Resident Evil – Every Location Ranked (Modern Games)

At the start of the 2010’s, the “Resident Evil” franchise looked certain to fall into obscurity. But, against all odds, “Resident Evil 7” ushered in a new golden age for the franchise – the modern era has been banger title after banger title.

Now that I’ve played every “modern” game in the franchise (i.e. 7, 8, 9 and the remakes) I wanted to revisit some of my favourite and least favourite locations in them. In my opinion, a good location needs to have thrills, solid level design and a spooky yet visually interesting aesthetic.

It’s a bit wishy-washy as to what constitutes a “location”, but I think I’ve listed all the major ones. I lumped a few areas together if it made sense. With all that preamble out the way, let’s get to it!

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

Resident Evil 4 Remake – All Bosses Ranked

Resident Evil 4 – All Sixteen Chapters Ranked

Resident Evil 2 VS 3 – Which Remake Is Better?

Top 20 Videogame Worlds

Bad

33 – Wrecked Ship (RE7)

Coming in at an easy last place is the dreaded Wrecked Ship portion of RE7. Nobody, and I mean nobody, likes this part.

It’s a slow, dreary slog through a visually uninteresting ship – and to make matters worse, you play as Mia rather than Ethan. In other words, you don’t have all the cool guns you’ve acquired across your playthrough.

It’s such a sour note to end the game on. While the ship may not be the location of the very last scenes, it put a damper on the whole experience. I find no enthusiasm to replay this game when I know this is waiting at the finale.

Meh

32 – Salt Mines (RE7)

Coming immediately after the Wrecked Ship, the true final stretch in RE7, is the Salt Mines. I was tempted to lump both entries together as they come back-to-back, but they’re too different – both visually and mechanically – to combine.

RE7’s ending is pretty bad from a gameplay point of view. After the slog on the ship, the developers thought it would be a reward to have an action-packed, guns-blazing trek through a bleak mine. It’s nowhere near as exciting as they imagined.

31 – Sewers (RE3 Remake)

As you’ll soon come to learn, I wasn’t a fan of RE2’s sewer section. When I say I was pissed to go back there for RE3, I was pissed.

It’s not as egregious as, say, the Wrecked Ship from RE7 … but what was the point of it? It’s a quick, very linear path through the murky sewers, and you have to fight some of the most annoying enemies (those big froggy freaks) along the way.

Okay

30 – Boathouse (RE7)

I was surprised to find out that the Boathouse was listed as its own area in RE7. The only real thing of note is the Mutated Jack boss fight.

It’s not my favourite boss in the game, but it’s alright. The choice you have to make immediately afterwards, however, has become infamous. Who in their right mind would choose to save a random stranger over their wife – the very person we’ve spent the whole game trying to save?

29 – The Village … Chris Redfield Edition (Village)

Like the Salt Mines in RE7, I found it weird to have a guns-blazing section at the end of “Village”.

Gunning through Lycans as Chris was fun on first playthrough, but it gets old on each subsequent run. At least the village itself has gone through a visual revamp (hence why I ranked it separately to the main village’s entry on this list).

28 – Sewers (RE2 Remake)

The “Resident Evil 2” Remake is almost a perfect horror game … until you reach the Sewers.

It’s a drastically less interesting area compared to the RPD and its underground Parking Garage, both in terms of level design and visuals. Having to sludge through the grime to collect the chess pieces made every replay of this game a chore.

27 – The Stronghold (Village)

For the most part, “Village” strikes the right balance between action and horror. One location that was perhaps too action-heavy, however, was The Stronghold.

It’s a series of challenging arenas which culminates in a bullet-sponge boss fight. On the whole, it feels very transitional – this is a stepping stone before the actual fun, Heisenberg’s Factory, resumes again.

26 – Guest House (RE7)

The opening area in RE7 acts as a tutorial / tone-setter for the new horror gameplay. In that sense, it does the job.

Unfortunately, Guest House is very tedious to replay as it’s so scripted. Whether it was the unskippable videos or the Mia sections, you just have to wait patiently for the real game to begin.

25 – Chapel / Water Treatment Plant (Requiem)

I’m cheating for this entry. Both the Chapel and Water Treatment Plant sections are fundamentally different, but because they’re so short and happen back-to-back I decided to combine them.

First up is the Chapel section with Leon. I like the sniper section, and the boss fight is fine, but on the whole it’s nothing special.

The following Grace section, Water Treatment Plant, is similarly forgettable. You have to open the ceiling hatch on The Girl, and to do so requires flicking three switches. It’s an intense race against an unstoppable foe, but it’s over quickly.

Good

24 – Wrenwood (Requiem)

The opening to “Requiem” is far from a highlight of the game, but it was a solid introduction to both the Grace and Leon gameplay.

