The 10 best Resident Evil games of all-time

Resident Evil Remake
(Image credit: Capcom)

The best Resident Evil games have been terrifying the generations for over 25 years. During this time, the series has swelled to boast the same number of mainline instalments, remakes, reimaginings, and campy spin-offs to boot, and we still can't get enough of it. But of course, not every game in the series ranks among the best horror games - as much as I love Dead Aim's villain Morpheus.

Sadly, some of the best Resident Evil games are hard to get hold of on modern consoles. We have flagged the most relevant below to save you the hassle of digging your PS1 and Dreamcast out of your mother's attic, but a few of these are still best enjoyed on the original hardware. There's plenty that have made the successful jump to PC and consoles, though, so here are the best RE games to play right now for the ultimate chills and thrills from Capcom.

Recent updates

This list of the best Resident Evil games was updated on March 1, and although we stand by our ranking below, we're hoping to someday add Resident Evil 9 to the list.

10. Resident Evil Revelations 2

Resident Evil Revelations 2 screenshot showing Claire in combat

(Image credit: Capcom)

Released: 2015
Platform(s): 
PC, PS4, Xbox One

Resident Evil Revelations 2 felt like something of a homecoming, particularly after the cinematic action-focus the series had become enamored with following the success of Resident Evil 5. Designed around cooperative play and initially released as an episodic adventure, Revelations 2 was able to take the over-the-shoulder gunplay popularized by Resident Evil 4 and ground it once again in a world of survival and horror. Resident Evil Revelations 2 remains an entertaining side attraction to the mainline series, a way to spend some additional time with fan-favorite characters and get a sense of how the series may have evolved had Capcom taken it down a different path.  

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RELATED: Resident Evil Revelations 2 review: "Two teams of complementary characters make this a fantastic cooperative experience"

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9. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

Resident Evil

(Image credit: Capcom)

Released: 1999
Platform(s):
PC

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis found success in its capacity to subvert expectations. The introduction of Nemesis, an unkillable monstrosity that made the streets of Raccoon City more deadly than ever before, made it so there was never a safe place to hide; triggering a door animation would create a little distance, sure, but never a feeling that you were truly safe from harm. In presenting a world thick with tension, along with improved combat mechanics and mobility options, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is one of those rare survival horror games that grips you within minutes and never dares to let you loose. 

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RELATED: Resident Evil 3 Remake review: "A tense, jumpy retelling of the PS1 classic in a modern gaming language"

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8. Resident Evil Village

Resident Evil Village

(Image credit: Capcom)

Released: 2021
Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One

Resident Evil Village sought new ways to scrutinize the Resident Evil playbook and largely succeeded. Capcom furthered the story of Ethan Winters, intertwining it more explicitly with the wider Resident Evil universe, and pushed to strike a better balance between humor and horror. The outsized torture of Ethan's hands was a body horror breath of fresh air against some some of the more overt scares – the stalking by Lady Dimitrescu and the Witches three, not to mention a dollhouse section which rivalled the best Silent Hill games in terms of pure tension. Resident Evil Village may have had the occasional stumble, but it proved to be another compelling example of the power Resident Evil can wield when it casts its action from a first-person perspective. 

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RELATED: Resident Evil Village review: "The excellence of some parts only highlights the more ordinary moments"

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7. Resident Evil – Code: Veronica X

Resident Evil

(Image credit: Capcom)

Released: 2000
Platform(s):
PS3, Xbox 360

Resident Evil – Code: Veronica was originally designed to carry the Resident Evil series into the future. While Nemesis ultimately landed with 'Resident Evil 3' emblazoned across its title screen, it's clear today that Code: Veronica was deserving of the title. It introduced real-time 3D environments and a more dynamic camera to sit in them, furthering Resident Evil's foray into action territory without exorcizing the spirit of survival that embodied its core scenario design. Code: Veronica closed out Resident Evil's first chapter, it's a time-capsule that honors Resident Evil's past and hints at where it will go in the future.

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RELATED: Resident Evil 4 producer says "maybe" to a Code Veronica remake if "opportunity comes"

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6. Resident Evil 4 Remake

Leon shoots zombie villagers

(Image credit: Capcom)

Released: 2023
Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X

Resident Evil 4 Remake is one of the best action games of the modern-era. Capcom was not only able to preserve the spirit of the 2005 original, but successfully modernize elements of its design – updating the plot, artistic direction, and structure to make it more palatable to players joining the series in 2023. With its slick, claustrophobic combat and stunning set-pieces, RE4 Remake is absolutely worth your time and attention. Naturally, there's some debate as to whether or not the Remake is able to best the original, but as far as we're concerned it's a fantastic interpretation of one of gaming's masterpieces. 

