My dear friend, I am excited to receive this ask! Please let me infodump sweetly on you and usher you gently into a new obsession!

Resident Evil 7 is where I started, but there are a few places you can start.

If you prefer modern games that are easy to play, I recommend starting with either 7, 8, or the Resident Evil 2 remake.

If you’re gore-averse definitely start with 8. If you actively like gore, start with remake 2 or 7.

If you like retro game, and don’t mind a challenge (or are planning to watch a let’s play) try starting with the original Resident Evil 1 remake.

If you’re interested in Wesker play RE, RE0, and/or Code Veronica X.

If you’re interested in Heisenberg play 8.

If you’re interested in Leon play 2 and/or 4.

Jill, play 1 and 3.

Chris, at 1, Code Veronica X, 8

Ethan, 7 and 8.

William Birkin, 2 and RE 0.

Claire, 2 and Code Veronica X.

Rebecca, RE 0, RE1.

Do not start with 5 or 6. (Just trust me for now).

There are some CGI animated movies that are in canon that are pretty good, especially if you’re a Leon fan.

The games are one continuous timeline, but you can pretty much start with any game I’ve listed. They all do a really good job of giving you the information you need and getting you into the lore.

You can play remakes of 2 and 3 on modern hardware, the originals are harder to get at. Aside from those two, you can get just about every game through the playstation network. Of course the older games you can always pirate….

Let me know if you have any follow up questions!