Every Resident Evil Game Ranked Worst to Best

I was fifteen when I first played Resident Evil, sat on the floor of my best mate’s bedroom with the curtains drawn and the volume up too loud. The dogs came through the corridor window somewhere around midnight, and I genuinely shouted so loud his dad came upstairs to check on us. That was 1996. Nearly thirty years later, I’ve played every mainline entry, survived every remake, endured every misstep, and watched Capcom nearly destroy and then spectacularly resurrect the franchise I love most. This is every Resident Evil game ranked from worst to best — not a popularity contest, but a genuine verdict from someone who’s been here since the Spencer Mansion and doesn’t plan on leaving.

A note on scope: I’m covering mainline numbered entries, the remakes, Code Veronica, and the Revelations games. No Chronicles rail shooters, no Operation Raccoon City, no Umbrella Corps. Some things are better left in the quarantine zone.

The Bottom Tier

Every franchise has its low points. Resident Evil’s were lower than most, and nearly cost us the series entirely.

16. Resident Evil 6 (2012) — The game that tried to be everything and succeeded at almost nothing. Four campaigns, three different gameplay styles, QTEs plastered over every set piece, and a tone that lurched from survival horror to Michael Bay action movie without warning. Leon’s campaign had moments of genuine atmosphere, but they were buried under Chris’s cover-shooting slog and Jake’s insufferable chase sequences. This is how RE6 almost killed the franchise, and it’s a miracle Capcom recovered.

15. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015) — Released episodically for reasons that benefited nobody, with a budget that showed in every muddy texture and recycled corridor. Claire and Barry’s return should have been a bigger deal, but the raid mode carried more weight than the campaign. Functional, occasionally tense, but thoroughly forgettable.

14. Resident Evil 0 (2002) — A prequel nobody asked for, with a partner-swapping mechanic that sounded clever on paper and played out as tedious inventory management across two characters. Rebecca and Billy had zero chemistry, the leech villain was laughable, and dropping the item boxes for a floor-littering system was a genuinely baffling decision. Pretty to look at, painful to play.

13. Resident Evil 5 (2009) — Sheva Alomar deserved a better game. The African setting was visually striking but narratively clumsy, the co-op was fun with a friend but miserable with AI, and the boulder-punching scene became a meme for good reason. It sold extraordinarily well, which probably delayed Capcom’s course correction by several years. The Mercenaries mode was excellent, though, and nearly redeems the whole thing.

The Middle Ground

Good games, some of them very good, but each carrying enough baggage to keep them out of the upper tier.

12. Resident Evil: Revelations (2012) — Originally a 3DS game, and it showed in the cramped environments and simplified mechanics. But the Queen Zenobia cruise ship was a strong setting, the pacing was solid, and it proved — right when the series needed it most — that Capcom hadn’t forgotten how to do atmosphere. The episodic structure worked well here, giving each chapter a TV-show cliffhanger quality.

11. Resident Evil: Code Veronica (2000) — The true sequel to RE2, released on Dreamcast and then PS2 while the numbered entries went elsewhere. Claire in a gothic European facility, the Ashford twins being gloriously unhinged, and a difficulty spike in the second half that punished anyone who’d wasted ammo early. Flawed but ambitious, and the story ties together more franchise threads than any other single entry.

10. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999) — Nemesis himself was terrifying — a relentless, mutating pursuer who could follow you through doors and show up when you least expected it. The rest of the game was shorter and less inventive than RE2, leaning heavily on action and the dodge mechanic. Brilliant monster, good game, slightly disappointing sequel.

9. Resident Evil 3 Remake (2020) — A gorgeous, streamlined reimagining that cut a worrying amount of content from the original. The clocktower section was gutted, the branching paths were gone, and the whole thing was over in five hours. What remained was polished and intense, but it felt like half a game sold at full price. Nemesis was spectacular in the early stages, then became a scripted set piece too often.

