All Resident Evil Games In Order: From Original to Resident Evil Requiem

The Resident Evil series is a benchmark of the horror genre, setting standards for the entire gaming industry for nearly thirty years. Starting with a local incident on the outskirts of Raccoon City, the franchise has grown into a global biological threat, becoming one of the most successful and recognizable series in the world.

Throughout its existence, the series has changed its form many times - from classic survival horror with a fixed camera to dynamic action titles and atmospheric first-person games. Today, Resident Evil successfully combines the development of new stories with high-quality reinterpretations of the classics in the form of modern remakes.

In this blog, we will briefly review all parts of the game, from the very first predecessors to the newest releases, and also discuss the upcoming installment in the Resident Evil series.

Resident Evil Game Chronology

Currently, the Resident Evil series consists of 16 installments, 12 of which are original stories and 4 are remakes. To begin, let us recall the release sequence of the games by year.

With the development of technology and increased competition in the gaming platform market, the series has gained even more popularity. Not only console players but also PC gamers are now able to enjoy the games, which has had a very positive financial impact on the development of the franchise.

Now, let us proceed to a brief overview of all the installments, including their plot and gameplay components.

Resident Evil

The game's plot follows the members of the S.T.A.R.S. special forces unit as they head to the Arklay Mountains to investigate a series of bizarre murders. Trapped inside the massive Spencer Mansion, the heroes discover that the building is swarming with zombies and the results of biological experiments conducted by the Umbrella Corporation. The player must not only survive but also uncover a conspiracy within their own squad while trying to find a way to escape this place alive.

The gameplay laid the foundations of the survival horror genre. The main emphasis is placed on exploring the mansion's labyrinthine corridors, searching for keys, and solving logical puzzles. The camera in the game is static, which creates a cinematic effect and hides dangers around the corner. The combat system forces the player to conserve every bullet, as resources are catastrophically scarce and the inventory is strictly limited in capacity. Saving progress is also a survival mechanic - it is only possible at typewriters using a rare consumable material, the ink ribbon.

Resident Evil 2

The plot moves the action from the enclosed mansion to the streets of a chaotic Raccoon City. At the center of the story are rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who arrive in the city at the height of a zombie outbreak. The heroes' paths cross at the city police station, where they attempt to find survivors, uncover the causes of the catastrophe, and escape the city before it is destroyed. The narrative became more grand in scale and introduced new key characters, such as Ada Wong and Sherry Birkin.

The gameplay developed the ideas of the first installment, maintaining the fixed camera and resource scarcity while becoming more dynamic. The main innovation was the "A" and "B" scenario system (the Zapping system): actions and decisions made by the player as one character directly influenced the walkthrough for the second. This significantly increased replayability, allowing players to see events from different perspectives. Puzzles became slightly less abstract, and the number of enemies on the screen increased, adding more tension to the gameplay.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

The plot unfolds parallel to the events of the second part, covering the time before and after the story of Leon and Claire. The main protagonist, Jill Valentine, attempts to escape the crumbling Raccoon City, where the T-virus has spread through the streets. The primary threat is Nemesis - an experimental bio-organic monster created by the Umbrella Corporation with a single purpose: to track down and eliminate the remaining members of the S.T.A.R.S. unit. The story is filled with a sense of doom, as the government decides to launch a nuclear strike on the city to stop the infection.

The gameplay became significantly more action-oriented compared to its predecessors. An evasion mechanic was introduced, allowing the hero to avoid attacks at the last moment, along with the ability to craft ammunition from different types of gunpowder. The main innovation was the system of random encounters with Nemesis: unlike regular enemies, he could pursue the player between locations, forcing quick decisions - whether to engage in a difficult battle or flee. The game also introduced "Live Selection" moments, where the player had to decide how to act in a critical situation within a few seconds, which influenced the subsequent path and the ending.

Resident Evil Code: Veronica

The plot continues the story of Claire Redfield, who, in search of her brother Chris, infiltrates Umbrella's Paris office but is captured and ends up on Rockfort Island. Shortly after her arrival, a virus outbreak occurs on the island, and Claire must team up with another prisoner, Steve Burnside, to escape. The story became more personal and dramatic, uncovering the secrets of the Ashford family - the founders of the corporation - and bringing back one of the series' main antagonists, Albert Wesker, who has gained superhuman abilities.

The gameplay maintained the classic survival formula but introduced a major technical change: fully 3D environments replaced the pre-rendered backgrounds. This allowed the camera to perform dynamic sweeps and follow the character, although the controls still remained "tank-like." The game brought back the system of controlling two characters at different points in the story, and the puzzles became more complex and large-scale. Additionally, the ability to dual-wield submachine guns and fire at different targets simultaneously was added, making the gameplay more spectacular.

