Resident Evil Requiem is the 9th main entry in the Resident Evil series, and many horror fans are excited. While long time fans know exactly what they are in for, newcomers may now be asking the question "can I start here?"
Well for today's article we are going to be looking at the main plot points in the Resident Evil series to help everyone catch up to speed.
While some spoilers cannot be avoided, we'll keep details such as character deaths and plot twists out of this, so that everyone can still enjoy the games later on.
Resident Evil 0 (1998)
Resident Evil 0 kicks off our timeline, following the story of both Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen. Rebecca is a medic for Raccoon City’s elite S.T.A.R.S. police force, while Billy is a dishonorably discharged Marine who has escaped custody. While Rebecca’s original mission is to investigate reports of mysterious bodies located in the Arklay Mountains, she is given new orders to capture Billy at all costs; however, things take a turn for the worse.
When horrifying monsters attack the train they are riding on, both Rebecca and Billy find themselves fighting for their lives. This journey eventually leads them to the Umbrella Executive Training School, where they begin to uncover the truth.
Umbrella is a pharmaceutical company that has made quite a name for itself worldwide. While on the surface they appear to be nothing out of the ordinary, in reality, they are conducting research into bioweapons. The murders in the mountains? They were only the beginning.
Resident Evil (1998)
Following the events of Resident Evil 0, Rebecca makes her way to the Spencer Mansion—another facility owned and operated by Umbrella—from which strange rumors are once again originating. Unknown to her, another S.T.A.R.S. team is en route as well, led by the original two series protagonists, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. Just as Rebecca previously experienced, this mansion is also infested with monsters and the living dead, pushing S.T.A.R.S. to their limits.
While most of Chris and Jill's team unfortunately doesn't survive the trip to the mansion, Captain Albert Wesker and Barry Burton are two of the members who do make it inside. From there, the four begin their own independent investigations, all while fighting off countless horrors. Along the way, they discover the stories of the Umbrella researchers who were involved with the zombie-creating T-Virus project, among other surprising facts. However, it is the revelation of Wesker's involvement that changes everything.
In addition to being a captain for S.T.A.R.S., Wesker was one of the lead researchers for Umbrella, and he was using the Spencer Mansion incident to his advantage. Not only did he lead his team to their deaths to test the Bio-Organic Weapons, but he had also blackmailed Barry into helping cover his tracks. Eventually, Chris, Jill, and Barry escape the mansion, but not before facing off against a self-infected Wesker.
The Umbrella Chronicles (1998)
Following his defeat, Wesker finds himself revived thanks to a special virus provided to him by the researcher William Birkin. With the rest of his team now long gone, Wesker attempts to recover as many of Umbrella’s assets as possible before the newly activated self-destruct sequence detonates. Sadly for him, he is unable to do so and instead simply exits the mansion alone. With his team assuming he is dead, he is now free to begin the next stages of his plan and work from the shadows.
Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 (1998)
Months following the mansion incident, Raccoon City lives in peace, unaware of the horrors that lurk just outside the city; however, that is soon about to change.
While Chris has left for Europe to investigate another Umbrella facility, Jill remains behind, still haunted by recent events. Sadly for her, those nightmares become a reality once again when Umbrella botches its own cleanup mission. After an attempt to kill researcher William Birkin, his G-Virus leaks into the sewer system, and soon the entire city transforms into a zombie apocalypse.
Jill fights for survival within the city streets, while Chris's sister, Claire Redfield, travels to Raccoon City out of concern for her brother. Unknown to her and the newly hired rookie officer, Leon Kennedy, the city is the last place anyone would want to be.
Resident Evil 2 follows Leon and Claire as they find themselves trapped in the Raccoon City Police Department. There, they learn about the police force's and the mayor's corrupt connections to Umbrella. While Claire protects Sherry—William Birkin's young daughter—Leon encounters a mysterious woman named Ada who is spying on Umbrella. Together, the group uncovers the final pieces of the puzzle and eventually escapes the city.
Jill also faces her own trials, eventually managing to evacuate before the military carries out "The Sterilization Strategy"—the complete annihilation of Raccoon City to cover up everything that transpired.
Resident Evil Outbreak (1998)
Taking a sidestep from the "main" story, the Resident Evil Outbreak titles put players in the shoes of different characters as they attempt to survive the outbreak in Raccoon City. While these are side stories to the main series, things have slightly changed with Resident Evil Requiem. The original Outbreak introduces players to The Raccoon Press reporter Alyssa Ashcroft—mother of Resident Evil Requiem protagonist Grace Ashcroft.
