Resident Evil upgrades reverted as games become unplayable on lower-end PCs

Leon and Claire stand back to back in Resident Evil 2 — (Image credit: Capcom)

Capcom has reverted Resident Evil 2, 3, and 7 to their previous versions on Steam after a free upgrade raised the minimum requirements, making the trio of games unplayable for some players with a lower-end rig.

"Due to overwhelming community response, we've reactivated the previous version that does not include ray tracing and enhanced 3D audio," Capcom explains on Steam. "Both enhanced and previous versions will be made available going forward."

If you'd like to roll Resident Evil 2, 3, and 7 back to their previous versions on Steam, the instructions are here.

Capcom initially unveiled the free upgrades at a showcase earlier this week. Resident Evil 2, 3, and 7 have now got new next-gen console versions with 4K resolution, ray tracing, high frame rate, and 3D audio, so the developer has offered the same through a free update to PC and current-gen console players who already own the games. The issue for PC users, though, was that the updates weren't optional.

The hefty boosts in graphical and audio demand meant that the minimum requirements for the games had to be raised, which was tough for the players who barely met them initially. Fans also reported that the new upgrades broke many of the mods they were using, specifically VR ones.

While you could dodge the new updates by tweaking your automatic update settings in Steam properties, it's nice not having to use a workaround.

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