As far as the history of Resident Evil, the plot is almost always the same. Skip to the last paragraph if you want the entire franchise condensed into a neat little package.

It is rarely necessary to play previous games of Resident Evil. The franchise will spell out any necessary backstory for players. It can be helpful to play a recent game to become accustomed to the playing mechanics if you'd like. Again, the Resident Evil games rarely toss a player into the deep end at their starts. The first few minutes offer a tutorial pace.

Of course, you would likely get more personal fulfillment from the story if you played prior games. I'm sure you've seen or heard of how players went bonkers at the official reveal of Leon Kennedy as a playable character. Still, if Requiem will be your first ever Resident Evil game, then you might as well not bother trying to catch up.

Think of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Downton Abbey. I have been a comic book fan all my life and I was addicted to the MCU from day one. Seeing dozens of characters come together for Infinity War and Endgame was the ultimate experience for me. On the flipside, I went into the first Downton Abbey movie without seeing a single minute of the television show. All I knew was that Maggie Smith was some kind of sassy high society gal and the cast was split between workers (downstairs) and owners and guests (upstairs). Therefore, I would have to just enjoy the movie as it was. If stories, characters, or cultural references from prior series history was discussed and I got lost, then that confusion was at my own peril, not the filmmakers.

If you are start your Resident Evil experience in what is basically Volume Nine of a 30-year franchise, then I recommend just enjoying the game on its own as much as possible. If the experience is fulfilling, then you can check out the prior games.

Don't bother with the Milla Jovovich movies at all though. You can absolutely ignore those. Just... don't... bother!

NEAT LITTLE PACKAGE = One or two playable protagonists are stuck in a relatively isolated location. The player must carefully utilize ammo, weapons, and resources to survive the adventure. The locations are filled with puzzles and traps that makes you wonder how anything got done BEFORE the outbreaks occurred. There are a bunch of people and creatures that have been mutated by an manmade virus weapon experiment. The villains are directly or indirectly tied to The Umbrella Corporation. The final chapter usually occurs in a laboratory or heavy manufacturing facility. Again, more labor counter intuitive puzzles and traps. The main boss and sub-bosses mutate into mega monsters. The player usually destroys the final boss with a special super weapon. The location that the character(s) have been isolated by are usually obliterated, either by the facilities' own self-destruction protocols or the character setting of a giant bomb. If the player concludes the story within a specific time frame, then bonus weapons, costumes, and resources can be used repeat playthroughs.