It is Alyssa who goes on to escape from Raccoon City and help expose the truth about Umbrella to the world. Unfortunately, with the U.S. government denying the existence of Bio-Organic Weapons, the general population views her as nothing more than a conspiracy theorist.
Code Veronica (1998)
Following the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3, Leon and Claire go their separate ways. While Leon and Sherry are picked up by the U.S. government, Claire continues searching for her brother—a search that leads her to an island housing yet another Umbrella facility. This is where Claire comes face to face with the product of the T-Veronica virus and the twisted family in charge of the project. Thanks to Leon tipping off Chris regarding Claire's whereabouts, Chris also makes his way to the island, where he comes face to face with a ghost from his past: Albert Wesker himself.
Eventually, this Umbrella facility is also destroyed, and the siblings manage to escape. Although they are happy to be reunited, their time together is short-lived, as the two take different paths in life. Chris becomes a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), an organization dedicated to fighting bioterrorism, while Claire joins TerraSave, a group dedicated to helping the victims and preventing such incidents from ever happening instead. While neither of them can return to their original lives, they choose to fight against this new threat in their own ways.Leon, on the other hand, isn't so lucky.
The Darkside Chronicles (2002)
In 2002, Leon was sent to a small South American country to investigate yet another Umbrella-related incident, with U.S. Army Special Forces operator Jack Krauser serving as his partner. During this mission, Leon and Krauser discovered a village overrun by zombies and a mysterious girl kept alive by none other than the T-Veronica virus. This encounter led Leon to disclose the truth about Raccoon City and the true nature of their investigation to his partner.
In the end, the duo escaped the country, and the girl was taken into U.S. custody. Leon and Krauser went their separate ways, and Leon was later informed of Krauser’s apparent death in an accident.
Although this chapter focuses on Leon, The Darkside Chronicles actually contains two versions of the story—one from Leon’s point of view and one from Krauser’s. While Leon left the ordeal feeling he had gained a new ally, Krauser’s perspective reveals his true feelings toward Leon—resentment that would eventually come to a head the next time they met. His "accident" was no accident.
Resident Evil 4 (2004)
Leon's second major outing occurs in the classic Resident Evil 4. In this entry, Leon is sent to a rural village in Spain after the President’s daughter, Ashley Graham, is abducted by a cult calling themselves the Los Iluminados. Initially, Leon expects a straightforward rescue mission, but upon arriving, he realizes things are not quite as they seem.
The Los Iluminados cult utilizes a threat unlike any Bio-Organic Weapon Leon had encountered up to that point. Rather than traditional zombies infected by a virus, the villagers are implanted with a parasite known as Las Plagas. This bug-like creature grows within the host's body, granting the cult leader, Osmund Saddler, total influence over their actions and eventually causing horrific mutations. By infecting Ashley, the cult planned to spread the Plagas to high-ranking members of the U.S. government, giving Saddler world control. To Leon's surprise, he discovers that Jack Krauser was the one responsible for her kidnapping.
During the incident, Leon not only comes face-to-face with his former ally but also encounters Ada Wong, who was sent by Wesker to retrieve a Plagas sample. While Leon never learns her true intentions, he eventually writes the "Kennedy Report" regarding the Los Iluminados. This report is shared with other anti-bioweapon organizations and proves invaluable down the line. Although Ada ultimately decides against giving her sample to Wesker, he travels to Spain personally to obtain a specimen from Krauser's remains. This acquisition is one of the pieces that eventually sets the events of Resident Evil 5 in motion.
Degeneration (2005)
Resident Evil: Degeneration was the first CGI movie released in the series and is canon to the video game universe. It tells the story of an incident that both Leon and Claire get wrapped up in roughly a year after the events of Resident Evil 4. What initially begins as a bioterror attack on an airport quickly evolves into a conspiracy involving an ex-Umbrella researcher who has continued his work. While Leon is dispatched by the government to help fend off the attack, Claire—now a member of TerraSave—conducts research of her own and eventually uncovers the truth behind the recent events.
It is eventually revealed that the person behind the attacks has been in contact with other companies following Umbrella's fall, including Tricell Incorporated—a group that is about to make a name for itself in Resident Evil 5. Together, Leon and Claire are able to put an end to their plans, but it is clear that this is only the beginning. Bioterror isn't going away; instead, it is becoming a grim fact of everyday life.
