On March 22, 1996, Capcom released Biohazard in Japan, which originated from an attempt to reformulate Sweet Home, a 1989 horror title produced by the studio itself. Due to the team's limited experience with 3D graphics and the influence of Alone in the Dark, the series established its characteristic formula: fixed camera, pre-rendered environments, and tank control.
In Europe, the title was changed to Resident Evil because Biohazard was already registered in the United States by a band and another game. Thirty years after its release, this initial project, which was only meant to be a remake, is recognized as the creator of the survival horror genre.
At the core of the narrative is the Umbrella Corporation, a pharmaceutical company that appeared to be a large and harmless entity but secretly developed biological weapons using the Progenitor Virus. This virus gave rise to the T-Virus and several other strains used throughout the saga.
In 1998, an incident at the Spencer mansion revealed S.T.A.R.S., an elite police unit composed of Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, and other members. This leak marked the beginning of an outbreak that, months later, would result in the total destruction of Raccoon City, causing the death of approximately one hundred thousand people.
Many of the franchise's most famous names emerged during this period. Leon Kennedy, a newly arrived police officer, found himself involved in the chaos on his first night of duty, and Claire Redfield, Chris's sister, traveled to the city looking for her brother. Both managed to escape that night and remained connected to the story. They also met Sherry Birkin, the daughter of an Umbrella scientist who was transformed into a monster by the very virus that helped create him.
Ada Wong joined the franchise as a spy working for Albert Wesker, the former leader of S.T.A.R.S., who, in reality, always acted as a double agent for Umbrella. Wesker was even a product of the corporation's own eugenics program. After surviving the mansion in 1998, he became one of the series' most notorious antagonists, modifying himself with variants of the virus until his final confrontation with Chris Redfield, which occurred in Resident Evil 5.
After the collapse of Umbrella, Chris and Jill founded the BSAA, an organization dedicated to combating such biological weapons globally. Meanwhile, Leon took on the role of an elite agent for the American government, and Claire continued her fight against bioterrorism through Terra Save. Each new title expanded this mythology with distinct viruses and organizations seeking to control or exploit these weapons, keeping the main cast interacting over almost three decades of history. The most recent, Requiem, concludes this cycle by literally returning to Raccoon City.
Currently, the franchise has 31 games, encompassing main titles, remakes, spin-offs, and portable versions, and has surpassed 200 million copies sold, according to Capcom's own data. Over these 30 years, the series has transitioned through various genres, including survival horror, intense action, first-person horror, and, in the most recent game, a fusion of these styles.
Due to the vast amount of accumulated content, it is relevant to highlight which games were preferred by the public, not just by critics. To compile this list, user reviews on Steam, fan polls on GameFAQs and Ranker.com, along with opinions from various specialized publications about the franchise, were analyzed.
The story features Leon Kennedy, now an American government agent, in an isolated Spanish village, accompanying Ashley Graham, the president's daughter, who was kidnapped by a cult called Los Illuminados, which infects the population with a parasite known as Las Plagas. This event replaced the classic fixed camera with an over-the-shoulder view, which became the standard for almost all subsequent third-person action games, being considered the point where the series consolidated itself as a top-tier action title.
The remake that rebuilt the 1998 classic from scratch follows Leon on his first day as a police officer and Claire searching for Chris, both imprisoned in the Raccoon City Police Department during the zombie outbreak. They try to escape while fleeing Mr. X and uncovering Umbrella's actions against the scientist William Birkin, serving as a model for how to create a faithful remake of the original.
After two games (RE5 and RE6) increasingly focused on action, the series needed a reinvention. RE7 made this shift by moving entirely to first-person perspective, placing Ethan Winters on a journey to find his missing wife, Mia, at an isolated farm in Louisiana under the control of the Baker family, a plot that later connects directly with Village.
The original title is often remembered as the peak of the PlayStation 1 era, when Leon, on his first shift as a police officer, and Claire, looking for Chris, meet in the middle of the chaos of a zombie-invaded Raccoon City. Many consider this the most memorable experience of the series, even with the availability of the 2019 remake.
Before adopting the trend of rebuilding old titles, Capcom had already done so with the first Resident Evil itself, relaunching it for the GameCube with updated graphics and new scenes. In this version, the plot follows the S.T.A.R.S. team, including Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, investigating disappearances in an isolated mansion and discovering Umbrella's secret experiments, and is frequently cited as one of the best remakes and one of the best survival horror games ever created.
In summary, these five games are not just considered the 'best' theoretically, but rather those that the public actively chose to revisit, discuss, and defend year after year. However, for those who wish to know the entire franchise, there is a complete list indicating where to play each one currently.
Even after three decades, Capcom shows intent to continue. Requiem has already surpassed eight million copies sold in a short time on the market, boosted by awards won before its release. Simultaneously, the company confirmed a complete remake of Code: Veronica, scheduled for 2027, bringing back a chapter highly requested by fans that never received the remake treatment given to RE2, RE3, and RE4.