Every Modern Resident Evil Game Ranked

The Resident Evil franchise has been around for as long as I’ve been alive, but just as I was getting into gaming (circa 2010) it started getting a reputation for mediocrity.

That all changed with “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard”, and the four other major titles we’ve got since then – including mainline entries as well as remakes – have all been special in their own right. I’ve now played them all, so I can rank them from “worst” to best!

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Great

5 – Resident Evil 3

The “Resident Evil 3” remake gets a lot of unwarranted hate, but it also gets its share of fair criticisms too.

The main campaign was far too short and cut out some key features of the original, and even though the boss fights were fun Nemesis himself was too predictable. His segments being railroaded, instead of the free-willed terror we got in RE2 with Mr. X, makes replaying this title a bore.

Criticisms aside, I still really enjoyed RE3. The action-focused gameplay was a nice change of pace from the pure horror of RE2, and Jill and Carlos’s story took them to some memorable locations. But compared to the other stellar entries we’ve had recently, this one gets an easy last place finish.

Amazing

4 – Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

A return to form for the series, “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” employs a first person perspective to make the horror all the more chilling.

Some parts felt slow and dragged out, and the main story got a little strange for my tastes by the end, but the visceral gameplay and focus on spine-tingling terror made this a game that reinvigorated the world’s love of Resident Evil.

3 – Resident Evil Village

“Resident Evil Village”, the eighth mainline game, employs the same general mechanics as RE7 but with a polished “open” world and a classic shop system – in other words, they went bigger and better!

The cast of baddies are delightful, and the story is much tighter this time around, but my main problem is that most of the experience isn’t that scary … Apart from the baby section, which was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever played.

All-Time Great

2 – Resident Evil 2

I’d steered away from the RE franchise for the longest time for numerous reasons, but after playing the “Resident Evil 2” remake a couple of years ago I knew I needed more.

Claire and Leon are fantastic protagonists, and the horror elements are at their finest here – Raccoon City Police Department (and the Underground Carpark by extension) is the best location in the series bar none, especially when the fearsome Mr. X starts pursuing you.

The only drawbacks are that the second half of the game – namely the Sewer and Lab sections – didn’t really do it for me, and I was disappointed by how similar the Claire / Leon stories ended up being … but otherwise this is the best pure horror game I’ve ever played.

1 – Resident Evil 4

People weren’t sure whether “Resident Evil 4”, a widely-beloved masterpiece, even needed a remake to begin with. After finally playing it, I can say that Capcom have set a new standard for survival horror games and remakes in general.

The Village, Castle and Island sections have all been revamped and perfected, and the combat / horror had me on the edge of my seat for all sixteen fast-paced chapters. This is basically a cross between RE2 and Village, my two other favourite games in the franchise – so it’s no wonder why RE4 has immediately become one of my new favourite games of all time!

Aaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: