13 Mainline Games: The Complete Resident Evil Story Timeline

The Resident Evil story timeline represents one of the most intricate, terrifying, and enduring narratives in gaming history. Created by Shinji Mikami and Tokuro Fujiwara for Capcom in 1996, the Resident Evil franchise (known as Biohazard in Japan) redefined the survival horror genre. What began as a localized biological outbreak in a secluded mansion evolved into a global bio-terror threat involving corporate corruption, viral mutations, and ancient parasitical pathogens.

Before diving into the chronological order of events, it is essential to understand the iconic characters who have driven this dark saga for nearly three decades.

The narrative strength of the franchise lies in its recurring cast of survivors, mercenaries, and villains. Each hero has evolved from an unwitting survivor into a hardened anti-bioterrorism specialist.

Chris Redfield

A former U.S. Air Force pilot turned S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Service) Alpha Team marksman. Chris is a founding member of the BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance). Driven by a fierce loyalty to his teammates, his lifelong mission has been the total destruction of Umbrella and its viral legacy.

Jill Valentine

A key member of S.T.A.R.S. Alpha Team with specialized bomb disposal skills and unmatched tactical agility. After surviving the Spencer Mansion incident and escaping the Nemesis in Raccoon City, Jill became a central pillar of the global fight against bioweapons alongside Chris Redfield.

Leon S. Kennedy

Leon’s first day as a rookie police officer for the Raccoon City Police Department (R.P.D.) coincided with the tragic T-Virus outbreak. Surviving the nightmare turned him into an elite secret agent for the U.S. Federal Government, directly answering to the President.

Claire Redfield

The younger sister of Chris Redfield. Claire entered Raccoon City as a college student searching for her missing brother. Her survival instincts led her to join TerraSave, a non-governmental humanitarian organization dedicated to aiding victims of biological attacks.

Albert Wesker

The ultimate antagonist of the early saga. Wesker was a brilliant researcher for the Umbrella Corporation and leader of the S.T.A.R.S. unit. Driven by a god complex, he betrayed humanity to pursue controlled human evolution through viral integration.

To fully understand the narrative flow, the games must be experienced through the in-universe Resident Evil story timeline rather than their original release dates.

Resident Evil (1996)

Special Tactics And Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.) investigates gruesome cannibalistic murders outside Raccoon City. Trapped in the Spencer Mansion, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine uncover Umbrella Corporation’s illegal biological research and the deadly T-Virus.

Resident Evil 2 (1998)

Two months after the mansion incident, the T-Virus leaks into Raccoon City. Rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield battle mutated citizens and the terrifying G-Virus monster created by William Birkin.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)

Occurring concurrently with Resident Evil 2, Jill Valentine attempts to escape Raccoon City while hunted by Nemesis—a relentless bio-organic weapon dispatched by Umbrella to eliminate surviving S.T.A.R.S. officers.

Resident Evil CODE: Veronica (2000)

Claire Redfield infiltrates an Umbrella facility in Paris, leading to her imprisonment on Rockfort Island. Claire and Chris reunite to fight the psychopathically mutated Ashford twins and defeat Albert Wesker’s resurgence.

Resident Evil 0 (2002)

A prequel detailing the events prior to the mansion disaster. S.T.A.R.S. rookie Rebecca Chambers and escaped convict Billy Coen discover the origins of the T-Virus and Umbrella co-founder James Marcus.

Resident Evil 4 (2005)

Six years after Raccoon City, Leon S. Kennedy travels to a secluded European village to rescue the U.S. President’s daughter, Ashley Graham. He encounters Las Plagas, a mind-controlling parasite far removed from traditional viruses.

Resident Evil 5 (2009)

BSAA agent Chris Redfield teams up with Sheva Alomar in Kijuju, Africa. They uncover the origins of the Progenitor Virus and finally put an end to Albert Wesker’s apocalyptic Uroboros plan inside an active volcano.

Resident Evil: Revelations (2012)

Set between RE4 and RE5, Jill Valentine and Parker Luciani investigate a ghost cruise ship, the Queen Zenobia, uncovering a bio-terror conspiracy involving the aquatic T-Abyss virus.

Resident Evil 6 (2012)

A global bio-terror crisis unfolds across three interconnected campaigns starring Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield, and Jake Muller (Wesker’s son) as they combat the C-Virus threat across North America, Eastern Europe, and China.

Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015)

Claire Redfield and Barry Burton’s daughter, Moira, are abducted and taken to a desolate prison island ruled by the Overseer (Alex Wesker), who experiments with fear-triggered viral strains.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017)

Shifting to a first-person perspective, Ethan Winters searches for his wife Mia at a derelict plantation in Louisiana. He battles the infected Baker family and uncovers the mold-based bio-weapon known as Eveline.

Resident Evil Village (2021)

Ethan Winters travels to a mysterious European village ruled by Mother Miranda and four lords to rescue his kidnapped baby daughter, Rose. The story links Ethan’s mold mutation directly back to the historical roots of Umbrella.

Resident Evil Requiem (2026)

Expanding the lore into a new era, Requiem bridges lingering plot lines between legacy BSAA corruption and modern bio-synthetic threats, putting veteran heroes through their ultimate test of survival.

The enduring success of the Resident Evil story timeline stems from its ability to reinvent itself while honoring its roots. From fixed camera angles and ink ribbons to over-the-shoulder action and immersive first-person terror, Capcom has constantly reshaped the horror landscape. Official historical archives can be explored further via the official Capcom Resident Evil Portal.

It is worth noting that remake versions of Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, and Resident Evil 4 have been released.

Interested in exploring more mysterious horror archives? If you want to dive into another famous cancelled horror project, read our full article explaining the P.T. Silent Hills cancelled mysteries!