The remakes fit into the established Resident Evil story chronology: Resident Evil 3 starts on September 28, 1998, one day before Resident Evil 2, and the two stories overlap during the Raccoon City outbreak. Resident Evil 4 follows in autumn 2004. These are in-universe dates, not the games’ release years.
Where the remakes fit in the timeline
Capcom’s official chronology places the remake stories within the franchise’s established sequence of events. The dates below refer to when events happen in the story, not when a game was released.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
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Resident Evil Origins Collection - PlayStation 4 Standard Edition | $19.70 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Resident Evil Triple Pack - Nintendo Switch | $39.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Resident Evil Origins Collection - Nintendo Switch | $37.90 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Resident Evil Origins Collection (PS4) | $22.05 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Resident Evil 4 - PS5 | $15.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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| In-universe date | Game or event | How it fits |
|---|---|---|
| July 23, 1998 | Resident Evil 0: Ecliptic Express Incident | Happens the night before the first game’s Mansion Incident. |
| July 24, 1998 | Resident Evil: Mansion Incident | The central event of the first game. Capcom’s chronology image depicts the 2002 remake, but the incident remains set in 1998. |
| September 28, 1998 onward | Resident Evil 3 remake | Jill Valentine’s story begins one day before the events of the Resident Evil 2 remake and continues into Raccoon City’s final days. |
| September 29, 1998 | Resident Evil 2 remake | Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield arrive in Raccoon City as the outbreak unfolds, while Resident Evil 3 is still in progress. |
| December 1998 | Resident Evil Code: Veronica | Continues Claire’s and Chris Redfield’s stories after the Raccoon City events. |
| Autumn 2004 | Resident Evil 4 remake | Leon’s rescue mission takes place six years after the Raccoon City Incident. |
Why Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 overlap
The Raccoon City stories are not two wholly separate incidents that happen one after the other. Capcom’s Resident Evil Portal describes Resident Evil 3 this way: “The story starts one day before RE2: Remake and ends during the final days of Raccoon City.” In other words, RE3 opens first, then its events run alongside the period covered by RE2 before reaching the city’s end.
That is a broad placement, not a scene-by-scene synchronization. Capcom’s chronology establishes the games’ overall relationship but does not map every event in one game to a precise moment in the other.
#1 Best Overall
- Return to the series origins - Discover the truth behind what led to the horrors at the Mansion in Resident Evil in this fan-favorite and popular prequel title to the series.
- Completely enhanced visuals - New high-resolution textures have been created from scratch, including 1080p support on next-gen consoles, while still preserving the classic appearance of the original release.
- Fan-favorite Resident Evil characters - Rookie S.T.A.R.S. member Rebecca Chambers and wanted criminal Billy Coen combine skills and buddy up to survive the undead and infected nightmares that await them.
- All original difficulty levels plus new Very Easy Mode for novice players
Remake story dates are not release dates
A remake’s release year does not move its story forward in time. The original Resident Evil 2 was released in 1998, and its remake retells the 1998 Raccoon City events. Resident Evil 3 remakes Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, released in September 1999, but its story also takes place during the 1998 outbreak.
The same distinction applies to the first game: Capcom’s chronology identifies the 2002 Resident Evil remake in its presentation of the Mansion Incident, which is dated July 24, 1998—not 2002. In a 2023 feature, Capcom likewise places the Resident Evil 4 remake’s story in 2004 and describes it as a remake of the 2005 game. Capcom’s Leon feature discusses the RE2 and RE4 remakes in that context.
Rank #2
- Play anywhere: play Resident Evil Triple Pack on the go using the Nintendo Switch system's handheld or at home in tabletop mode.
- Two-player local and online co-op: experience Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 locally or online with a friend.
- Game enhancements: includes a variety of game improvements for both Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6.
- Includes map packs, special costumes, plus the game modes from Resident Evil 4, 5, and 6.
How far the main-game chronology continues
For a wider view beyond the remakes, Capcom dates later main-series installments as follows. These entries show the larger sequence without changing where the remake stories fit.
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| In-universe year | Game |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Resident Evil 5 |
| 2011 | Resident Evil Revelations 2 |
| 2013 | Resident Evil 6 |
| 2017 | Resident Evil 7 |
| 2021 | Resident Evil Village |
What order should you play the remakes?
If you want to follow the remake stories by their main timeline placement, play the first game’s remake, then Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, and Resident Evil 4. The 1998 stories overlap, so that order is a useful orientation rather than a claim that RE2 ends before RE3 begins. Resident Evil 0 is set before the Mansion Incident, so you can place it first chronologically; playing it after the first game is another way to encounter the earlier events.
Rank #3
- Return to the series origins - Discover the truth behind the horrors in the Resident Evil mansion, as well as what led up to them, in these titles which mark the beginning of the Resident Evil timeline.
- Relive the classic horror in either its original settings or modified to modern-day standards
- Play as Albert Wesker in Resident Evil 0 - After completing the main campaign, players will be able to take control of the fan-favorite series antagonist, complete with his Uroboros powers from Resident Evil 5, to wreak havoc in the all new Wesker Mode
- Play Anywhere: Play Resident Evil Origins Collection on the go using the Nintendo Switch system's handheld or tabletop mode
Capcom’s chronology treats the remakes as retellings positioned in the franchise timeline. The official material cited here does not specify a comprehensive canon policy for every narrative change between each remake and its original, so the dates alone should not be taken as a ruling on every continuity detail.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Reawaken a Classic – Resident Evil 4 preserves the essence of the original game, now reconstructed using Capcom’s proprietary RE Engine to deliver realistic visuals and additional narrative depth to the iconic story that was not possible at the time of the original release.
- Modernized Gameplay – The team from 2019’s Resident Evil 2 returns to build upon the series’ modern approach to survival horror. Engage in frenzied combat with the Ganados villagers, explore a European village gripped by madness, and solve puzzles to access new areas and collect useful items for Leon and Ashley’s constant struggle to survive.
- Overwhelming Hordes – Face hordes of rabid enemies that threaten to overwhelm Leon with even more diverse methods of attack than in the original release.
- Survive on a Knife’s Edge – Years of intense training have taught Leon new ways to use his knife, helping to even the odds against the unrelenting onslaught of enemies. By parrying enemy attacks, you can avoid debilitating damage and evade lunging enemies seeking to grab Leon and hold him in place. Make smart use of scavenged knives to deliver precise finishing moves on vulnerable enemies, and even use the element of surprise to quietly dispatch unsuspecting foes before they break.
- Survive on a Knife’s Edge – Years of intense training have taught Leon new ways to use his knife, helping to even the odds against the unrelenting onslaught of enemies. By parrying enemy attacks, you can avoid debilitating damage and evade lunging enemies seeking to grab Leon and hold him in place. Make smart use of scavenged knives to deliver precise finishing moves on vulnerable enemies, and even use the element of surprise to quietly dispatch unsuspecting foes before they break.
Rank #4
- Return to the series' origins
- Enhanced visuals
- remastered sound effects
- Wesker mode
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