And then there was Resident Evil 5. It’s hard to believe that the title turns seventeen this year, but the memories feel as fresh as ever. It wasn’t memorable just because it brought new enemies and a really good story to the table, but because it was intense.

A daring diversion into action-horror territory meant that you and your fellow companion were scrambling for cover, quickly reloading your weapons before unleashing their firepower on a swarm of Majini, or a boss. Things could, and often did, go badly wrong, leaving you hoping for a last-second revival in the midst of a battle that had chaos written all over it.

It was neither subtle nor adherent to the slow-burn formula that the franchise was known for up until that point. The only survival resource you had at your disposal was teamwork. This one was a banger, though. The action-heavy nature of its gameplay loop wasn’t a weakness as it was relentless, readable, and built around co-op tension in a way that made its setpieces and boss battles hit harder as a result.

At its core, Resident Evil 5 picked up the pace that we were used to in previous entries, bringing in a gameplay loop that was all about fighting, repositioning, managing your resources, and surviving subsequent escalations. That was supported by a campaign that kept you moving forward at a breakneck pace, with every step feeling hard-won thanks to the combat pressure you faced along the way.

With only nine slots for your inventory, managing your resources became an important part of the experience, often making you take difficult calls about which weapon or item to keep, the uncertainty of what was to come making you worry about the consequences of your decisions. And of course, if you were playing it with a friend, the game was quick to show you just how much you’d come to lean on each other.

That was a formula that quickly became addictive, helped along by punchy weapons, solid feedback from each shot, and satisfying enemy reactions to your bullets. The game had you constantly thinking about controlling the space around you and in front of you, and calculating the amount of damage you could unleash between reloads. You had to be calculating and tactical to survive, choosing between damage and spacing as you fended off your enemies.

That emphasis on tactical gameplay extended to the inventory system, forcing you to choose between healing, ammo, and grenades. You never knew what you would need for your next intense battle, and we often found that the items we left behind might have been very useful in the inevitable predicaments that followed.

All of that was helped along by a campaign that introduced a lot of variety into the mix. Different arenas and enemy combinations were a huge part of that, making the game feel unpredictable as a result. And given that your approach and the tools you had on hand were also not set in stone, Resident Evil 5 quickly became an experience that had controlled chaos underlining it all, and the set piece interruptions punctuated by boss encounters ensured that the shift to action-horror never risked becoming monotonous at any point in the game.

The enemy designs are a great showcase of how the game’s chaotic underpinnings become the star of the show. Take the chainsaw-wielding Majini for example. It was hard to bring down, and the arena’s narrow streets weren’t exactly doing Chris and Sheva any favors in their efforts to get out of the way of its deadly blades. You were forced to choose between fight or flight, and the presence of other zombies only served to complicate things even further.

It’s a battle that had you trying to use the environment to your advantage, thinking carefully about whether to use an explosive barrel to stop the enemy’s advance, or perhaps manage some crowd control to gain some much-needed breathing room. Of course, Wesker and Gionne were equally memorable, forcing you to target weak points and consider phase changes.

It’s a brand of action that’s interactive. You weren’t just causing explosions for the sake of spectacle. You survived them, relying not just on your own skills but those of your partner, working together to bring down the most terrifying enemies with precision and timing, just as two highly trained operatives would do against overwhelming odds.

Of course, a solid gameplay loop and creative enemy designs are only one part of why Resident Evil 5 has us grinning to ourselves when we think about it. The main story is another. It was built around the gameplay loop in a way that really brought the whole thing together, lending context to why Chris and Sheva found themselves standing alone against a horde of enemies that stood between them and their objectives.

Bringing Chris back into the fray as a member of the BSAA was a smart touch, allowing the game to retain a member of the cast that had put the franchise on the map. His competence was never in doubt, even in his earlier appearances, and with this one set years after we first met the man, he now came with experience and a more seasoned approach to the battlefield that worked very well to sell the new mechanics that the game was bringing to the table.

Sheva was quite the sidekick and a solid justification for the cooperative gameplay loop while providing a bit of balance between the old and the new. She also worked well as a partner in the field to Chris, calling out enemy positions and being a smart contributor in combat.