Revelations (2005)
Set around the same time as Degeneration, Resident Evil: Revelations follows Jill Valentine as she sets out in search of Chris Redfield, who has gone missing during a mission.
After tracking his signal to an abandoned cruise ship called the Queen Zenobia, Jill discovers the vessel is overrun by a new type of mutant created by the T-Abyss virus, yet Chris is nowhere to be found. What truly surprises her, however, is that the terrorist group Il Veltro is seemingly responsible for leading her to the ship. A year prior to the events of the game, Il Veltro initiated a Bio-Organic Weapon outbreak on the man-made floating city of Terragrigia. The BSAA has been hunting them ever since, and Jill believes she has finally found them.In the end, the BSAA tracks down those responsible for the incident, but the situation is not resolved as cleanly as one would hope. The events lead to a major shake-up within the BSAA’s leadership, and a sample of the T-Abyss virus is passed on to an unknown party. Meanwhile, Jill and Chris are sent to locate the founder of Umbrella, Oswell E. Spencer, where a fateful encounter with Albert Wesker will change everything.
Infinite Darkness (2006)
Infinite Darkness is a four-episode CGI series that once again focuses on both Leon and Claire. On Leon’s side, he is now a legend among his colleagues and is seen as the best of the best. When the White House is targeted by a hacker who steals information regarding Bio-Organic Weapons, Leon is called in to investigate.
Meanwhile, while Claire is working for TerraSave, she encounters a young boy in the fictional country of Penamstan. Although he is unable to speak, his drawings disturb her greatly—they are images of what can only be described as zombies eating people. This is something the boy should have no knowledge of, yet the evidence is right there.
As the two conduct their separate investigations, they eventually cross paths and realize they are looking for the same thing: the person responsible for the events that befell Penamstan years prior, as well as the individual utilizing the T-Virus from within the government.
Resident Evil 5 (2009)
Resident Evil 5 is where much of the story finally comes to a head. It follows BSAA agent Chris Redfield as he heads to Africa to team up with fellow agent Sheva Alomar. Their goal is to stop a man named Ricardo Irving from selling a newly developed bioweapon on the black market, but things quickly go south. Upon entering a small village, the two discover the residents are infected by the very same Plagas parasite Leon had described in his report back in 2004—something that shouldn't exist in Africa. To further complicate matters, Chris learns that Jill has been spotted—the same Jill who had been presumed dead following their encounter with Wesker in 2005.
Eager to reunite with his old partner, the two agents set out to get to the bottom of the new parasite outbreak. Along the way, they learn of Wesker's partnership with Tricell Incorporated. This eventually leads to a final showdown between Chris and his old nemesis, as well as a reunion with the friend he thought he had lost.
The events of the game cause Chris to question his own actions, but he ultimately decides to keep fighting for a better tomorrow.
Damnation (2011)
Damnation was Resident Evil's second CGI film, once again starring Leon, but this time with Ada joining him. The story focuses on the Eastern Slav Republic, which is caught in the middle of a civil war; however, reports of Bio-Organic Weapons being used cause Leon to be sent to investigate.
Now a member of the Division of Security Operations (DSO)—as his previous organization was disbanded and merged with the BSAA—he works directly under the President along with the nation's best agents. Upon arriving in the Eastern Slav Republic, Leon realizes things are worse than assumed and ignores his orders to retreat. This is when he comes into contact with the leader of the rebel forces, Ivan, who has been infected with a Plaga.
Meanwhile, Ada poses as a BSAA agent and meets with the President of the Eastern Slav Republic, explaining how the Plaga allows a host to temporarily control lesser B.O.W.s. However, Ada's visit was not to help the President, but rather to steal a Plaga sample. She received these orders from Derek Simmons, the National Security Advisor under U.S. President Adam Benford. Unknown to the world, Simmons is the lead of an organization called "The Family."
The rest of the movie follows Leon and Ada as they attempt to escape the country, deal with the B.O.W. threat, and stop the Eastern Slav Republic President’s plans. Unknown to Leon, Ada’s actions serve as the trigger for the events that will unfold in Resident Evil 6.
Revelations 2 (2011)
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is an episodic entry in the series that follows the stories of two sets of protagonists.
The first side of the story features Claire and Barry Burton's daughter, Moira, after TerraSave is attacked and the two wake up on a mysterious island. Here, a woman calling herself the Overseer watches them as they fight for their lives against new types of mutants. This Overseer is none other than Alex Wesker, the final surviving member of Umbrella’s "Wesker Project"—a project dedicated to creating the "perfect" human.
