How does Resident Evil fit into the previous films and games?

Zach Cregger's new Resident Evil movie comes hotly anticipated following the writer-director's success with Weapons.

The new film is a reboot of the cinematic side of the hugely successful franchise, which boasts seven motion pictures, 11 video games, a TV series, and a whole host of other related media since the first game's 1996 release.

Given the extensive amount of Resident Evil-related media, there is a hefty continuity – and not everything fits together quite as neatly as some fans may like.

While the Fallout TV series can slot nicely into the canon created in the many video games, Resident Evil has a rockier story which makes clear categorisation trickier.

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The short answer is that the film is not necessarily tied to the same timeline as any of the games – and certainly doesn't act as a straight remake of any of them.

However, in a roundtable interview reported by Screen Rant, co-writer and director of this year's Resident Evil reboot Zach Cregger said that he thinks the new movie takes place "maybe on the periphery of the events of Resident Evil 2, where Raccoon City is having its big night".

He's referring to the 1998 game, in which Raccoon City's residents are turned into zombies two months after the outbreak depicted in the first game.

Confusingly, the 2002 film, also simply entitled Resident Evil, utilises elements of the second video game's story as well.

Cregger also went on to say that he wants to "tell another story that could be happening in parallel to [Resident Evil 2]".

In a PlayStation blog post, Cregger added, "the world of [Resident Evil] 2 is kind of where this takes place, even though I’d make a couple of little shifts for dramatic license".

Given some of those shifts, there's a chance a few die-hard gamers might not be entirely on board with the movie, which Cregger has also acknowledged.

"Some fans of the games are only going to be happy if I tell the story of the games," he said. "And I'm not doing that, because I feel like I wouldn't do it justice".

One thing's for sure: Zach Cregger is a huge fan of Resident Evil – and that combined with his impressive recent track record means fans can probably rest assured that they are in safe hands.

The original run of films, which started with 2002's Resident Evil and ended five movies later with The Final Chapter in 2016, as well as the poorly reviewed Welcome to Racoon City of 2021, are generally considered by gaming audiences not to be part of the canon. Yet, it seems like Cregger's new take is going to be a homage to the games without contradicting any of their content.

Bring it on.

Resident Evil is in cinemas from Friday 18 September 2026.

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