{"id":12109,"date":"2026-02-01T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nextlevelnews.co.uk\/blog\/2026\/02\/01\/the-resident-evil-timeline-explained-from-the-spencer-mansion-to-requiems-return-to-the-rpd\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T12:00:00","slug":"the-resident-evil-timeline-explained-from-the-spencer-mansion-to-requiems-return-to-the-rpd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextlevelnews.co.uk\/blog\/2026\/02\/01\/the-resident-evil-timeline-explained-from-the-spencer-mansion-to-requiems-return-to-the-rpd\/","title":{"rendered":"The Resident Evil Timeline Explained \u2013 From the Spencer Mansion to Requiem\u2019s Return to the RPD"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The ninth entry in the mainline Resident Evil series is fast approaching, but if you\u2019re thinking that it could be the ideal point to jump in for the first time, you\u2019ll almost certainly be left wondering what the hell is going on as you play through its opening hours. Resident Evil Requiem builds atop a three-decade legacy of survival horror, so you\u2019re going to have to do some homework before you get started.<\/p>\n

To help you out, we\u2019ve put together a (very condensed) synopsis of the main Resident Evil story and everything you need to know leading into Resident Evil Requiem, presented in chronological order. As I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve already worked out, the following contains spoilers<\/strong> \u2013 lots and lots of spoilers \u2013 for the entire Resident Evil series prior to Requiem. <\/p>\n

Resident Evil Zero
July 23, 1998<\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s July 23, 1998. The Bravo Team of Raccoon City Police\u2019s elite S.T.A.R.S division is dispatched to investigate a number of murders in the Arklay region. The team believe evidence can be found in the area\u2019s mountains, but their helicopter crashes before they can reach their landing zone. Survivor Rebecca Chambers makes her way towards a nearby spooky-looking mansion in an attempt to find the rest of Bravo Team.<\/p>\n

Before she makes it to the house, Rebecca, along with her newly acquired convict companion Billy Coen, come across an abandoned training facility where they discover that its former director, Dr James Marcus, along with former partner, Oswell E. Spencer, were responsible for a new biological weapon dubbed the T-Virus: a deadly infection that turns humans into zombies and other monstrosities. <\/p>\n

Resident Evil
July 24, 1998<\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team is dispatched to find out what happened to the missing Bravo team. Their search leads Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Barry Burton, and team leader Albert Wesker to the aforementioned grand estate, the Spencer Mansion.<\/p>\n

The gang splits up and discovers the horrible fates of the missing S.T.A.R.S. members, who have been decimated by the monstrous results of the T-virus. As he explores the mansion\u2019s many rooms and hidden chambers, Chris finds Bravo team member Rebecca Chambers still alive.<\/p>\n

Jill and Chris eventually discover that the Umbrella Corporation, a pharmaceutical company with shady business practices, is behind the illegal experiments that led to undead horrors (and the odd oversized animal) roaming the mansion\u2019s halls.<\/p>\n

Eventually, once they reach a sinister laboratory hidden beneath the house, the duo discover that Wesker is not actually a loyal S.T.A.R.S. operative, but a traitor who works for Umbrella. Wesker infects himself with a strain of the T-virus as part of an elaborate plan that also involves releasing a new biological super weapon, the \u201cTyrant\u201d, from containment. Unfortunately for him, the creature swiftly kills him. After managing to defeat the Tyrant, the remaining S.T.A.R.S. team members escape the lab (relatively) unscathed.<\/p>\n

Our heroic survivors return to Raccoon City, only to learn that the corruption runs deep. They decide to go rogue, leaving the RPD to investigate the grand corporate conspiracy. Chris heads off to Europe solo, while Jill stays in the city to learn more about Umbrella.<\/p>\n

Resident Evil 3
September 28, 1998<\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s September 1998, just a few months after the Spencer Mansion incident, and Raccoon City is overrun with zombies. Umbrella sees the outbreak as an opportunity to test its latest bioweapon, the experimental Nemesis; a hulking beast armed with a rocket launcher, tasked only with the destruction of all remaining S.T.A.R.S. members.<\/p>\n

While Jill desperately tries to escape the outbreak with the relentless Nemesis hot on her heels, rookie R.P.D. officer Leon S. Kennedy and Chris Redfield\u2019s younger sister, Claire, both arrive in Raccoon City at the worst possible time.<\/p>\n

Resident Evil 2
September 29, 1998<\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