The second side of the story follows Barry Burton himself as he infiltrates the island to find his missing daughter. Initially, it appears the two stories are happening concurrently; however, as revealed at the end of Episode 1, six months have actually passed. This results in Barry encountering different monsters as the virus progresses and leads to a chance encounter with a mysterious young girl named Natalia.
In the end, Alex Wesker’s plot is thwarted and Barry is reunited with his daughter, but the ordeal may not truly be over. After Barry adopts Natalia, players are treated to a tease implying that Alex Wesker’s mind may now exist within the young girl.
Resident Evil 6 (2012-2013)
Resident Evil 6 is a title broken up into four different stories, all of which overlap to create a much larger picture.
On Leon’s side, President Adam Benford has decided to reveal the secrets of Raccoon City and Bio-Organic Weapons to the world; however, his plan is halted when he himself is transformed into a zombie. This marks the start of a new outbreak that Leon is wrapped up in, leading him to team up with Secret Service agent Helena Harper. The two manage to escape together, but the situation becomes even more complicated when they learn the truth: it was none other than Derek Simmons who initiated the outbreak.
Jumping back a year to 2012, Sherry Birkin—the girl Claire and Leon saved in Resident Evil 2—is now a DSO agent herself. She has been dispatched to Edonia to locate and retrieve Jake Muller, the son of Albert Wesker. Jake is immune to viruses and is believed to be the key to developing a vaccine for the new C-Virus sweeping the world. Initially, he is unwilling to cooperate with Sherry, but he eventually agrees to provide his blood for a price. Unknown to both of them, a secret organization called "The Family" is responsible for the C-Virus, and their lead researcher has formed a splinter group calling themselves Neo-Umbrella.
The third story follows Chris Redfield and his new partner, Piers Nivans. They were also in Edonia at the same time as Sherry and Jake; however, things took a turn for the worse. After a mission to clear out those infected by the C-Virus went sideways, Chris develops amnesia and PTSD, leading him to leave the BSAA. It isn't until 2013 that he returns to duty and heads to Lanshiang, China, to pursue Neo-Umbrella. This is where the infection reaches a global scale, and the three groups of characters converge to finish what they started.
The final protagonist is Ada Wong, whose campaign allows players to see a different side of the plot. It provides closure between her and Simmons—who had previously hired her during the events of Damnation—and reveals how his obsession with her helped lead to the outbreak. In the end, Simmons and Neo-Umbrella are stopped, but the world remains far from safe.
heavenly island (2014)
Resident Evil: Heavenly Island is a manga series set in 2014. The story follows an idol competition that is interrupted by a zombie outbreak. Claire Redfield is the TerraSave agent sent to investigate the situation along with her co-worker, Inés Diaco. During the investigation, they discover an Umbrella facility that used to be operated by Alex Wesker and learn of the existence of Dirk Miller—Alex's subordinate who continued her research.
The manga serves to provide additional closure to Alex Wesker’s part of the story while also introducing Umbrella's rival, Shén Yà Pharmaceutical, which sends a spy to the island to obtain Miller’s newly developed virus. In the end, Claire escapes yet another outbreak, but Shén Yà Pharmaceutical's spy manages to escape with the sample.
Vendetta (2014)
Vendetta was the third Resident Evil CGI film, once again putting Leon in the driver's seat; however, he is not alone. This time, Leon teams up with Chris Redfield and Professor Rebecca Chambers—a character not seen since the original Resident Evil.
The story revolves around the new Animality Virus (A-Virus), which can infect people but lie dormant until a specific "trigger" is used to activate it. What initially begins as Chris tracking down ex-CIA agent Glenn Arias turns into yet another global threat that Chris cannot handle alone. Following their first encounter, Arias escapes, and he and his cohorts, Diego and Maria Gomez, put their plan into action. They attack the lab where Rebecca works, turning her colleagues into zombies; Rebecca only survives thanks to her newly developed vaccine.
After Chris saves her, the two realize that the new A-Virus behaves similarly to the Plagas, as it allows the host to control the lesser infected zombies. This leads them to seek out Leon's help to track down Arias before he can complete his plan: the total eradication of the world’s population.
