Film · in order
Resident Evil Movies in Order
Twelve Resident Evil movies split across four separate continuities: the six Milla Jovovich Alice films, two standalone live-action reboots (2021 and 2026), and four CG animated films faithful to the games. Release order is the simplest way through.
Resident Evil Movies in Order: complete list
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Why this order?
The hard part about ordering the Resident Evil movies is that there is no single story to order. The films fall into four continuities that never connect, so the real question is not "which film first" but "which of the four tracks are you watching." Release order (our default) works fine as a viewing plan, but understanding the split is what actually saves you from confusion.
Track one is the Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich live-action saga built around an original character named Alice: Resident Evil (2002), Apocalypse (2004), Extinction (2007), Afterlife (2010), Retribution (2012), and The Final Chapter (2016). These six form one continuous story and are the only Resident Evil films you must watch in order, because each picks up directly from the last. Track two is Welcome to Raccoon City (2021), a standalone live-action reboot that ignores the Alice films entirely and instead adapts the early games, complete with the Spencer Mansion and the Raccoon City Police Department in 1998. Watch it on its own; it connects to nothing else on this page. Track four (listed here by release alongside the others) is the 2026 Resident Evil, directed by Zach Cregger, a second live-action reboot set during the Raccoon City outbreak and fully separate from all three earlier continuities.
Track three is the four Japanese CG animated films: Degeneration (2008), Damnation (2012), Vendetta (2017), and Death Island (2023). Unlike the live-action movies, these are canon to the games and star familiar faces like Leon Kennedy, Chris Redfield, and Claire Redfield. They slot directly into the game timeline (Degeneration sits right after Resident Evil 4, for example), which is exactly why they pair so well with our Resident Evil games guide. If you came here from the games, the animated films are the movies for you, and we cover the play order separately in that guide.
One last note: the 2022 Netflix live-action series was cancelled after a single eight-episode season and is its own continuity again. It is television, not a movie, so it sits outside every track above and off this list.
Timeline 2002-2026
Every entry by release year: rows that share a year are a cluster, and the long droughts are called out on the rail.
- 2002 Resident Evil
- 2004 Apocalypse
- 2007 Extinction
- 2008 Degeneration
- 2010 Afterlife
- 2012 RetributionDamnation
- 4-year gap
- 2016 The Final Chapter
- 2017 Vendetta
- 4-year gap
- 2021 Welcome to Raccoon City
- 2023 Death Island
- 2026 Resident Evil
Where to play it today
- Netflix, Prime Video and other streaming services (catalog rotates by region)
- Rent or buy on Prime Video, Apple TV and Google Play / YouTube
- The four animated films are widely available to rent or buy digitally
- Blu-ray and 4K box sets collect the six Alice films together
Availability changes often and varies by region - links search each platform for Resident Evil.
Frequently asked questions
How many Resident Evil movies are there?
There are twelve Resident Evil movies: six live-action Alice films (2002 to 2016), two live-action reboots (Welcome to Raccoon City, 2021, and the 2026 Resident Evil), and four CG animated films (Degeneration, Damnation, Vendetta, and Death Island). The 2022 Netflix show is a separate TV series, not a movie.
What order should I watch the Resident Evil movies in?
First decide which continuity you want. The six Alice films must be watched in release order because they tell one continuous story. Welcome to Raccoon City is a standalone reboot you can watch alone. The four animated films follow the games and can be watched in their own release order.
Are the Resident Evil movies connected to each other?
Not all of them. The six Milla Jovovich Alice films share one continuity. Welcome to Raccoon City is an unrelated reboot. The four CG animated films are a third, separate continuity that is canon to the games. Only the six Alice films chain together.
Which Resident Evil movies follow the games?
The four CG animated films (Degeneration, Damnation, Vendetta, and Death Island) are set in the game universe and feature game characters like Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield. Welcome to Raccoon City also adapts the early games but is its own live-action continuity.
Do I need to play the games before watching?
No. The Alice films work as their own story with no game knowledge needed. The animated films are richer if you know the games, since they slot into the game timeline, but they still stand on their own as action horror.
Is the 2022 Netflix Resident Evil part of the movie continuities?
No. The Netflix live-action series is its own continuity and its own medium. It ran for one eight-episode season in 2022 before being cancelled, and it is not connected to any of the films.
Last verified · Sources: en.wikipedia.org, Wikidata
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