After decades of misses, we’re finally getting a truly great video game movie adaptation. Well, sort of. Zach Cregger’s take on Resident Evil is a hit among critics who have praised the horror movie for its delightfully playful tone. The only catch is that it doesn’t have much to do with the established lore and characters of the actual Resident Evil games. Instead, it tells its own story in the universe, which is probably for the better considering how complicated the game saga gets.
If you want to dip into that saga after seeing the movie, though, you have a lot of options. Resident Evil has several entry points across dozens of mainline games and spinoffs. There are only 11 core games to worry about if you want the bulk of the story without bonus worldbuilding tidbits, but there are some real ups and downs within that list. To help you sort through it all, we’ve put together an updated ranking of the main Resident Evil series, complete with this year’s Resident Evil Requiem. Note that we’re grouping games and their remakes together as one here, as we’re focused on where those games fit into the Resident Evil story overall.
11
Resident Evil 5
There are people out there who will argue that Resident Evil 5 is an underrated gem. They will say that there’s more nuance to its story than its lousy reputation would have you think. They will say that despite its problems, it really sings in co-op. To each their own, truly — but I would rather be mauled by zombie dogs than replay Resident Evil 5. If you’re an advocate for it, I implore you to revisit it to get an updated feel for a torturously clumsy third-person shooter that has aged like raw fish.
10
Resident Evil 6
If I’m being honest, I’d consider myself a Resident Evil 6 apologist. I know that’s a ludicrous thing to say after slamming Resident Evil 5 supporters, but look: Resident Evil 6 actually gets the series’ tone. It takes the B-movie energy of the original games and takes them to the silliest peak possible. It plays terribly and features some storylines that are absolute duds, but Leon’s arc is an underappreciated bit of Resident Evil wackiness that deserves its flowers.
9
Resident Evil 0
Resident Evil 0 has a strong elevator pitch that the game itself doesn’t fully live up to. The prequel begins on a train, completely mixing up — or at least elongating — the puzzle-box nature of the games that came before it. Beyond that memorable setpiece, Resident Evil 0 mostly just functions as a fan-servicing complement to the GameCube’s excellent Resident Evil remake.
8
Resident Evil Code: Veronica
Code: Veronica is one of those games whose legacy will likely be defined by its upcoming remake. At the time, it was hailed as a crowning achievement for a series seemingly at its peak. Return to it now and you’ll have to fight through some tough controls to enjoy Claire Redfield’s story. It’s worth pushing through the pain, but expect Resident Evil Veronica to trigger a proper critical reappraisal soon.
7
Resident Evil Village
Depending on how you feel about Resident Evil Village’s various segments, this one could either rank very high or very low on this list. The dollhouse? One of the finest few hours in the entire series. The Frankenstein factory? Well, not so much. It’s an uneven game, but that’s part of Village’s charm; the amusement park nature of its story makes for an eclectic game that has at least something you’ll adore.
6
Resident Evil 3
Though its 2020 remake didn’t do as much to elevate its stock as 2019’s Resident Evil 2, the original Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is still a special game. Its persistently prowling Nemesis gave the series a terrifying calling card that it continues to make good use of. Plus, it’s one of the few games that gives Jill Valentine a chance to shine, and her aura carries both the original and the remake.
5
Resident Evil Requiem
More time will likely need to pass until we can truly figure out where Resident Evil Requiem stacks up compared to other entries in the series, but as of now, it’s firmly in the top tier. That’s thanks to a strong dual-hero story that balances Grace Ashcroft’s personal nightmare and confronts a wider trauma surrounding the destruction of Raccoon City through Leon S. Kennedy’s eyes. Its ability to seamlessly jump between those two things, while switching from survival horror to pure action, leaves a lot to applaud in a well-executed arc capstone.
4
Resident Evil 7
The Resident Evil series seemed like it was at a dead end in 2017 after a pair of back-to-back stinkers, so Resident Evil 7 was a necessary jolt of life. The sequel’s pivot from action back to straight survival horror made for hands-down the series’ scariest game. The story of Ethan Winters and his war against mold might not be as compelling as the Raccoon City saga, but Resident Evil 7 proved that there were still plenty of new stories that could be told in the zombie-infested world.
3
Resident Evil
Whether you play the original PS1 version of Resident Evil or its GameCube remake, you simply can’t sleep on the series’ first entry. That’s not just because it set the stage for all things Resident Evil both narratively and in gameplay, but because it’s still the series’ most focused game. The Spencer Mansion remains a perfect puzzle box that’s dripping with atmosphere. The jump scares are terrifying, the bosses are memorable, and it features the best cast of characters ever assembled in a Resident Evil game.
2
Resident Evil 2
Before 2019’s Resident Evil 2 remake, I likely would have given its predecessor the edge here. However, Capcom’s stellar revisit served as a welcome reminder that Leon and Claire’s hellish trip through the Raccoon City Police Department is an all-time great horror story. It successfully widened out the world of Resident Evil while still keeping things intimate and terrifying. It’s one hell of an introduction for Leon too, who makes for a compelling hero as a rookie cop who is immediately in over his head. It’s hard to imagine the series being as big as it is now without his introduction.