While Glenn Arias is stopped by our trio of protagonists, his supporter, Maria Gomez, manages to escape. This sets the stage for the sequel film, Resident Evil: Death Island—making Vendetta the only film in the series without a definitive ending for its antagonists.
Death Island (2015)
Death Island takes place roughly a year after Vendetta and is what one might call an "all-star" movie. Jill, Chris, Leon, Claire, and Rebecca are all here, and they are ready to put an end to what Arias started.
The film follows the characters as they come to terms with their past traumas—particularly Jill—while uniting the entire main cast on screen for the first time. The antagonist, Dylan Blake, was involved in Raccoon City's cleanup operation during the initial outbreak and has struggled with his own trauma as a result. This eventually led him to believe Arias was right and that the world needed a "reset." To achieve this, he plans to use a modified version of the T-Virus to trigger an outbreak on Alcatraz Island.
Serving as a definitive conclusion to the events of Vendetta, Blake is stopped, and the remnants of Arias' plan are finally stomped out for good. Jill is able to find peace regarding her past, and our heroes look toward the future together.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017)
Biohazard was the seventh mainline entry in the franchise and a major departure from what came before. Relying on its survival horror roots, the game was the first main entry to utilize a first-person point of view and featured VR capabilities. Along with this shift, the story focused on newcomer Ethan Winters, who heads to Dulvey, Louisiana, after receiving a strange video message from his missing wife, Mia. Despite her warnings to stay away, Ethan cannot let her go, leading him to his encounter with the Baker family.
After locating Mia, something changes within her and she violently attacks Ethan. With no other choice, Ethan fights back and seemingly kills her; however, Mia quickly recovers and severs Ethan's hand. In a final confrontation, he manages to knock her out again but is then knocked unconscious by the head of the family himself—Jack Baker.
The remainder of Resident Evil 7 focuses on Ethan attempting to escape the crazed family and the Molded monsters lurking around the estate while searching for Mia. Eventually, he uncovers the truth and learns of a young girl named Eveline, who has placed the entire family under her control. In reality, she is a Bio-Organic Weapon, and the Baker family members were victims caught in the crossfire. Or were they?
In a twist, Jack's son, Lucas, was actually working with the crime syndicate known as "The Connections." Founded by one of Umbrella's researchers, Brandon Bailey, the syndicate tasked Lucas with spying on the family while they were under Eveline's influence. Provided with a serum to prevent Eveline's control, Lucas performed his own experiments while leading unsuspecting victims to their demise.
While Ethan managed to escape with Mia, it was Chris Redfield who put a stop to Lucas. Working with Blue Umbrella—a company that replaced the original Umbrella and is dedicated to undoing the horrors its predecessor created—Chris infiltrated Lucas's secret hideout and destroyed both him and his research.
Resident Evil 8: Village (2021)
A direct sequel to 7: Biohazard, Village is the eighth mainline entry in the series and the final game to take place prior to Resident Evil Requiem.
The game picks up four years after the incident in Louisiana, following Ethan and Mia as they live a happy, normal life with their new baby girl, Rosemary. The horrors of 2017 are long behind them, and things are starting to look up—until Chris Redfield attacks. After seemingly shooting and killing Mia, Chris takes Ethan and Rose into custody, but during transport, things go horribly wrong. Ethan finds himself stranded in a strange village ruled by a cult and filled with werewolf-like creatures ready to tear him to pieces. To top things off, the village leader, Mother Miranda, has taken Rose to be part of a mysterious ceremony. Now alone, Ethan sets out to save his daughter and uncover the secrets of the village.
Although Village appears to be a self-contained story at first glance, the truth is that Miranda was the one who first discovered the "Megamycete" (the source of the Mold) and began experimenting on humans. Eventually, she encountered a young Oswell E. Spencer and inspired him to not only found Umbrella but also to begin his own research after discovering the Progenitor Virus. This connection effectively links the events of Village back to the very beginning of the franchise.
The story, however, doesn't end there. It is eventually revealed that the "Mia" Chris shot was actually Miranda in disguise and that Chris had intervened to save Ethan’s family. The two men unite to save the real Mia and Rose, but not everything goes according to plan. In the aftermath of Miranda’s defeat, the true nature of Rose’s birth is brought to light. Since both her parents were infected in the previous title, Rose's biology is unique; she is robbed of a normal childhood, and the final scenes of Village give a glimpse into her life as a young adult. While the downloadable chapter Shadows of Rose provides additional closure, the game has an open-ended conclusion, setting the stage for a possible future.
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