By the time Leon and Claire reach Raccoon City at the start of Resident Evil 2, the small Midwestern town is already overrun with zombies.
If you’re jumping into the series for the first time with the Resident Evil 2 remake, you might be wondering how things got to this point. Resident Evil 2 is still an acceptable place to jump into the series – featuring a new cast separate from the first game and introducing several key figures for the first time – but if you’re looking to really dig into the story of the series without playing any of the remake’s chronological predecessors (Resident Evil and Resident Evil Zero specifically), then we’ve got you covered.
Follow along for a quick (and very, very condensed) synopsis of the Resident Evil story up to the Resident Evil 2 remake.
Source: IGN.com Resident Evil 2: The Story So Far