Of course, the duo working together was a major selling point for the game’s co-op trappings. And while the AI was serviceable enough for the few players who chose to fly solo, it was when you brought a buddy along that RE5’s magic was truly on display.

The game’s opening hour wastes no time in setting things up, its missions quickly painting the region as a pressure cooker just ready to blow. RE5 makes it obvious from the get go that it wasn’t setting up the usual slow burn that the franchise was known for. It was going for something else entirely.

But that doesn’t mean that the story didn’t retain enough of Resident Evil’s DNA. Investigating the presence of bio-organic weapons was still very much a part of Chris’s adventure. But the manner in which those investigations quickly turned into a fight for survival continue to be a highlight of the experience.

Another great part of the story was how the mystery surrounding Jill was handled. Chris notices clues to her presence in the region quite early on, and the hooded figure that gets in his way on more than one occasion was a great bit of foreshadowing. You just knew it had to be her but the revelation was no less impactful as a result.

In fact, it helped sustain the tension that the gameplay set up quite well. Wanting to discover more about Jill’s current whereabouts after her resolution to bring down Umbrella in her previous appearances immediately made things personal for Chris and the player. Once again, it was a clever way to reintroduce a popular member of the cast in a way that made sense, having the character blend in with new additions in an organic manner.

Of course, Wesker and his nefarious schemes deserve a special mention. He’s kind of the glue that holds it all together, and the set pieces involving him are a giant showcase of why RE5‘s revised approach to the franchise’s formula worked so well. The stakes and the spectacle of it all demonstrate how the game committed to the blockbuster structure early on, and landed it with aplomb.

The story expansions sustained the momentum of the main campaign, bringing the same compact structure and extending the game’s best qualities while also bringing a bit of classical Resident Evil to the mix. They balanced their ambitions well and made the experience feel like a heady mix of the old and new.

Of course, the new action-focused experience wasn’t going to be for everyone. Fans of the franchise’s more methodical approach were bound to have problems with the new format and that’s fair. But for those who gave RE5 a chance, they experienced a title that was so confident in its identity and execution that any lingering longing for a more slower-paced title were quickly left behind with the remains of the BSAA Alpha Team.

Resident Evil 5 wasn’t great simply because it moved from survival horror to action. It clicked because it made that action into a structured quest for survival. It was bold, sharp, and confident in the kind of experience it intended to present.

It was a game that we are always happy to revisit, not just because of the fresh take it brought to the franchise’s formula, but for the memories it let us create with our buddies along the way.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

“No, there is NOT a Resident Evil 5 Remake that’s going to be announced this year. Instead, later this year, an RE Remake that starts with ‘(C)’ and ends ‘(ode Veronica)’ is going to be announced, I promise you,” he said in a recent tweet, adding that La Dare’s “thing is something else.”

Rumors of Code: Veronica and Resident Evil Zero remakes first emerged in May 2024. This isn’t the first time the insider has reported an announcement was coming this year – last month alone, he made the same claim, stating the remake would launch in 2027. Furthermore, Claire Redfield is reportedly the “main character,” though the plot apparently won’t sideline Chris.

When this announcement will be forthcoming remains to be seen. Capcom has targeted the first half of the year for new Resident Evil titles, so it could very well be announced at this year’s Summer Game Fest Showcase and launch in Q1 of 2027.

As for Resident Evil Requiem, it’s out on February 27th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. From Leon’s brutal combat style to the return of Ink Ribbons in Standard (Classic), there’s much to look forward to, but director Koshi Nakanishi promises even more ahead of launch. Just don’t go expecting a demo.

Specifically, it seems like a native re-release for Resident Evil 5 is on the cards. The 2009 action horror title has been rated for Xbox Series X/S by the ESRB. Whether a PS5 version is also in the works remains to be seen, but at the very least, it seems like the game is at least coming to Microsoft’s current-gen platform. Resident Evil 5 is, of course, already playable on both Xbox Series X/S and PS5, but only through backward compatibility of its Xbox One and PS4 versions respectively.

