Netflix’s Resident Evil: Do you need to have played the games to understand the show?

Netflix Resident Evil is coming out in just a few days and many fans of the franchise are excited to see what’s in store for the next chapter of this popular and iconic horror series. Over the years, Resident Evil has grown into a massive world of its own complete with video games, movies, television shows, merchandise, comics and more.

It’s understandable that fans, especially newcomers to the franchise, might be curious as to whether or not they need to have played the games or dabbled in Resident Evil media before to understand the new series.

Releasing this Thursday, July 14, the eight-episode first season marks the first live-action Resident Evil series.

Do you need to play the games to watch Netflix Resident Evil?

No, you do not need to have played the games to enjoy the show or understand it! Many characters and details from the series are new or original, created specifically for the show.

However, if you are a big fan of the games, you will appreciate a lot of the references and easter eggs present in the series. You’ll recognize familiar names and even some of the monsters are identical to what you see in the games.

Still, the show explains things but those who have played the games will find a lot of fun things from the franchise spread throughout.

Even if you haven’t ever heard of Resident Evil before, you can still watch and enjoy the show on its own!

Do you need to have watched the movies to watch Netflix Resident Evil?

Besides the games, the next most-famous aspect of the Resident Evil franchise is the long-running film franchise, particularly the films starring Milla Jovovich. The good news is, you do not need to have seen the films to watch the show as the two are not related. The movies are based on the games themselves so they aren’t the original source material anyway.

Are you looking forward to Netflix’s Resident Evil series? What do you hope to see from the show? Have you played games and/or seen the movies?