After being separated following a car accident, Leon and Claire agree to meet up at the nearby police station. Unfortunately for both of them, the building is already infested by the undead.<\/p>\n

As she navigates the station\u2019s dangerous hallways in search of information about her brother\u2019s whereabouts, Claire runs into Sherry Birkin, a young girl pursued by a monstrous weirdo who not only turns out to be her Dad, but also Umbrella’s leading scientist, William Birkin. <\/p>\n

Turns out Billy B had planned to betray his corporate masters and sell his newly developed G-virus, but he was gunned down by Umbrella before he had the chance. As he bled out, William managed to infect himself with the G-Virus. His monstrous form massacred Umbrella\u2019s troops and proceeded to dump both the G- and T-virus formulas into Raccoon City\u2019s water supply, creating the enormous mess all our characters now have to deal with. Nice one, Willy.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Leon runs into Ada Wong, an FBI agent seeking the G-Virus for her own investigation into Umbrella\u2019s corruption. The two decide to form an alliance, for now\u2026<\/p>\n

Leon and Ada run into Birkin\u2019s wife, Annette, who is not a big fan of the pair. They follow Annette deep underground to a secret Umbrella facility called NEST in hope of securing the G-virus sample.<\/p>\n

Pretty much simultaneously, Claire also arrives at NEST, in search of a vaccine for the now-infected Sherry. Leon manages to obtain the G-Virus sample but runs into the hideously deformed William, who mortally wounds his wife. As she struggles to hold on, Annette reveals to Leon that Ada is not what she seems: she\u2019s actually a mercenary looking to sell the G-Virus to the highest bidder. Ada arrives on the scene and demands the G-Virus, but before Leon can hand it over, Annette manages to shoot her, sending both Ada and the virus sample falling into the lab\u2019s seemingly bottomless chasm. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Claire finds a vaccine for Sherry. As Annette administers it to her daughter, Claire tangles with an out-of-control William. Sherry is cured, but Annette eventually dies of her injuries. The facility is set to self-destruct, and Claire, Sherry, and Leon board a train to escape.<\/p>\n

With NEST destroyed, the crew finally manage to escape the nightmare and, on the outskirts of Racoon City, vow to continue their fight against Umbrella.<\/p>\n

Resident Evil Outbreak
September 23 – October 1, 1998<\/h2>\n

While Jill, Leon, and Claire are dealing with their own issues amidst a zombie outbreak, eight other Raccoon City residents are also in a desperate fight for survival. Among them is a local journalist, Alyssa Ashcroft, who is trying to shine a spotlight on Umbrella\u2019s evil ways. Remember her name, as it\u2019ll come in handy when you start playing Resident Evil Requiem. <\/p>\n

Alyssa manages to escape Raccoon City before the government annihilates the entire area with an evidence-destroying thermobaric missile strike, carrying information that could expose Umbrella once and for all.<\/p>\n

Resident Evil 3 (continued)
October 1, 1998<\/h2>\n

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Elsewhere in Racoon City, in the hours before the missile strike, Jill Valentine is infected with the T-Virus. Fortunately for her, Carlos Oliveria \u2013 an uncharacteristically friendly Umbrella mercenary \u2013 arrives on the scene to not only cure Jill, but also help her find the important vaccine that could save the city. Unfortunately, the government has a different \u201ccure\u201d; our heroes discover the plans to wipe out Raccoon City, which is publicly explained away as the only sure method to eradicate the zombie outbreak.<\/p>\n

Carlos and Jill head to another <\/em>underground lab, this time creatively called \u201cNEST 2\u201d. Unfortunately, the Nemesis is still alive and very much still in pursuit. Jill and Carlos manage to take out the abomination once and for all, and with the vaccine sample in hand, manage to escape the city before the missile hits. Unfortunately, Nicholai, Carlos\u2019s former colleague\/secret operative, is waiting for them and manages to destroy the vaccine vial. Jill and Carlos take down Nicholai, leaving him for dead, and escape just before government-approved thermobaric hellfire arrives to completely demolish Raccoon City for good.<\/p>\n

And as is tradition, our hero vows to take down Umbrella before the credits roll\u2026<\/p>\n

Resident Evil: Code Veronica
December 27-28, 1998<\/h2>\n

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Three months after escaping from Racoon City, Claire Redfield, still in search of her brother, attempts to raid a European Umbrella facility. Things go south and she\u2019s captured, taken to an island prison ruled over by Alfred Ashford, the governor of Rockfort Island.<\/p>\n