Interestingly, recent weeks have also seen ESRB ratings for Xbox Series X/S versions of Resident Evil 6 and Resident Evil Origins Collection. The latter, for those unaware, includes HD remasters of the original Resident Evil remake and Resident Evil Zero.

Presumably, Capcom will have plenty of re-releases to announce at some point in the future, though at this point, that’s little more than speculation. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

Of course, that’s something that we currently don’t have a ton of concrete details on. We can obviously take for granted the fact that Capcom has multiple Resident Evil games in the works and lined up for release over the coming years- that much would be obvious even in the absence of any communication whatsoever from the company itself. But the exact nature of those plans is something that we don’t yet know much about. As ever though, we do have leaks and rumours to fall back on.

Interestingly enough, leaks have also claimed that, yes, Capcom does indeed have multiple RE titles in the works simultaneously. More specifically, prominent insider and leaker Dusk Golem (aka AestheticGamer) claimed earlier in the year that as many as five Resident Evil titles are in the works– and if the leaker’s claims are anything to go by, we know what at least three of those games will be.

Unsurprisingly, one is Resident Evil 9, or whatever Capcom ends up calling the series’ next mainline numbered entry, i.e. the follow-up to Resident Evil Village. The game is allegedly going to leverage the RE Engine’s new open world tech (which it now boasts courtesy of Dragon’s Dogma 2), which likely means it’ll be a wider and more expansive experience than its predecessors, while it also allegedly has the largest ever development budget and longest ever development cycle for a Resident Evil game to date. Another source, Residence of Evil, has claimed that fan favourite series mainstays in Leon S. Kennedy and Jill Valentine will return to share the spotlight as the protagonists, though Dusk Golem has refuted those claims- which means we’re going to have to wait for official word from Capcom for more clarity on what to expect.

When that official word will arrive is anyone’s guess. Very rarely does Capcom take off years with Resident Evil. With the exception of 2018 and 2024, it has released either a new Resident Evil game or new DLC for a previously released one every single year over the last few years, and under ordinary circumstances, that would mean RE9 would be more or less a lock for 2025. However, with Monster Hunter Wilds being Capcom’s big flagship release for the early months of next year, that would mean Resident Evil 9 would likely be releasing in the later months. The last several entries in the series have come out in the first half of their respective years, and though that doesn’t mean that RE9 can’t buck that trend, it does make it seem a little unlikelier. Even so, at the latest, we’d expect the game to release by the first few months of 2026, which means the wait for more information won’t be an interminable one, at the very least.

Beyond that, to no one’s surprise, it’s claimed that multiple Resident Evil remakes are also in the works. The series has been on a stellar run with its remakes, having enjoyed widespread critical and commercial acclaim across the board, which meant new remakes were pretty much a guarantee. What might take some by surprise, however, is the projects that Capcom has allegedly chosen to remake. Most would have figured that Resident Evil 5 would be the next natural choice, while many even wondered if the original Resident Evil could be in line for a second remake, this time bringing the classic into the modern era with an RE Engine third-person reimagination.

However, based on what Dusk Golem claimed earlier in the year, neither of those two are being remade– yet, at the very least. Instead, Capcom is allegedly developing remakes of Resident Evil: Code – Veronica and Resident Evil Zero. The former is something that many fans have been begging for for a while now, and though the latter is considered one of the franchise’s black sheep, it’s a game that many feel could benefit massively from a facelift and a reimagining. The prospect of remakes of the two titles is certainly an exciting one, then, especially because of how unexpected it is.

Interestingly, it’s claimed that the Zero remake isn’t actually being handled by Capcom internally, with external teams K2 and M-Two supposedly leading the charge for the project, with Capcom overseeing. For those unfamiliar, those were the teams that handled the Resident Evil 3 remake, a game that has a decidedly spottier reputation that virtually every other modern Resident Evil title, which means there will likely be some who will be skeptical about what that means for the Zero remake. Given the fact that Code – Veronica is the unquestionably bigger and more significant title, however, it makes sense that Zero has been handed to an external team while Capcom itself takes care of more pressing projects. Besides, Resident Evil 3 is, at the very least, a fun, well-made game, even with its flaws, so hopefully, Zero will at least be on that same level, if not better.

