But this isn’t your usual retrospective, but a re-review of sorts as we take a look at this game if it existed in the current market. It might have been a strong force in terms of what it did for the franchise and the changes it brought to the formula, but with this review, we will be eliminating those aspects and looking at the game in a vacuum, gauging how it stands in 2026.

Resident Evil 7 transports players to the decrepit Baker Mansion, a rotting estate tucked away in the swamps of Dulvey, Louisiana. You step into the shoes of Ethan Winters, an unassuming and initially unremarkable protagonist searching for his missing wife, Mia, after receiving a mysterious message from her years after she was presumed dead. What begins as a seemingly simple rescue mission quickly spirals into a nightmarish ordeal involving the deranged Baker family and a sinister biological threat lurking beneath the house’s mold-infested walls.

The premise is quite familiar to anyone who has played a Resident Evil game, but it’s definitely effective, to say the least. The narrative feels quite personal with Ethan’s quest majorly revolving around his search for Mia, but in typical RE fashion, the latter half introduces larger conspiracies that bring up the Umbrella Corporation and escalate matters from a simple horror affair to a full-blown Biohazard.

But I’m not complaining about it, despite the writing not being something that will end up winning any awards. The dialogues can be corny at times, relying too heavily on horror tropes – but the focus on slowly and steadily building and maintaining that ominous vibe throughout the adventure is a merit that far outweighs the flaws stemming from such writing. The narrative progression is quite consistent, and the story will keep you hooked with certain twists and turns.

Talking about the minute-to-minute gameplay, Resident Evil 7 revolves around exploration, light puzzle-solving, and survival-focused combat, and this loop remains compelling even by modern standards. Ammo is quite scarce, which is obviously appropriate from a survival horror perspective, and healing items feel precious, which comes together to make every encounter feel intentional; you have to think twice before pulling the trigger. Unlike more action-heavy entries in the franchise, Resident Evil 7 never lets you feel powerful for long. Even late into the game, you’re just scraping by, improvising solutions, and managing limited resources. That sense of vulnerability is something many contemporary horror games attempt to recreate, but few sustain as consistently as Resident Evil 7.

The first-person perspective, which was controversial at launch, has aged remarkably well. In fact, viewed today, it feels less like a gimmick and more like a foundational design choice that modern horror titles have since embraced. The intimacy it creates is undeniable, and it fits really well within the deeply personal narrative context. Every narrow hallway, every sudden turn, every grotesque detail feels uncomfortably close. In the year 2026 when first-person horror is far more common – Resident Evil 7 still stands out for how deliberately it uses perspective to amplify tension rather than overwhelm the player with constant sensory overload.

The controls are quite responsive despite the game not being about conquering fast enemies in large arenas. Movement is intentionally deliberate, sometimes even slightly stiff, but that stiffness serves the experience rather than detracts from it. The slower pace reinforces the feeling of being trapped and hunted, but clever design elements like the quick turn do help players in being somewhat swift during chases or hectic boss fights. Inventory management, while occasionally clunky, reinforces the survival aspect without feeling excessively punitive.

Enemy design is another area where the game continues to shine. The Molded, while not visually diverse, are used sparingly enough to avoid becoming tedious. More importantly, the Baker family themselves act as a persistent threat rather than ta raditional boss encounters, which also acts as a throwback to the original Resident Evil 2’s Mr X. Jack Baker’s early-game presence, in particular, is still one of the most effective implementations of an invincible stalker-style enemy. His unpredictable patrols, taunting dialogue, and ability to disrupt what would otherwise be safe spaces create genuine anxiety that few modern equivalents manage to match.

Talking about the combat in Resident Evil 7, the gunfights are deliberately awkward, tense, and frequently uncomfortable – and that remains one of its strongest design choices despite taking some time to get used to. The gunplay lacks the immediacy and fluidity of modern shooters with deliberate aiming, heavy recoil, and enemies that rarely react to being shot. Fights can end up being scraping affairs in closed spaces, often forcing players to weigh whether an enemy is worth engaging at all. This philosophy extends seamlessly into boss encounters, which function less as skill-based tests and more as endurance trials. Fights against the Baker family emphasize movement, positioning, and environmental awareness, often asking you to survive long enough rather than simply deal enough damage. While a few late-game bosses lean closer to traditional shooter mechanics, they never fully abandon the core idea that combat is a last resort.