As is mandatory for a Resident Evil game, an outbreak occurs, and amidst the chaos Claire is freed, allowing her to get to work looking for Chris and escaping the island. Unfortunately, Mr. Redfield is nowhere to be found, so after much trouble, Claire tries to escape in a plane. Ashford, who is revealed to have a split personality disorder and often believes himself to be his twin sister, Alexia, remotely takes control of the plane and crashes it into another <\/em>Umbrella facility, this time in Antarctica. Knocked unconscious, Claire has a dream that turns out to be the plot of Resident Evil Survivor 2. Weird. <\/p>\n

Ashford, believing Claire to be a spy, pursues her in a quest for revenge. But after he\u2019s fatally wounded, he frees the real version of his sister, Alexia, who has been cryogenically frozen this entire time, her body riddled with a new virus called T-Veronica.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, back on Rockford Island, none other than Chris Redfield shows up, looking for Claire. But rather than finding his sister, he runs into his old pal\/mortal enemy, Albert Wesker, who\u2019s alive, super strong, and on a mission to find the T-Veronica sample. Turns out he had actually planned to be killed by the Tyrant back in the Spencer Mansion, as that would ensure he could reach the full potential of some experimental virus he was infected with\u2026 or something. <\/p>\n

The pair make their way to Antarctica, where Chris hopes to be finally reunited with Claire, and Wesker hopes to secure the T-Veronica sample. A restored, very powerful Alexia becomes the final boss of Chris\u2019 latest adventure, and everyone escapes the facility before \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 it self-destructs.<\/p>\n

Wesker claims a virus-infected corpse to experiment on. Chris and Claire vow to take down Umbrella\u2026 are you seeing a pattern here?<\/p>\n

Resident Evil 4
Autumn, 2004<\/h2>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Six years have passed, and the Umbrella Corporation is now long gone due to a government suspension and stock value crash. Is this the lamest way possible for a big bad to go out? It\u2019s certainly up there. <\/p>\n

Leon S. Kennedy, former rookie RPD officer, is now a government agent with full permission to roundhouse kick anyone who stands in his way. He\u2019s sent on a mission to rural Spain, where the president’s daughter, Ashley, is being held by kidnappers. As he explores the area, he discovers that not only are the kidnappers part of a cult called Los Illuminados, but they\u2019re also all infected by a brand new mind-controlling parasite: Las Plagas.<\/p>\n

As Leon hunts for Ashley, he unexpectedly bumps into someone he thought long dead, Ada Wong, who is very much alive and is once again on the hunt for virus samples.<\/p>\n

After rescuing Ashley, Leon confronts the cult\u2019s leader, Saddler, and, with the help of Ada, defeats him, bringing down the parasite and all the hordes it infected. Once again showing her true colours, Ada takes a sample of Las Plagas and escapes by helicopter, but not before \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 setting the base to self-destruct.<\/p>\n

Leon and Ashley manage to dramatically escape on a jet ski, which they appear to ride all the way from Spain back to the US. I mean, they probably just went back to the mainland and took more traditional routes, but imagining they jet-ski\u2019d across the Atlantic is funnier, so let\u2019s just say they did that.<\/p>\n

Resident Evil: Revelations
2005<\/h2>\n

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Shortly after the events of Resident Evil 4, our original protagonists, Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, become involved in a new investigation into biological organic weapons. They discover a new strain of the T-Virus called T-Abyss, developed by evil organisation Il Veltro, which plans to use its new weapon to infect a fifth of the world\u2019s oceans. <\/p>\n

A lot of evil plots and betrayals unfold, involving names and organisations that mostly don\u2019t feature in the wider series except for one: the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, or BSAA. Chris and Jill are founding members, and this new organisation\u2019s motives become the driving force for these characters going forward.<\/p>\n

Naturally, Chris and Jill survive the events of Revelations, taking us directly into the next chapter of Resident Evil. <\/p>\n

Resident Evil 5 – Lost in Nightmares DLC
August, 2006<\/h2>\n

Two years after Resident Evil 4, our original big bad, Wesker, is still on the loose. Chris and Jill, now operating under the banner of the BSAA, follow a thread that should lead them to Umbrella\u2019s founder, Oswald E. Spencer. Instead, they run into Albert Wesker, who has killed Spencer.<\/p>\n

Wesker, seemingly even more powerful than before and now dodging bullets for fun, is more than a match for Chris and Jill. To save a wounded Chris, Jill sacrifices herself, sending both her and Wesker to their deaths. Chris, understandably, is a bit sad.<\/p>\n