Beyond that, what the other two Resident Evil games are besides the three we’ve touched on is a mystery. It’s possible that early work has already started on the next mainline Resident Evil entry after RE9- after all, RE9 itself has allegedly been in development since 2018, three years before even Village had come out, so it wouldn’t be inconceivable for Capcom to be adopting a similar approach for what comes next. That is all guesswork at best, however. Sure, RE9, Code – Veronica, and Zero are also all unconfirmed and unverified rumours, which is only a little worse than guesswork- but in the absence of official information, it is better than guesswork.

What’s exciting about Resident Evil right now is that it seems like Capcom has a vast treasure trove of past material and new ideas to dive into for future instalments. Where new entries are concerned, given the series’ vast web of narrative threads, characters, settings, and flavours, it feels like there’s so much a new Resident Evil could do, while in the remake department, Capcom clearly won’t be running out of games to remake and improve anytime soon. That RE5 remake is an inevitability, even if it’s not being made right now, and we’d bet that another RE1 remake will eventually happen as well. Can we maybe also expect a Resident Evil 6 remake down the line? That remains to be seen, but the fact that it’s a possibility, and the fact that even a game as disastrous as RE6 would make for an exciting remake in this age of Resident Evil, tells you all you need to know about the excellent shape the beloved horror franchise currently finds itself in.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

It turns out, however, that the remakes that many would have guessed would be the likeliest to release next are not being worked on after all, according to prominent leaker Dusk Golem.

Recent leaks claimed that a second remake of Resident Evil 1 was in development and expected to release in 2026, coinciding with the series’ 30th anniversary. According to Dusk Golem, those claims are “bulls**t”.

“As far as I know, Resident Evil 1 is not in any form of development at all right now,” the leaker says.

Meanwhile, while many would have expected that after remakes of Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4, Resident Evil 5 would be up next, as per Dusk Golem, a remake of the 2009 action horror game isn’t actually in development.

Instead, they claim that remakes of Resident Evil Zero and Code: Veronica are instead in development, and that Resident Evil 9 has been delayed to late 2025 at the earliest.

(2/4) is further away than this upcoming summer. Sorry for the back-and-forth on that, that’s my fault.

RE:1 Remake rumors are bullshit, as far as I know RE:1 is not in any form of development at all right now.

RE:5 is not actively in dev now either. It’s been funny seeing this

— AestheticGamer aka Dusk Golem (@AestheticGamer1) May 27, 2024

Prominent leaker Dusk Golem recently claimed that Capcom currently has as many as five Resident Evil games in varying stages of development, and has now followed up on that with some more potential details. In a Discord message (shared by a user on Reddit), the leaker claimed that “multiple” Resident Evil titles were greenlit by Capcom last year, and that “some” of them are remakes.

Presumably, one of the new Resident Evil games in the works is Resident Evil 9, which, according to leaks, will be announced this year and released next year. But with the game allegedly having been in the works since as far back as 2018, that’s obviously not one of the newly greenlit ones. Specifically where remakes are concerned, it seems safe to assume that Resident Evil 5 is going to be remade- but can we expect others – like, for instance, Code – Veronica – to follow suit?

Capcom has said that it intends to keep developing Resident Evil remakes, so those who’ve been hoping for modernized versions of classic instalments certainly have some hope to cling on to.

That’s as per prominent Resident Evil leaker Dusk Golem (a.k.a. AestheticGamer), who recently claimed in the Discord channel of fellow leaker The Snitch (as shared by a user on Reddit), that Capcom has as many as five Resident Evil games simultaneously in development right now (one would presume at varying stages of production).

The leaker went on to add that they recently got a “big update” on one of these titles that they’re “really excited for”, but the game in question is apparently not out until late 2026 or early 2027, so they didn’t divulge what that update entailed.

As per Dusk Golem, one of those five games is Resident Evil 9, as you may expect. The leaker has claimed in the past that Resident Evil 9, which has allegedly been in the works since 2018, is due out in 2025 and will be unveiled sometime this year. Allegedly, the game is set to have the longest ever development cycle and the largest ever budget for a Resident Evil game. Interestingly, it may even be the series’ final numbered entry.

