After decades of misses, 2026 gave us one of the best gaming adaptations of all time. Zach Cregger’s take on Resident Evil was a hit among critics who have praised the horror movie for its delightfully playful tone. The only catch is that it didn't have much to do with the established lore and characters of the actual Resident Evil games.
Instead, it told 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.) 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.
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. 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.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
