By 2023, the Resident Evil franchise marked its 27th year, a milestone that comes with a long stream of releases. Eight licensed game volumes, numerous re-releases, and a growing lineup of prequels and spin-offs have expanded the universe, while filmmakers have produced a steady stream of films and TV adaptations. When considering a remake like Resident Evil 4, it helps to look back at the entire project history that fans have followed over the years, from the earliest titles to the latest installments and offshoots.
Timeline of Resident Evil events
In this series of articles, the goal is to map out a connected universe that spans games, movies, comics, and books. With Resident Evil, the situation is especially intricate because the various media sometimes align in a shared chronology while other entries present alternate continuities. The core canon is best understood by laying out the main storyline as it unfolds from the earliest game to the most recent major releases, starting with Resident Evil Zero and moving forward to the latest chapters such as Village. After establishing this main arc, other works that do not fit neatly into the central narrative can be explored as supplementary material.
Remakes and remasters are treated as part of the same continuum. When a classic title from the series appears on new hardware, it is described in terms of the original release, with notes on any notable enhancements, performance tweaks, or updated features that arrive with the newer platform. This approach keeps the focus on how the experience has evolved across generations, rather than creating separate lists for every iteration.
Sources for broader context and verification are drawn from industry coverage and fan-curated timelines, including outlets that regularly publish Resident Evil histories to keep readers informed about how the saga has unfolded across decades. These references help illustrate how the franchise has expanded from its survival-horror roots into a wider multimedia universe, while still preserving the core moments that defined its early days and the moments that defined its modern reinventions.