Capcom’s iconicResident Evilfranchise has been one of the most influential and critically acclaimed series' since the firstResident Evilhit stores back in 1996. The IP has been flooded with releases since then, with the numbered games being supplemented by spin-offs, remakes, and more.
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Capcom has always been known to stay loyal to its IPs and continuously give them numerous new releases, rather than creating brand new franchises. This business model has worked well for them, though it can be confusing for new audiences looking to get into the series' for the first time. For those curious about where they can play theResident Evilseries, here are all of the main games in order of release, with the consoles that they can be played on.
13Resident Evil
The originalResident Evilmay not look like much today, but it’sone of the most influentialreleases of its generation across all genres. The game takes players into a mysterious mansion and tasks them with staying alive by not just killing the zombies within but alsoby solving puzzlesneeded to progress.
Playable On: PC, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, Sega Saturn
12Resident Evil 2
The praise and acclaim thatResident Evilreceived upon release unsurprisingly meant that there was a ton of pressure on the sequel.Capcom didn’t disappointwithResident Evil 2, as the sequel received heaps of praise from critics, exemplified by its impressive89 Metascore on PlayStation 1.
Playable On: PC, PlayStation, GameCube, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Game.com
11Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Before the release ofResident Evil 7: Biohazard, the third release in the series,Resident Evil 3: Nemesis,was regarded asthe scariest entry in the franchise. Capcom managed to frighten its players by implementing one of the terrifying villains in gaming history, the Nemesis.
Playable On: PC, PlayStation, GameCube, Dreamcast
10Resident Evil – Code: Veronica
Resident Evil – Code: Veronicawas the first entry in the series not to be released on thePlayStation 1.The survival horror game didn’t try to reinvent the wheel and kept much of the gameplay elements similar to the original trilogy. However, a few technical changes to the visual design, particularly with the new dynamic camera and real-time 3D environments, replaced the predecessor’s pre-rendered backgrounds.
Playable On: Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, GameCube, Dreamcast
9Resident Evil (remake)
The first, but certainly not the last remake to appear on this list, the classic first game’s remake was initially exclusive to the GameCube before coming to the Nintendo Wii in 2008 with a new control scheme. The remake was then remastered in HD and came to all of the major consoles at the time.
The original remake is playable on: GameCube, Wii.
The HD remake is playable on: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch.
8Resident Evil Zero
Retrospectively,Resident Evil Zerois one of the best old-schoolResident Eviltitles to play today. However, the game wasn’t too well-received at the time, as many critics and fans felt that the series hadn’t evolved much since the original game hit stores around six years prior. As the title suggests,Resident Evil Zerois a prequel to the original 1996 game.
Playable on: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, GameCube, Wii, Nintendo Switch
7Resident Evil 4
Capcom clearly tookResident Evil Zero’s criticismsto heart, as they took a drastic shift of direction both stylistically and gameplay-wise withResident Evil 4. The survival horror game is considered one of the greatest of all time, with its enjoyable and lengthy campaign,excellent enemy variety,memorable boss fights, and a generous amount of bonus content ensuring that it’s still fantastic to play today.
Playable On: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, GameCube, Wii, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, Zeebo (Brazil only)
6Resident Evil 5
Following the enormous success ofResident Evil 4, the sequel subsequently became the most highly anticipated release in the series sinceResident Evil 2.Unfortunately, the game failed to live up to the hype, and with many players feeling that it was a large drop in quality. However, it’s fair to say thatResident Evil 5was a victim of overhyping, as the game still provided a thoroughly enjoyable 10-15 hour adventure, despite it not reaching its predecessor’s quality.
Playable On: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Shield Android TV
5Resident Evil 6
Capcom didn’t seem to mind criticisms fromfans thatResident Evil 5was too focused on action instead of horror, as the Japanese company instead leaned into the previous game’s action elements, creating a game that many wouldn’t even describe as horror. A change of direction isn’t inherently a bad thing, of course, butResident Evil 6struggled to impress and received some of the franchise’s lowest ever Metascores.
Playable On: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
4Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
From what is considered to be the least scaryResident Evilgame to the one that is undoubtedly the most frightening.Resident Evil: 7 Biohazardtook a leaf out ofResident Evil4’s book in the sense that it responded to criticisms of the previous game by completely changing the direction of the series. Resident Evil 7seemed to take influence from horror games likeOutlastandAmnesia, with its first-person perspective and lack of weaponry, particularly in the first few hours.
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Playable On: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Amazon Luna, Nintendo Switch (Japan only)