Beyond that, it’s probably safe to assume at this point that Capcom has more Resident Evil remakes in the works, given the sort of success it has enjoyed with that particular line of releases. In December, veteran Resident Evil producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi said that the company had every intention of developing more remakes, while Capcom has also been sending out surveys to ask players which instalment they’d like to see a remake for.

Of course, from obvious picks like Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil: Code – Veronica to the less obvious ones like Resident Evil Zero and even a re-remake of the original game in the series, there are several candidates. Whether or not Capcom has more than one remake in development right now is the question, but based on Dusk Golem’s latest claims, it would certainly seem like that’s the case.

Speaking in a recent interview with Japanese outlet Game Watch, Resident Evil veteran Yoshiaki Hirabayashi – who was producer on the remakes of both Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 – said that owing to the recent RE remakes’ reception and the fact that they have allowed fans to go back to older titles in the series, Capcom would like to continue making more remakes.

“We have released three remakes in the series, and we feel that they have been very well received,” he said. “For us, as people who love past titles, we are very happy that people in this era can play the games, so we would like to continue to do so. I would like to provide information on what kind of things we will do in the future.”

The question, of course, is which Resident Evil game Capcom will want to remake next, because there are multiple candidates. The likeliest would presumably be Resident Evil 5, while fans have long been demanding a Code – Veronica remake as well (though Capcom said last year that one wasn’t planned). Meanwhile, there have been some in the series’ fanbase that have mentioned a re-remake of the original Resident Evil as well.

Capcom also sent out a survey earlier this year, asking fans which Resident Evil titles they would like to see remakes for.

Either way, it’s probably going to be a while before we find out what Capcom has in store where Resident Evil remakes are concerned, especially since, as per leaks, the series’ next mainline game, Resident Evil 9, will be releasing in 2025. Presumably, the next remake will only come once that is out.

Block Your Shots

In some shooters, like Left 4 Dead, the AI is intelligent enough to move out of the way of your shots. In others, like the infamous Daikatana, your companions, Superfly Johnson and Mikiko, will run in front of your shots. Friendly fire is also enabled, so they can take damage and fall amid their stupidity, which is probably their least annoying trait.

Despite its action orientation being grounded in some semblance of reality, Resident Evil 5 was at the time the biggest selling Resident Evil game, ultimately shifting upwards of 13 million units by 2022. Yes, the story was a little pedestrian, especially through its middling middle section, with underbaked characters and slew of underwhelming boss fights, but Resident Evil 5 absolutely deserves to be remade in the same vein as Resident Evil’s 2 and 3. Resident Evil 5 has something the other games in the series don’t – bright, searing daylight. Capcom’s success in rejuvenating past Resident Evil games into modern triumphs is in large part to their respect of the original source material. Their strategy, to cherry pick the best aspects to embellish in a modernised remake, is a winner. If they re-do Resident Evil 5 then paying homage to the sun-baked gameplay of the original is a must. Sure, this’d represent a 180 degree turn from the darker, gloomier aesthetic of Resident Evil remakes up to now, but it’d maintain Resident Evil 5’s sense of differentiation and provide opportunity to address some of the game’s shortcomings too.

Whilst plenty would love Resident Evil 5 to have utilised the tense survival horror mechanics and tight resource management of which the series is famed, shoehorning those features into a remake risks upsetting fans of the original game. The simple fact is Resident Evil 5 is an action heavy experience, but owing to the game’s uniquely bright, sweltering setting, perhaps there’s scope to incorporate survival mechanics without interrupting the gunplay. We can assume in the game’s fictional depiction of Western Africa that the sun is scorching. Maybe spending too long in the sun can have adverse effects on the player: sunstroke could lead to wayward weapon aiming, heat exhaustion might reduce player health, glints and glare on the screen could affect visibility adding an extra layer of desperation to the numerous encounters with zombie hordes. To counteract the effects of the sun, players might have to seek refuge in shade. Buildings could become sanctuaries to rest and recuperate, or evils shy of sunlight could lurk in wait, forcing players to make split second decisions on whether to endure a sunlit encounter or risk-taking shelter indoors. Sure, if overdone, this mechanic has potential to become annoying, but should Capcom get the balance right it could be a worthy way to address Resident Evil 5’s dearth of survival mechanics whilst still maintaining the action-led gunplay fans of the game would expect.