Grace’s part in the hotel is very scripted but decently frightening, and Leon’s trek through the chaotic streets sets up the action nicely.

23 – RPD (RE3 Remake)

The hype of returning to the RPD was perhaps lost on me because I played RE2 and RE3 mere days apart, but I can imagine how awesome it must’ve been for those Day One fans who waited a year between instalments.

It’s a short, action-heavy section which sees Carlos fighting through scenes as they’re actively happening, rather than in RE2 where you just see the bloody aftermath. A cool detail.

22 – Old House (RE7)

I’m not a fan of bugs, so the whole schtick of the Old House already got under my skin. This is a horror game, though, so I can’t dock it points for making me deeply unsettled IRL.

Marguerite is the reason for all the creepy crawlies – her boss fight is disgusting, but one of the better ones from RE7.

21 – Umbrella Lab (RE2 Remake)

The second half of RE2 was a big drop-off from the first. At first I disliked the Sewers, and then the Lab section seemed a very thin way to end the game.

In hindsight, it’s actually not that bad. The polished, scientific aesthetic is a welcome change of pace from the police station and sewers, and the greenhouse part in particular always puts me on edge.

20 – RPD (Requiem)

Returning to the RPD in RE3 was a fun piece of fan-service, but doing the same in “Requiem” was hype. Seeing the decaying police station through Leon’s aged eyes was a catharsis I didn’t know I needed.

I can’t rank it much higher than 20th, however, because the gameplay was underwhelming. There aren’t that many enemies, to begin with, and this has two of my least favourite segments in the game – the orphanage flashback and the road to ARK, where you have to fight those plant tendril thingies.

That being said, the Mr. X boss fight was cool as hell. One of the best fights in the game for sure.

19 – Care Centre Basement (Requiem)

Even though this is technically a part of the Rhodes Hill Care Centre, the Basement section feels very different and so I’m ranking it separately.

It’s a cramped, intense hunt for three batteries – all while you get stalked by The Girl. While not the most interesting section on paper, any “Resident Evil” location that sees you getting chased by an unkillable, unscripted stalker enemy immediately becomes ten times as terrifying.

18 – The Island (RE4 Remake)

It’s common consensus that RE4 drops in quality as the game goes on. I don’t know what it was like in the original, but the four Island chapters in the Remake are definitely weaker on the whole than the twelve that came before it.

They’re still lots of fun, though – especially the Regenerator Lab and the Krauser boss gauntlet. To be honest, it’s really just the final two chapters – the guns-blazing part and the Saddler boss – that I found underwhelming.

17 – Moreau’s Reservoir (Village)

Now that I think about it, Moreau’s Reservoir is kinda gimmicky. Until you drain the reservoir, you have to solve simple logic puzzles and time your runs across treacherous wooden beams. Probably not the kind of gameplay that comes to mind when you think of “Resident Evil”.

Despite there not being much fighting, I’ve always found it enjoyable – surprisingly, even on the third and fourth replay. It’s a fun, action-packed set-piece that has some survival horror thrills sprinkled in.

16 – NEST Lab (RE3 Remake)

Maybe this is a hot take, but I found RE3’s NEST Lab to be a better Lab finale than RE2.

It feels like a much more open and explorable space, with danger lurking around each corner. Both of the Nemesis boss fights were also leagues better than anything RE2 threw at us.

Great

15 – Testing Area (RE7)

After defeating Jack and Marguerite in their respective areas, you’d think that the goofy son of the family – Lucas – wouldn’t pose nearly as much of a threat. You’d be wrong.

His area, suitably called the Testing Area, is a nightmare of traps and escape rooms. Not only do you have to fight off the Mould, but you also have to survive the sadistic whims of a madman.

14 – House Beneviento (Village)

If we were ranking these areas based on their impact on first playthroughs, then House Beneviento would surely make the Top 5. It’s the scariest area in “Resident Evil” history – that fleshy baby-thingy haunted my nightmares for days.

One every subsequent playthrough, however, this area becomes a chore to get through. It’s all very scripted and slow, and the boss at the end is simply a game of hide and seek.

On average, it seems fair to rank House Beneviento somewhere near-ish the middle.

13 – Parking Garage (RE2 Remake)

Like the Care Centre Basement in “Requiem”, I probably should’ve ranked the Parking Garage alongside the rest of the RPD … but that just feels wrong. They’re two different areas in my mind.

The fact it connects back to the RPD is a big plus, but what makes this area so memorable is the dog kennel. This was my first experience with dog enemies in a “Resident Evil” game, and they made an immediate impression.

I can’t rank Parking Garage much higher than this, even if I did enjoy it a lot. It’s just not that big of an area.