This design philosophy naturally feeds into the game’s restrained approach to weapons. The arsenal is small, but each weapon has a clear role and purpose, reinforcing the game’s survival-first mentality. The handgun is reliable for pinning enemies at a distance, the shotgun offers instant reprieve in close quarters, and heavier options like the grenade launcher provide situational relief rather than sustained dominance. Ammunition scarcity ensures that even powerful tools feel temporary, and upgrading weapons improves efficiency without ever making Ethan feel overpowered. In a current market where horror games often blur into action shooters, Resident Evil 7’s measured, sometimes frustrating combat and limited weapon selection work in harmony to preserve tension, ensuring that fear remains the driving force behind every encounter.

From a technical standpoint, the game has aged gracefully. The RE Engine was already impressive at launch, and its strengths are even more apparent today. Lighting remains exceptional, with shadows playing a crucial role in establishing mood. Texture work, environmental detail, and animation quality all hold up surprisingly well, especially on modern hardware. Character models may not match the hyper-realistic fidelity of current AAA releases, but they don’t need to. The art direction carries the experience, ensuring that visual immersion remains intact.

Sound design also deserves special mention. Audio cues are used quite generously, right from the distant footsteps echoing through the mansion to the unsettling ambient noises that constantly keep you guessing. The actual music is rather sparse, even absent entirely at times, which is a great way of achieving a constant fear of the unknown. When the score does kick in, it heightens moments of danger without overwhelming them. Even by today’s standards, Resident Evil 7 understands that horror is as much about what you hear or don’t hear as what you see.

Looking at Resident Evil 7 in isolation, it’s clear that the developer didn’t resort to cheap tactics like relying on nostalgia, banking on legacy characters, or fan service to succeed – but actually put in the efforts to make something worthwhile. In a modern landscape where horror games are homogenized in the face of overreliance on jump scares or cinematic spectacle, Resident Evil 7’s focused design feels supreme. Revisiting Resident Evil 7 in 2026 reveals a game that hasn’t merely survived the passage of time but has thrived. Even without considering its impact on the franchise or the genre, it remains a benchmark for survival horror design. The oppressive atmosphere, deliberate pacing, and constant commitment to building a sense of tension allow it to stand neck to neck with some the best modern horror experiences available today.

There are minor flaws, particularly in its latter half and occasional pacing dips, but they’re easy to forgive when you have such great merits and a strong focus on coherent design. Resident Evil 7 is standing proof that strong fundamentals age far better than flashy trends, and I would rate this experience as 9 out of 10. It’s an excellent game that you should check out if you haven’t already, and it’s an experience that you would appreciate more on subsequent replays.

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.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: HEART OF CHORNOBYL

Here’s a recent and obvious one to kick things off. Every step of the way, it feels like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is trying to kill you. The game takes a lot of pride in how brutally demanding it is, to the point where it can feel actively hostile to the player. Terrifying mutant monstrosities, a constant dearth of weapons and ammo, radiation and extreme weather, or the plain and simple fact that you’re incredibly easy to kill- plenty of factors come together to ensure that you never feel at ease in the Exclusion Zone.

Resident Evil 2 now sits at 15.4 million units sold worldwide as of March 31, up from 15 million units sold as of December. The widely acclaimed survival horror title is also on the verge of becoming the best-selling Resident Evil game of all time. When next Capcom updates the game’s sales, it’s likely that it will have overtaken Resident Evil 5, which has sold a combined 15.5 million units to date across all of its releases and re-releases.

Resident Evil Village sits at 11.3 million units sold, also having sold an additional 300,000 units. Resident Evil 4, meanwhile, has sold over 10 million units, as previously announced. As of April 25th, Resident Evil 7: biohazard sold over 15 million units while Resident Evil 3 remake reached 10 million sales.

Capcom has also revealed updated sales figures for Monster Hunter titles. Read more on that through here.

For starters, there’s Resident Evil 7, which has climbed from 14.4 million units as of the end of 2024, now standing at 15 million units sold (equaling Resident Evil 2’s sales as of the end of last year). Meanwhile, Resident Evil Village has hit 11 million units sold (up from 10.9 million units) and 2020’s Resident Evil 3 remake stands at 10 million units (up from 9.6 million).

Capcom has also announced that 2023’s Resident Evil 4 remake has also crossed 10 million units. The Resident Evil franchise’s cumulative sales have hit 167 million units.

