The genre-defining Resident Evil franchise has released quite a few games since the launch of the first back in 1998. While the majority of the main entries in the series are ordered chronologically, there is an intricate web of side games that take place all over the series timeline; a large portion of the Resident Evil games focus on the events of Raccoon City, which acts as a catalyst for most of the events in the series.
The earlier Resident Evil games were structured around the Umbrella Corporation being the big bad, which suits the mix of horror and conspiracy thriller themes that the series encompasses. The Umbrella logo became synonymous with evil big tech with zombies and other mutated creatures being the result of Umbrella's recklessness or malice. As the series progressed, Umbrella's power and presence deteriorate in lieu of more focus on the protagonists of the series, with Umbrella serving as mostly an easter egg in Resident Evil Village. The series maintains many of the same themes today, though, replacing Umbrella with other shadowy organizations.
Raccoon City in the Late 1990s
As mentioned, a lot of the early Resident Evil games focus on the events in Raccoon City. The very first Resident Evil explores the infamous Spencer Mansion, but the events of Resident Evil Zero actually take place before Resident Evil. This prequel follows Billy Coen and Rebecca Chambers as they explore Arkley Mountains, an area just outside of Raccoon City. The story takes place a mere 24 hours before the events of the first game.
Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 take place in September of the same year as the first game, 1998. These games take place at roughly the same time and explore more of the iconic location. Resident Evil 3 also ends with the destruction of Raccoon City, but is not the last game to take place there. Resident Evil: Resistance, Resident Evil Outbreak, and Outbreak File #2 all take place shortly before Raccoon City's destruction. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City gives players an opportunity to play as an Umbrella security team during the Raccoon City outbreak.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica and Resident Evil Survivor 2: Code Veronica follow Claire Redfield's search for her brother Chris, while Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles retells many events of the former two games. Finally, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles re-tells the events of Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil, and Resident Evil 3. Some small stories that happen in or around Raccoon City at the time of the outbreak also feature.
Post-Raccoon City and the 2000s
Resident Evil Survivor takes place on the outskirts of Sheena Island not long after the destruction of Raccoon City. Resident Evil Gaiden is a non-canon game that follows Leon S. Kennedy and Barry Burton, but contradicts many key points of the series. Resident Evil: Dead Aim is a light gun shooter that takes place in 2002 on an Umbrella owned ocean liner, Spencer Rain.
Resident Evil 4 takes place in 2004 and begins the series departure from Umbrella as the big bad. In this game, Leon Kennedy explores a rural village in Spain plagued by a parasite known as Las Plagas. While the Umbrella Corporation does crop up in future games, especially in lore building, Resident Evil 4 establishes the company's downfall, though other forces do pick up their mantle. One of the other big antagonists the first few games set up is Albert Wesker, who doesn't meet his end until Resident Evil 5.
Resident Evil: Revelations, originally released for the Nintendo 3DS, takes place shortly after Resident Evil 4 - this time following Jill Valentine aboard the Queen Zenobia cruise ship. The bioterrorist organization, Il Vetro, has adapted the T-virus in this game, continuing the work of Umbrella. This is common for the post-Umbrella games in order to create a larger narrative unity across the franchise. Resident Evil 5 takes place in 2009, following Chris Redfield and his new partner Sheva Alomar in Kijuju Africa. This game is focused on another Las Plagas outbreak, and has plenty of callbacks to Umbrella too, not least of which is Wesker. Resident Evil: Mercenaries 3D is a Nintendo 3DS game that features the mercenaries minigames from RE4 and RE5.
Jake, Ethan, and a Rebrand in the 2010s
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is set between Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, and follows Claire Redfield and Barry Burton's daughter, Moira. Resident Evil 5 wasn't received particularly well and was criticized for having over-the-top action sequences. While the sixth game does not seem to reflect this feedback, ithe seventh entry in the series truly reclaims its mastery of horror.
Resident Evil 6 features Leon, Chris, Ada Wong, and introduces Wesker's son Jake Muller. The game has four different campaigns and received a mixed reception. The sixth game failed to be a return to form for the series, but it did have some improvements over the fifth game. Ultimately, fans felt the series was still too focused on fast-paced action rather than the slow unnerving horror of the earlier games. However, the reaction to this game and RE5,did have an obvious influence on the direction of the seventh game.
Umbrella Corps takes place around the same time as Resident Evil 6 and introduces a new organization using Umbrella's name. This game received overtly negative reviews, but then in 2017, the franchise reemerged as a forerunner in survival horror. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard introduces Ethan Winters, a seemingly indestructible devoted husband searching for his wife in a derelict plantation in Louisiana. The game, set in the same year as its release, pays very deliberate attention to the staples of survival horror; it was praised as being a particularly scary game to play, particularly in VR.
The most recent addition to the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil: Village repeats the most effective elements of the seventh game. Set three years after the previous title, Village continues Ethan Winters' storyline, who this time is searching for his daughter in a small European village. Village also makes some bold choices for the series, introducing vampires, lycanthropes, and other mythical creatures aside from mutated human zombies. The choice seems to be working for the series, with the game receiving good reviews. Of course, this all only accounts for the timeline in the games, which is further expanded in novels, films, and comic books. As the series that defined the survival horror genre, the Resident Evil franchise has developed a deep and complicated lore over the last three decades.