You don’t have to play the other Resident Evil games before Resident Evil 4 remake. The story is self-contained enough that you can pick up what’s going on without any previous knowledge of the series. The original RE4 marked a big turning point for the franchise and was a lot of players’ first entry, and it’s not a bad place to start. However, you’ll get more out of the experience if you play at least one other game first.
Which games do I need to play before Resident Evil 4 remake?
It’s highly recommended that you play Resident Evil 2 before starting Resident Evil 4 remake. The numbering might be confusing, but RE4 is one of two sequels to RE2 (the other being Code Veronica), and there are numerous references to that game.
Fortunately, it doesn’t matter which version of RE2 you play. The original and the remake are similar enough that you’ll get the info needed to understand Leon and Ada’s backstory and what happened with Umbrella.
Of course, the more games you play before Resident Evil 4 remake the better. There aren’t a lot of overt references to the rest of the series, but the more you know about the franchise’s backstory, the more you’ll enjoy it.