Resident Evil (Remake)

The plot fully follows the 1996 original, detailing the incident at the Spencer Mansion, but supplements it with new details and a frightening subplot involving Lisa Trevor. This reinterpretation made the atmosphere much darker and more serious.

The gameplay retained its classic foundation but became significantly more challenging. The main technical innovation was the "Crimson Heads" - if a killed zombie's corpse is not burned or its head is not destroyed, it resurrects after some time as a much faster and more aggressive mutant. Additionally, new locations, redesigned puzzles, and self-defense items were added to the game, allowing players to fight off enemies when grabbed.

Resident Evil 4

he plot takes us to 2004, six years after the events in Raccoon City. Leon S. Kennedy, now a government agent, is sent to a remote village in Spain to find the kidnapped daughter of the U.S. President, Ashley Graham. There, he encounters not the usual zombies, but the "Los Illuminados" cult, whose members are infected with Las Plagas parasites that retain intelligence and the ability to coordinate. The story became more grand in scale and introduced one of the series' most charismatic villains - Jack Krauser.

The gameplay revolutionized the genre by introducing an "over-the-shoulder" camera and a laser sight, making shooting more precise and tactical. The game shifted its focus from pure survival to dynamic action: interactive scenes (QTEs), melee moves after stunning enemies, and a full-fledged trading system appeared. The player can now buy and upgrade weapons from the mysterious Merchant. Meanwhile, resource management was preserved in the form of an attache case, where equipment must be arranged compactly, much like in Tetris.

Resident Evil 5

The plot unfolds in Africa, where Chris Redfield arrives as an agent of the B.S.A.A. organization to prevent a deal for the sale of bio-organic weapons. His new partner is a local operative, Sheva Alomar. Together, they face a new threat - the "Uroboros" parasites, orchestrated by Chris's old enemy, Albert Wesker. The story puts an end to the long-standing confrontation between these characters and reveals the final fate of the Umbrella Corporation.

The gameplay definitively solidified the series' transition into the action genre. The main innovation was the mandatory cooperative mode: throughout the game, Chris and Sheva act together, covering each other, exchanging ammunition, and solving tasks jointly (if playing solo, the second character is controlled by artificial intelligence). The pace of the game became even faster, the locations - brighter and larger, and the number of enemies on the screen increased significantly. The inventory system began to operate in real-time, which deprived the player of the ability to pause the game to calmly heal or change weapons.

Resident Evil: Revelations

The plot fills the gap between the fourth and fifth installments. Jill Valentine and her new partner, Parker Luciani, head to the abandoned ocean liner "Queen Zenobia" to find the missing Chris Redfield. The story is presented in a television series format, complete with episodic divisions and flashbacks. The heroes face the terrorist organization "Veltro," which utilizes the new T-Abyss virus that transforms humans into slimy marine mutants.

The gameplay was Capcom's attempt to strike a balance: returning to the horror atmosphere of the early entries while maintaining the shooting mechanics of Resident Evil 4 and 5. Exploring the narrow, claustrophobic corridors of the ship feels like the classics, requiring players to search for keys and conserve ammunition. A major addition was the "Genesis" device - a scanner used by the player to search rooms for hidden resources and analyze enemy biomaterial to obtain healing items.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

The plot marks a soft reboot of the series and a return to its horror roots. The protagonist is an ordinary man named Ethan Winters, who travels to an abandoned estate in the Louisiana bayous to search for his missing wife, Mia. There, he is captured by the deranged Baker family, who are endowed with supernatural abilities and a thirst for killing. The story turns out to be closely linked to the development of a new type of biological weapon - a mold capable of mind control.

The gameplay changed radically: for the first time in the main series, the game shifted to a first-person perspective, making the immersion into the nightmare as intimate as possible. The developers brought back the classic slow pace, focusing on exploration, puzzle-solving, and a severe scarcity of resources. Item storage boxes and "save rooms" with calming music also returned. Enemies became few in number but extremely dangerous and resilient, shifting the focus from large-scale shootouts to an atmosphere of pursuit and the hero's vulnerability.

Resident Evil 2 Remake

The plot fully follows the story of Leon and Claire in Raccoon City but significantly expands the dialogue and makes the character portrayals more realistic. The core premise remains the same: escaping the police station and destroying Umbrella's underground laboratory.

