Dissecting Resident Evil’s history is no easy task. Fifteen years ago, this might have been an autopsy – a post-mortem in the wake of Resident Evil 6 when the series seemed to lose direction. But, in the time since, through bold reinventions and a string of exceptional remakes like RE2 and RE1, the developer has clawed the series back to vitality.
But now, the inevitable question: what actually makes a good Resident Evil game? Is it tense survival horror? Tactical action? Intricate resource management? Or a delicate balance between all three? Truth is, Resident Evil is thriving because it veers between each philosophy, sometimes within the same game.
This chameleonicness is why ranking these games becomes an exercise in hair-splitting. Yes, some titles sit more comfortably at the bottom, but as we climb higher the margins become razor thin, and that’s where the real debate begins.
Before we dive in, some quick housekeeping. We’re only considering the mainline, numbered entries here. And where a remake exists, that’s the version included. So, we’re talking the original’s 2002 remake, the reimaginings of Resident Evil 2 and 3. There’s no room for spin-offs nor side stories, and there’s no Code: Veronica. Just the core lineage, ranked from least favorite to best. Ready to disagree? Good.
10. Resident Evil 6
Resident Evil 6 is defined by excess, which isn’t a bad thing when taken on its own. See, the problem is its disparate parts – Leon’s horror-tinged trudge, Chris’ militaristic gunning, Jake’s stalking menace – offer no cohesion. Horror, at times, becomes secondary to gunplay, while tension erodes through QTE abundance. That balance we spoke of in the intro? Nailing that is what captures Resident Evil’s identity, but Resident Evil 6 doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be. While there are flashes of intrigue, like Leon’s opening chapters bleeding into Chris’ disarming change of pace, what it brings in ambition it ultimately fails in delivery.
9. Resident Evil 3 Remake
As a standalone action-horror, Resident Evil 3 Remake is slick and polished, if all-together too brief. In fact, it’s this brevity that’s the title’s downfall, with the developer seemingly more intent to capitalise on Resident Evil 2 Remake’s success and rush through a follow-up without considering what made Leon and Claire’s Raccoon City revisit so revolutionary in the first place. Entire sections from the original Resident Evil 3 are missing, while Nemesis’ dynamism was reduced from defining feature to background flavour. Without replicating the original’s depth, intricacy, and detail, RE3’s half-hearted remake is a missable misstep.
8. Resident Evil 0: HD Remaster
We’re discussing Resident Evil 0’s HD Remaster here as, like our preference to focus exclusively on remakes in this rundown, Zero’s 2016 version – with its revitalised graphics, sounds, and new game modes – represents the definitive way to play the 2002 original. Now, placing Resident Evil 0 so early is bound to divide your opinions because, despite nostalgia-baiting narrative, polarising inventory management, and tame monster design, it brought a then experimental, dual-protagonist setup, where you simultaneously split your attention between Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen as they shuffle through the Ecliptic Express; a dead train that’s as atmospheric and claustrophobic as the Spencer Mansion. Yet, the reason Zero sits eighth is its uneven presentation. A solid entry, for sure, but it falls short compared to Resident Evil’s other fixed-camera exploits.
7. Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5 features action-heavy gunplay, but balances its delivery, especially in comparison to the explosive bloat of its follow-up.. Taking the story to Africa, the fifth mainline entry’s co-op capability brought some nifty puzzling and striking set pieces. In fact, so tight was Five’s co-operative play that playing along with an AI companion instead paled heavily. That, and there’s one other key ingredient missing: Resident Evil 5 is the least scary game in the entire series. Whether it’s the bright, sun-scorched scenery or firearm-heavy gameplay, Five’s horror is largely absent.
6. Resident Evil Village
Village has confidence in abundance. Borrowing the first-person perspective of its predecessor, you’re again living through Ethan Winters’ absurd nightmares, this time drawn to gothic Eastern European backwater on the hunt for his daughter. The opening hours, particularly inside Castle Dimitrescu, are laden with atmosphere and tension, whereas later sections vary wildly, from psychological horror to outright gun-toting chaos. Village doesn’t quite get the balance right throughout, but at least the developer ground their ambition with a semblance of restraint, celebrating Resident Evil’s ability to switch between tiptoeing tension, tactical action, and strange happenstance with aplomb.
5. Resident Evil 2002
Where it all began, Resident Evil remains a masterclass in mechanically-enforced tension. Pre-rendered backgrounds, tank controls, fixed-position cameras, and ruthlessly tight inventory – unavoidable game design limitations of its era – were utilised to deliver a methodically-paced survival horror that some modern titles still struggle to replicate. 2002’s remake expanded puzzles and explorable areas, whilst 2015’s remaster improved lighting, shading, and textures, and is the definitive version (the occasional dodgy-looking background aside). Look, there’s no getting around it – the Spencer Mansion is an enduring triumph of level design, with its interconnected oppression informing countless other locations throughout Resident Evil’s lineage. And, in terms of pure craft, few games can boast the same laser-focus as the original Resident Evil.
4. RE4 Remake
RE4 Remake has smooth controls, sharp visuals powered by the RE Engine, and a strong sense of tension throughout. It keeps the genre’s core identity intact, balancing survival-horror atmosphere with the punchy, crowd-control action that made the genre stand out. The result is a game that delivers intense action moment-to-moment, without losing its horror genre roots.
3. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Biohazard represents the series’ much needed reinvention. Its first-person paranoia reinstated the shuffling dread which had arguably been absent since the fixed-camera days. Paired with the labyrinthine Baker Mansion – with tight, suffocating corridors and prowling Jack Baker – in Resident Evil 7 you had another key ingredient restored: vulnerability. Emotional charge propelled the narrative, as Ethan Winters scoured Louisianan swampland for his missing wife, supporting the game’s narrower focus. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard resuscitated the franchise, proving that wide-eyed horror, first and foremost, is Resident Evil’s beating heart.
2. Resident Evil Requiem
Well, here it is – straight in at number two is Resident Evil’s latest entry: Requiem. Pitched as a culmination, Requiem is self-aware and reflective; a fresh chapter which interrogates the series’ legacy whilst securing its future. While its marketing push hints at a threading together of lingering narrative threads, it’s the game’s dual protagonist setup – with timid newcomer Grace and battle-hardened icon Leon – that draws you in the most. Grace’s intimidating tension gives way to Leon’s gun-heavy bombast, and vice versa. Throughout a twisting narrative, what’s striking is just how mature the series has become. That balance we keep alluding too, of equal parts action, dread, and tension, only now has the developer perfected it.
1. Resident Evil 2 Remake
This is it though – the series at its most balanced. Resident Evil 2 Remake marries modernised controls and over-the-shoulder perspectives with the same meticulous terror its forebearer established all those years ago. Crucially though, Resident Evil 2 Remake respects its source material: the Raccoon City Police Department is the same dread-inducing puzzle box, yet amplified by the cavernous stomps of Mr X – hands down still the franchise’s most intimidating stalker. While Resident Evil has reinvented itself multiple times across the decades, never has past and present melded together so seamlessly; is it tense? Yes. Do resources matter? Yes. Is there enough shooty action to keep the gunheads happy? Absolutely. This isn’t just the best numbered entry, but the blueprint to which all Resident Evil’s should be.