8. Resident Evil Village (2021) — RE8 swung wildly between gothic horror, action romp, and psychological terror, and somehow held together through sheer confidence. Lady Dimitrescu’s castle was a highlight, House Beneviento was genuinely unsettling, and the Lycans brought a frantic energy the series hadn’t seen before. The factory section dragged, and the story went full soap opera, but the ride was never boring.

The Strong Contenders

These are the games where everything clicks — where Capcom’s design instincts, horror craft, and mechanical polish come together into something properly special.

7. Resident Evil (1996) — The original. Fixed cameras, tank controls, limited saves via ink ribbons, and a haunted mansion full of zombies, hunters, and one very hungry snake. The live-action intro was atrocious, the voice acting was legendary for all the wrong reasons, and the atmosphere was absolutely untouchable. It invented a genre. Nothing else on this list exists without it.

6. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017) — The game that saved the franchise. First-person, a Louisiana bayou setting, and the Baker family — one of the most memorable villain groups in horror gaming. The first half is a masterpiece of tension, the VR version is the most frightening thing I’ve ever experienced in gaming, and Capcom proved they could completely reinvent Resident Evil without losing its soul. The back third dips into familiar bioweapon territory, but by then, the goodwill is banked.

5. Resident Evil 2 (1998) — Leon and Claire’s nightmare through the Raccoon City Police Department, with its dual-scenario structure, the Tyrant stalking you through corridors, and an atmosphere so thick you could choke on it. The A/B scenario system gave it enormous replay value, and the RPD station is one of the greatest game environments ever designed. A desert island PS1 game for me, no question.

4. Resident Evil Remake (2002) — The GameCube reimagining that proved remakes could surpass originals. The crimson head mechanic — burn your zombies or they come back faster and angrier — added a layer of resource management that transformed the entire experience. Lisa Trevor was a tragic, terrifying addition, and the pre-rendered backgrounds are still some of the most beautiful visuals in horror gaming. The definitive version of the Spencer Mansion.

The Best of the Best

Three games. Three absolute titans. Arguing over the order is half the fun.

3. Resident Evil 2 Remake (2019) — Capcom took one of the greatest horror games ever made and rebuilt it from scratch with the RE Engine, modern controls, and Mr. X as an ever-present stalking threat that turned every corridor into a risk assessment. The RPD station was reimagined with loving detail, the gore was visceral, and the tension was relentless. It’s the game that proved Capcom’s remake strategy wasn’t just viable — it was the future of the franchise.

2. Resident Evil 4 (2005) — The game that reinvented third-person action. The over-the-shoulder camera, the village siege, the Ganados, the merchant, the attache case inventory, Ashley’s escort sections that somehow didn’t ruin everything… Shinji Mikami threw out the rule book and wrote a new one that the entire industry photocopied. It’s less scary than the earlier games, but it’s one of the most perfectly paced action games ever made, and the Mercenaries mode is endlessly replayable.

1. Resident Evil 4 Remake (2023) — The impossible remake. Taking a game widely considered one of the greatest ever made and somehow improving it in nearly every conceivable way. The combat is weightier, the parry system adds depth, Ashley is a genuine character instead of a liability, the horror is dialled back up, and the Krauser knife fight is one of the most exhilarating boss encounters in modern gaming. Capcom at the absolute peak of their craft. If you only play one Resident Evil game, play this one. If you play two, play this and the RE2 Remake. If you play three… honestly, just play them all.

Special Mention:

Resident Evil Requiem

Resident Evil Requiem is widely regarded as a strong entry in the franchise, praised for its blend of survival horror and action, compelling characters, and polished gameplay. As I am yet to play it (it’s on the list) I didn’t include it… yet!

The Resident Evil franchise has had more deaths and resurrections than its own cast of characters. It’s stumbled badly, reinvented itself twice, and in 2026 stands as arguably the strongest it’s ever been. Whether you’re a survival horror purist who misses ink ribbons and fixed cameras, or a newcomer drawn in by the remakes, there’s never been a better time to work through this catalogue. If you’re hungry for more horror, our round-up of the best horror games of 2024-2025 covers what else is out there… but Resident Evil still wears the crown.

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