say “about a day”. We left Resident Evil 6 out of this table because I couldn’t confirm its in-game date from a source I could fetch.
One more date matters for planning: Capcom has listed Resident Evil Veronica, a remake of Code: Veronica, for 2027, and the Steam page places that story three months after Raccoon City. Code: Veronica isn’t a numbered game, so it isn’t part of the nine.
Which Order Fits You?
The right route depends on what you want from the series. The advice really does change by player type:
| If you are… | Play this | Skip or delay this |
|---|---|---|
| Only here for Requiem | Resident Evil 2 (2019), then Requiem | Everything else; the Outbreak games are lore only |
| Here for the whole story | Release order with the HD Remaster, the 2019 and 2023 remakes and the 1999 original | Nothing; Resident Evil 6 is the weakest link |
| A fixed-camera purist | The 1996, 1998 and 1999 originals, $29.97 together | The remakes until you finish the trio |
| Short on time | Resident Evil 2 (2019), the Resident Evil 3 remake, then Requiem | Resident Evil 5, 6 and the 1996 original |
| A completionist | All nine, both Outbreak games on PlayStation 2, Code: Veronica, then Resident Evil Veronica in 2027 | Nothing |
Use this decision list if you’d rather answer a few questions:
- Do you want only Requiem’s backstory? Play Resident Evil 2 (2019) and stop.
- Do you mind tank controls? If yes, take the remakes for games 1 and 2 and the Resident Evil 3 remake as a shorter alternative; if no, take the three originals.
- Have you played Resident Evil 4 before? If yes, you’re done with that game; if not, take the 2023 remake.
- Do you care about Ethan Winters? Play Resident Evil 7, then Village, in that order.
If you want to see what to play once you finish the series, our best horror games of 2026 ranking is the next stop, and our best games of Q1 2026 roundup covers the quarter’s other launches (Requiem isn’t in it). The same order-first treatment exists for Assassin’s Creed games in order, Doom games in order and Call of Duty games in order.
Prices, review shares and scores were checked on 13 October 2026 through Steam’s store API, Metacritic and Capcom’s platinum-titles list for 30 June 2026. GOG lists the original PC releases of all three at a $9.99 list price (GOG). The Steam versions launched on 1 April 2026 with a launch sale that ended on 15 April (GosuGamers).
Frequently Asked Questions
What order should you play the Resident Evil games in?
Release order. The only place story order differs is Resident Evil 3, which starts about a day before Resident Evil 2, but in my judgment you lose no plot by playing Resident Evil 2 first, and it puts the game Requiem leans on most at the front of the queue.
Do you need to play older Resident Evil games before Requiem?
No, but Resident Evil 2 helps most. Capcom’s producer says Requiem was built so that players of Outbreak and newcomers alike can enjoy it, yet Leon and Sherry are Resident Evil 2 characters and the Raccoon City setting comes from Resident Evil 2 and 3.
Is the Resident Evil 3 remake worth playing?
Only if you want a short, modern-feeling run. Critics scored it 79 against the original’s 91 (from only 19 reviews), and four locations plus the live choices were cut. If you can live with tank controls, the 1999 original is the better game and it costs $9.99.
Should you play the Resident Evil 4 remake or the original first?
The remake, if you’ve never played it. Players rate it 97.4% against 94.2%, and the modern controls remove the main barrier to the 2005 game. The caveat is that critics scored the original 96 against the remake’s 93, so the original has a case if you value its exact pacing.
Is Code: Veronica a mainline Resident Evil game?
No. It isn’t numbered, and Wikipedia’s list of main installments goes from Resident Evil 3 straight to Resident Evil 4 (Wikipedia’s Resident Evil franchise page). Its Metacritic score of 94 (from 18 reviews) makes it a strong optional game, and the 2027 remake makes it worth knowing about.
Sources
- Wikipedia. Resident Evil (franchise). Main installments, sales and 30th anniversary (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil)
- Wikipedia. Resident Evil Requiem. Setting, characters and sales (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_Requiem)
- Wikipedia. Resident Evil Outbreak. Alyssa Ashcroft, platforms and server closures (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_Outbreak)
- Wikipedia. Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2. Scenarios and server history (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_Outbreak:_File_2)
- Wikipedia. Resident Evil (1996 video game)
- Wikipedia. Resident Evil (2002 video game). Remake changes and the 2015 HD Remaster (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_(2002_video_game))
- Wikipedia. Resident Evil 2 (2019 video game) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_2_(2019_video_game))
- Wikipedia. Resident Evil 3 (2020 video game). Cut content and reception (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_3_(2020_video_game))
- Wikipedia. Resident Evil 4 (2023 video game). Development changes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_4_(2023_video_game))
- Wikipedia. Resident Evil 5 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_5)
- Wikipedia. Resident Evil 6 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_6)
- Wikipedia. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_7:_Biohazard)
- Wikipedia. Resident Evil Village (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resident_Evil_Village)
- Capcom. Platinum Titles (as of June 30, 2026). Investor Relations (https://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/business/million.html)
- Automaton (Carlos Zotomayor). Resident Evil Requiem producer says Resident Evil Outbreak won’t be essential homework. 18 November 2025 (https://automaton-media.com/en/news/resident-evil-requiem-producer-says-resident-evil-outbreak-wont-be-essential-homework-for-playing-the-new-game/)
- VGC (Tom Ivan). Resident Evil 3 review round-up: critics call remake ‘short but sweet’. 30 March 2020 (https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/resident-evil-3-review-round-up-critics-call-remake-short-but-sweet)
- GosuGamers. Capcom launches Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis on Steam. April 2026 (https://www.gosugamers.net/entertainment/news/78224-capcom-launches-resident-evil-resident-evil-2-and-resident-evil-3-nemesis-on-steam)
- GOG. Resident Evil 2 (1998) store page (https://www.gog.com/en/game/resident_evil_2)
- Capcom (Steam). Resident Evil Veronica store page. Remake of Code: Veronica, 2027 (https://store.steampowered.com/app/4824610/)
Steam prices, review shares, Steam-embedded PC Metascores and release dates came from Steam’s store and review APIs on 13 October 2026. Metacritic scores are the aggregate shown on each game’s default Metacritic page the same day, so they can differ from platform-specific scores quoted elsewhere. The Steam review shares are our own calculation from Steam’s positive and total review counts.
Images on this page are AI-generated illustrations, not game footage. Resident Evil is a trademark of Capcom Co., Ltd.
I've been playing video games for over 20 years, spanning everything from early PC titles to modern open-world games. I started Switchblade Gaming to publish the kind of accurate, well-researched guides I always wanted to find — built on primary sources, tested in-game, and kept up to date after patches. I currently focus on Minecraft and Pokémon GO.