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Resident Evil 4 Remake review: "A spectacularly pretty game loaded with atmosphere"

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5. Resident Evil 2 Remake

Resident Evil

(Image credit: Capcom)

Released: 2019
Platform(s):
PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One

To play the Resident Evil 2 Remake is to look through a window into an alternate history. The way it is able to coalesce the methodical challenge of the original Resident Evil games with the tight over-the-shoulder third-person combat popularized Resident Evil 4 shows where the series could (and should) have gone after Capcom changed the nature of play in 2005. It's a stunning love-letter to the legacy of Resident Evil 2 and fearless in its attempt to make the past feel fresh for the present. Resident Evil 2 Remake is an incredible reimagining of a legendary game that stands as one of the best survival horror games of the modern era.

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Related: Resident Evil 2 Remake review: "A lovingly crafted return that perfectly recaptures what made the original great"

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4. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

Resident Evil 7

(Image credit: Capcom)

Released: 2017
Platform(s):
PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One 

Following the disappointment of Resident Evil 6, the future of the series seemed uncertain. It had gotten too messy and convoluted for its own good, a series bloated by time and expectation. It's in this environment that Resident Evil 7 was born, a true overhaul that kickstarted a new era for the Resident Evil series. Cast from a first-person perspective, set in an intricately-designed single-set location, framed around a core set of monstrous (and no less larger than life) characters, and a return to the survival horror foundations the series was first built upon, Resident Evil 7 emerged as one of the best horror games of the modern era.

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RELATED: Resident Evil 7 Biohazard review: "About as an essential a horror experience as you can get"

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3. Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil

(Image credit: Capcom)

Released: 1998
Platform(s):
PC 

Creating the foundation for a successful franchise is one thing, developing a successful sequel to it is something else entirely. Resident Evil 2 took the suspenseful action of its predecessor and the suffocating atmosphere that lingered in the Spencer Estate and draped it across a sprawling city under siege from the living dead. Resident Evil 2 is an ingenious survival horror game, bringing meticulously crafted spaces together with perfectly paced scenario design to form an experience that's as gripping today as it was in 1998. Resident Evil 2 is one of the greatest sequels ever made and the game that established Resident Evil's place in history as one of gaming's best franchises. 

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RELATED: The evolution of Resident Evil's combat, from clunky tank controls to slick first-person survival horror

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2. Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4

(Image credit: Capcom)

Released: 2005
Platform(s):
PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One

Resident Evil 4 is arguably the best action games of all time, and undoubtedly one of the most important releases of the last two decades. When it arrived in 2005, Resident Evil 4 was a sweeping reinvention of the Resident Evil framework, the camera's perspective fixed firmly over the shoulder of Leon S. Kennedy. It's perfectly paced and utterly relentless, an experience designed to overwhelm from the first minute through to the last, and self-aware enough to revel in the ridiculousness of its own narrative arc. Resident Evil 4 is a truly remarkable game, one that changed the entire industry around it.

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RELATED: The making of Resident Evil 4: "By that point in the series, zombies were simply no longer scary to players"

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1. Resident Evil Remake

Resident Evil

(Image credit: Capcom)

Released: 2002
Platform(s):
PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One

Resident Evil Remake was truly astounding when it landed on GameCube back in 2002 and it has lost none of its power in the years since. It's a lovingly crafted REmake (if you will), taking the bones of the 1996 original and rendering it anew – introducing new terrifying threats in the Crimson Head zombies, improved combat mechanics, and refined resource management to make what was once old feel fresh again. Resident Evil Remake is also stunningly evocative, its overhauled visual design so impressive that it is still able to make the jaw drop, so many years later. Resident Evil Remake took an impressive game weathering the decay of time and preserved it in amber, ensuring that one of survival horror's most formative experiences would remain as good to play today as the day it was first unleashed upon the world. 

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RELATED: The making of Resident Evil with creator Shinji Mikami: "One by one staff would resign from the job"

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Looking for something else to play outside of the Resident Evil series? Then check out all of the upcoming horror games on the near horizon. 

Josh West
UK Managing Editor, GamesRadar+

Josh West is the UK Managing Editor of GamesRadar+. He has over 10 years experience in online and print journalism, and holds a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Feature Writing. Prior to starting his current position, Josh has served as GR+'s Features Editor and Deputy Editor of games™ magazine, and has freelanced for numerous publications including 3D Artist, Edge magazine, iCreate, Metal Hammer, Play, Retro Gamer, and SFX. Additionally, he has appeared on the BBC and ITV to provide expert comment, written for Scholastic books, edited a book for Hachette, and worked as the Assistant Producer of the Future Games Show. In his spare time, Josh likes to play bass guitar and video games. Years ago, he was in a few movies and TV shows that you've definitely seen but will never be able to spot him in.

With contributions from