The gameplay is a hybrid of classic survival horror and the controls from the fourth installment. The fixed camera has been replaced with an "over-the-shoulder" view, with an emphasis on incredible enemy damage detailing and an atmosphere of darkness. The most significant change was the reworking of the Tyrant (Mr. X): he is now an indestructible pursuer who roams the station corridors in real-time, tracking the player by the sound of their footsteps and gunfire.

Resident Evil 3 Remake

The plot retells the story of Jill Valentine's escape from Raccoon City, emphasizing a closer interaction with mercenary Carlos Oliveira and a dynamic confrontation with Nemesis. The narrative became more linear and cinematic, turning into a tense thriller.

The gameplay shifted toward action. The main innovation was a full-fledged dash (dodge) mechanic, which, with perfect timing, allows the player to slow down time for a counter-shot. Unlike the remake of the second part, less attention is paid here to exploration and more to large-scale boss battles and staged, spectacular scenes.

Resident Evil Village

The plot is a direct sequel to the seventh installment and concludes Ethan Winters' story. Following the tragic events of the intro, Ethan finds himself in a snowy Romanian village taken over by a cult led by the mysterious Mother Miranda and her four Lords. The hero must journey through the domain of each Lord - from a gothic castle to a flooded mine - to save his kidnapped daughter, Rose. The story dives deep into the series' mythology, revealing unexpected links between European folklore and the origins of the Umbrella Corporation.

The gameplay became a dynamic blend of the horror from the seventh part and the combat system of the fourth. The first-person perspective remains, but the number of enemies and available weapons has significantly increased. The trading and upgrade system returned to the series: a character named The Duke sells equipment, upgrades firearms, and even prepares meals that boost Ethan's stats. Each location in the game offers a unique experience - ranging from intense action in the village to psychological horror in House Beneviento, where the player's weapons are completely taken away.

Resident Evil 4 Remake

The plot carefully translates Leon S. Kennedy's story into a modern setting, making the tone of the narrative darker and more serious. The relationship between Leon and Ashley has become deeper, and the motivations of the antagonists and supporting characters have been further explored.

The gameplay retains the drive of the original but has become much more technologically advanced. The main innovation is the knife parrying mechanic, which allows players to deflect attacks - even a chainsaw - and perform spectacular counterattacks. Leon has become more mobile, gaining the ability to move while aiming, and stealth elements now allow some sections to be completed covertly. The attache case system and the Merchant remain, but have been supplemented with new side quests and customization options.

Resident Evil Requiem

To conclude our list, we must mention a project that is currently in development. The next major game in the series is titled Resident Evil Requiem, with its release scheduled for February. In this installment, Capcom has decided to return to the franchise's most iconic location - Raccoon City - decades after its destruction.

Plot Lines The story unfolds 30 years after the events of the original trilogy. The focus is on Grace Ashcroft, an FBI agent and daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, a character known to many from the Outbreak series. Grace travels to the exclusion zone in search of the truth about her mother. There, her path crosses with Leon S. Kennedy, who arrives in the city to eliminate the consequences of a new biological threat - the "Elpis" virus. For Leon, this mission appears to be an attempt to finally close the case of his lifetime.

Gameplay and Mechanics Requiem offers a dual-gameplay concept, dividing the game into two distinct styles:

• Grace's Style: A classic survival horror experience. Since the protagonist is not a professional fighter, the emphasis is on stealth, puzzle-solving, and survival under conditions of resource scarcity. The primary locations here include abandoned buildings and cramped hotel corridors.
• Leon's Style: A more familiar modern action experience. The experienced Leon relies on his combat training, utilizing a wide arsenal and tactical advantages in open encounters.

You can find more detailed information about the game in our blog post, Resident Evil Requiem: Release Date, Editions, Gameplay. The game will feature the ability to switch between first-person and third-person perspectives. Additionally, the developers promise large open areas of the city and the ability to use vehicles, which will be a new experience for the main line of the series.

The Legacy and Future of Resident Evil

In conclusion, the three-decade journey of Resident Evil clearly demonstrates the evolution of the entire gaming industry. The franchise has managed to travel the path from a localized horror story in a mansion to global catastrophes, constantly changing its form and setting new standards for the genre.

Today, the series successfully combines two directions: the development of Ethan Winters' new story and the high-quality reinterpretation of classics through modern remakes. The release of Resident Evil Requiem, expected in February, promises to be a significant milestone in the series' development, merging the experience of past years with new open-city mechanics.

Regardless of which installment you begin your journey with, Resident Evil remains the premier franchise for all fans of survival atmosphere and biological mysteries.