As already stated, remakes are an opportunity to address shortcomings in the original source material. One principal aspect of Resident Evil 5 which needs a re-vamp is its companion gameplay. Yes, in co-op Resident Evil 5 is incredible fun, but playing single player reduces Chris Redfield’s narrative companion Sheva Alomar to AI control. Since RE5’s release in 2009, there’ve been tons of advances in AI technology, which is just as well as Sheva when computer controlled behaves haphazardly at best. She’s forever in the way, which is an easy fix, but most unforgivably she burns through ammo, unloading the most valuable weaponry into the weakest enemies. Whether more intelligent AI should be utilised to help Sheva make cleverer, more frugal decisions, or whether control over her arsenal could be handed to the player to command during encounters would be a decision for Capcom. Both options are viable, although the latter may provide unnecessary busywork for players who’d rather focus on headshotting as many lurching zombies as possible than managing Sheva’s choice of weapon.

There’s scope for Capcom to expand on the companion led gameplay too. For instance, stealth is drastically underutilised in Resident Evil 5, and could be a worthy addition to mix up gameplay. Modern titles such as A Plague Tale: Requiem demonstrate how successful stealth mechanics can be incorporated between two characters, with each character in that game possessing unique skillsets which complement and support each other. Whether computer controlled or via co-operative gameplay Resident Evil 5’s Sheva could be adept at sneaking past enemies whilst Chris is more proficient at ranged attacks. There’s already hints of this in the original – Sheva’s dainty frame grants her access to high ledges and areas inaccessible to Chris, but it isn’t used for much other than traversing the environment. Also, maybe RE5 could take a leaf out of It Takes Two’s book, where both characters can combine individual weaponry to create something more destructive. It might not make up the bulk of the action but seeing as Resident Evil 5 is notoriously light on puzzles a revamped and mixed-up co-op or AI companion gameplay which focuses on stealth or unique firepower combinations could be the way to go.

And as for Sheva, her character development is as shallow as a puddle. Sure, she has an emotional backstory, one whereby she evaded a massacre in her hometown in which her family perished at the hands of Umbrella, but besides this being mentioned as her motivation behind assisting Chris it’s never really built upon during the game. In fact, the game’s overall story suffers pacing issues as a result. Chris is hellbent on finding Jill, but the game’s principal twist whereby it is revealed Jill is alive and brainwashed after suffering at the hands of Albert Wesker for the past 3 years happens deep into the game. It’s hard to garner an emotional response when the story had essentially flatlined up until this point. Likewise, with Sheva dealing the RPG-blow to finally destroy Wesker in the game’s volcanic climax there’s little emotional payoff as the game hasn’t invested enough time to getting us to care about her character. For a remake, either give the RPG to Jill, or spend more time developing Sheva’s character.

At present, it’s unknown if Capcom will opt to remake Resident Evil 5. Should 5 be remade, then logically its successor Resident Evil 6 will need to be remade too, and we all know how divisive that title is amongst fans of the series. Tweaks to gameplay and narrative aside, Resident Evil 5 still holds up graphically. Released on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2009, a high-definition remaster for current gen consoles – if anything – might be all Resident Evil 5 needs to rejuvenate this title. From this point of view, an answer to the question of whether Resident Evil 5 needs a remake is largely a no. A few subpar boss battles aside, gameplay is generally good and except for the inability to simultaneously run and shoot encounters are oftentimes fun, with co-op aspects genuinely thrilling and memorable. The question of whether Resident Evil 5 deserves a remake is a different one – and to be honest, the answer is a resounding yes. There’s enough potential here to evolve an already decent experience into something truly memorable. Providing Capcom stick with the aspects which make Resident Evil 5 unique – that is, its action-heavy gunplay in searing daylight sections – there’s no reason a RE5 remake can’t be a success.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.