Resident Evil 5
March 4-6, 2009<\/h2>\n

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Almost three years after Jill\u2019s death, Chris is tasked with apprehending terrorist Ricardo Irving, who is selling bio-organic weapons in Africa. Along with his new partner, Sheva, Chris discovers that the locals are infected by a modified Las Plagas parasite. The duo set out to solve the crisis, but Chris has another thing on his mind: the BSAA believes Jill could still be alive.<\/p>\n

After defeating a mutated Irving, Chris and Sheva learn that Tricell, the company that funds the BSAA, has taken over Umbrella\u2019s seedy work in conjunction with \u2013 shock, horror \u2013 Albert Wesker, <\/em>who is very much still alive and has been conducting human experiments. Unfortunately, one of his victims is Jill, who is also<\/em> still alive and now under Wesker\u2019s control.<\/p>\n

Chris and Sheva manage to subdue Jill and remove Wesker\u2019s mind-control device before it\u2019s too late. Wesker tries to flee on a plane, which crash-lands in a volcano. After some boulder punching, Chris and Sheva finally kill Wesker once and for all, and all is well in the world\u2026 for now.<\/p>\n

Resident Evil: Revelations 2
January, 2011<\/h2>\n

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Claire Redfield is now a member of TerraSave, an anti-bioterrorism taskforce, and once again finds herself trapped in an island prison, this time with her new partner, Moria Burton, daughter of Barry Burton. Remember him from the Spencer Mansion incident? He\u2019s the \u201cJill Sandwich\u201d guy\u2026<\/p>\n

Jill and Moira are directed around the prison\u2019s labyrinth-like halls by someone known only as the Overseer, all while being stalked by mysterious monsters. After the entire playbook of typical Resident Evil hijinks involving other survivors, shady corporations, and betrayal unfold, it\u2019s revealed that the Overseer is a woman named Alex Wesker. Although she shares the surname, she\u2019s not actually a relative of the series\u2019 infamous villain, but rather a child who was kidnapped for her \u201ctalents\u201d and inducted into \u201cThe Wesker Project\u201d, a sinister plot developed by Umbrella founder Oswell E. Spencer to try and develop a race of superior beings. Alex has been doing her own experiments on the prison island, creating a fresh batch of monstrosities. <\/p>\n

Eventually, Claire and Moria corner Alex, and with nowhere left to run, Alex commits suicide. But not before, of course<\/em>, setting the base to self-destruct. Claire manages to escape, but unfortunately, Moira is trapped under the rubble. Enter big daddy Barry.<\/p>\n

Six months pass before Barry reaches the island, who has been desperately chasing Moria\u2019s SOS signal. But before finding his daughter, he comes face-to-face with Alex, who\u2019s now heavily mutated into her disgusting final form, complete with orange glowing weak points. Fortunately, both a still-alive Moria and a returning Claire armed with a rocket launcher arrive to swing the odds in Barry\u2019s favour.<\/p>\n

In the epilogue, Claire receives a message about Chris and his jaunt to China, where he\u2019s off to handle another bioterror threat\u2026<\/p>\n

Resident Evil 6
December 2012 – June 2013<\/h2>\n

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Next up is Resident Evil 6, which features three <\/em>interwoven campaigns, and it all gets really, really messy. So strap yourself in\u2026.<\/p>\n

In 2012, a new virus is developed by a company dubbed Neo-Umbrella, led by someone who appears to be Ada Wong. Mercenary Jake Muller is immune to the virus, on account of being the child of Albert Wesker (who has\u2026 let\u2019s say \u201cunique\u201d DNA after all those experiments), and so is believed to be the key to creating a vaccine.<\/p>\n

In 2013, the American president decides enough is enough with all these bioterrorism incidents, and that it\u2019s time to reveal what really happened in Raccoon City. However, before he can spill the beans, there\u2019s another viral attack. The president, now a zombie, must be taken down by his loyal agent, Leon Kennedy.<\/p>\n

Ada Wong arrives on the scene to tell Leon that National Security Advisor Derek Simmons is affiliated with Neo-Umbrella, and is behind the terror attack that zombified the president. Leon heads to China in pursuit of Simmons. Chris Redfield, now wracked by post-traumatic stress and a thirst for revenge after his team was slaughtered by Ada, also heads to China. As does Jake, because, you know, plot.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that Resident Evil 6 is the most convoluted game in the series, so let\u2019s just get through this quickly:<\/p>\n