Resident Evil 2, 3, 4, 7, and Village are all available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, and iOS.

Of course, the more recent sequel, Resident Evil Village, is also doing quite well at 10.9 million copies sold (also up by 400,000 since the last milestone). Both titles are available on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch, and received extensive acclaim for their visuals, first-person gameplay, and more.

As for the next Resident Evil, it’s led by Koshi Nakanishi, who also directed Resident Evil 7: biohazard, Resident Evil 5, and Resident Evil Revelations. Further details have yet to be revealed, though rumors allege a possible launch in late 2025 or early 2026. That would mean a potential unveiling this year, maybe at Capcom’s upcoming Spotlight showcase on February 4th. Stay tuned for updates until then.

Alien Isolation

Developer Creative Assembly knocked it out of the park with Alien: Isolation, which is undoubtedly one of the best games to have come out of the Alien label in quite some time. It puts you in the shoes of Amanda Ripley who must do everything and anything in her might to outsmart the Xenomorph, and because of the fact that you can’t really kill him – the best bet is to hide under tables and behind closets and hope that the alien doesn’t notice that. Of course, that’s easier said than done because the Xenomorph AI learns from your past runs and adapts itself based on those inputs which ensures that players are always on their toes.

Capcom has announced via its updated Platinum Titles page (which lists quarterly updated sales figures for all Capcom games to have sold over a million units) that Resident Evil 7 has sold over 14 million units worldwide as of September 30. As of the end of the previous quarter, it stood at 13.7 million units sold, which means it has sold an additional 300,000 units over the course of the previous quarter.

This also means Resident Evil 7 has now outsold Resident Evil 6, which has lifetime sales of 13.8 million units. It now stands behind only Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 5 in the series’ all-time sales rankings.

Meanwhile, its direct follow-up, Resident Evil Village, also continues to enjoy consistent sales. The first-person survival horror title has now sold 10.5 million units worldwide since its 2021 release. It stood at 10.1 million units earlier in the year, which means it sold an additional 400,000 units this past quarter.

Capcom has also provided updated sales figures for Resident Evil 2 and 3’s remakes. Read more on that through here.

The company has announced that Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, and Resident Evil 7 Gold Edition (which includes the base game as well as all of its post-launch DLC) will get physical PS5 releases on December 6 in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, on December 26 in Japan, and at some point in January in North America (though a specific release date for the latter isn’t yet announced), retailing for $29.99.

Resident Evil Village and last year’s Resident Evil 4 remake were both native PS5 games upon launch as is, which means all modern Resident Evil games are now available on the platform both physically and digitally.

As for what series fans have to look forward to in the future, leaks have claimed that as many as five Resident Evil games are simultaneously in development right now, including Resident Evil 9 and alleged remakes of Resident Evil Zero and Code Veronica.

Still Wakes the Deep

A shoo-in for scariest game of 2024 so far, Still Wakes the Deep duties you as electrician Caz aboard a bleak, ocean-rusting North Sea oil rig before an accident occurs and situations go awry. It’s best not to know too much before stepping aboard, but safe to say The Chinese Room have delivered an atmospheric horror for the ages, replete in equal measure dread and mystery.

]]> 601622 https://gamingbolt.com/resident-evil-series-hits-160-million-units-sold-worldwide Tue, 30 Jul 2024 18:12:40 +0000 https://gamingbolt.com/?p=594787 The Resident Evil series continues to be one of Capcom’s biggest success stories. The survival horror franchise has enjoyed an incredible resurgence over the course of nearly the last decade, kickstarted by the launch of Resident Evil 7 in early 2017, and since then, it has seen multiple instalments that have enjoyed widespread critical acclaim and commercial success to match.

It’s no surprise, then, to see the series as a whole continuing to hit major sales milestone, as it has done once again. Capcom recently shared its fiscal report for the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal year (which ends March 31 next year), and in its report, revealed that the Resident Evil series has sold over 160 million units worldwide.

Last month, Capcom announced that Resident Evil Village had hit 10 million units sold, becoming the fastest game in the series to get to that point. Meanwhile, as of earlier this year, Resident Evil 2 and 3’s remakes sit at over 13.9 million units sold and over 8.7 million units sold, while Resident Evil 7 has sold over 13.3 million units worldwide.

Capcom has also announced updated sales figures for the Resident Evil 4 remake, which stands at over 7.6 million units sold. Read more on that through here.