12 – ARK (Requiem)

In classic “Resident Evil” fashion, the finale of “Requiem” takes place in a lab. One of the better labs in this series, if my list is anything to go by.

I’m not sure if I liked the final boss all that much, but the road there was excellent. The Grace section with the Lickers is intense as hell, which makes it even more satisfying when you blast through them later as Leon.

11 – Raccoon City (RE3 Remake)

There was a point while playing the RE3 Remake when I thought to myself: “Why do people not like this game? The opening area is fantastic!”. It turned out that Raccoon City was an early peak, sadly, but what a peak it was.

It’s fun to collect items from around the map and solve various puzzles – in a nutshell, it’s everything I want from a “Resident Evil” opening area. Add to that Jill’s new dodge mechanic and you get a fresh take on a zombie-killing adventure.

One thing that knocks this area down on replay, however, is Nemesis. The main villain of the game is terrifying on first playthrough … but from the second playthrough onwards you realise how scripted his sections are. He just doesn’t have the same aura as Mr. X stalking the corridors of the RPD.

10 – The Village (Village)

Fun fact – the village from “Village” is unnamed in the game’s lore, hence why it’s just called “The Village”. A bit of an odd choice from the developers, it must be said.

You pass through The Village many times during a playthrough – it’s a hub area of sorts. Some of the most memorable moments in the game, like the initial Lycan attack, happen there.

9 – Main House (RE7)

The Guest House served as a scary introduction to RE7’s new first-person horror format, but the Main House proved that the “Resident Evil” series could thrive under these more terrifying circumstances.

This is classic “Resident Evil” through and through, whether it’s collecting the three dog heads, finding keys for the various doors or fighting Jack in a chainsaw duel.

8 – Heisenberg’s Factory (Village)

As sad as it is to say, most “Resident Evil” games peak early. You’ll notice that a lot of the higher entries in my ranking are among the first areas in their respective games. A lot of the final areas focus too much on the action, and so a good part of the survival horror magic is lost … but an endgame location I’ve always loved is Heisenberg’s Factory.

I love the industrial setting, and the Heisenberg boss at the end is action done right. On the whole, this is a great example of how to make an action-focused “Resident Evil” location – you have all the powerful guns at your disposal, and yet the enemies are far from a cakewalk.

7 – Salazar’s Castle (RE4 Remake)

While Salazar’s Castle was a slight step down from the perfection of the opening Village segment, I still found the gothic style and narrow corridors to be both alluring and intense.

These six chapters are home to some of the highest highs RE4 has to offer – the Salazar and Verdugo bosses were great, the minecart ride with Luis was a lot of camp fun, and any time a Garrador was on screen I just about wet myself.

But fuck those bugs, and any area they’re in. Fuck ’em. Frontrunners for worst “Resident Evil” enemies for sure.

Amazing

6 – Spencer Memorial Hospital (RE3 Remake)

The RE3 Remake is overhated. Sure, it’s probably the “worst” of these modern games, but how can anybody play sections like the Spencer Memorial Hospital and not be on the edge of their seat?

You play as Carlos, but it’s not as guns-blazing as you’d think. The creepy hospital is home to some really tough enemies, and there are jump-scares galore. And, even though this may be a hot take, the bomb defence part is a highlight of the game. I know I dunk on the action-heavy sections, but that part was a power fantasy mixed with a race against the clock.

5 – Raccoon City (Requiem)

For the first half of “Requiem”, Leon felt like an afterthought. It was the same repetitive cycle: survival horror with Grace followed by action with Leon, usually in the same location. In other words, Leon was there to clean up any enemies which Grace left behind.

That all changed when Leon returned to Raccoon City. It’s an area tailor-made for his action sensibilities, and it’s one of the biggest highlights of the game. It’s a huge area where every nook and cranny has either an enemy or a secret to uncover, and the gunplay is phenomenal.

This is also the location that gave us one of Leon’s most badass moments in the series – the motorbike chase. Absolute. Cinema.

4 – Castle Dimitrescu (Village)

I’m writing this entry with two hands. Just to be clear. I’m a serious, objective online reviewer and I’m only looking at the design and gameplay of Castle Dimitrescu. I’m not looking at the eight-foot-tall goth vampire and I’m certainly not wishing for her to step on me. So don’t even accuse me of that.

Castle Dimitrescu is the classic early-game “Resident Evil” experience. Ethan is consistently out of his depth with the limited arsenal at his disposal, and the medieval castle aesthetic adds to the creepy atmosphere.

3 – Rhodes Hill (Requiem)

There was a point during the Rhodes Hill section where I thought “Requiem” was the best “Resident Evil” game of all time. That didn’t end up being the case, but this was still a fantastic, terrifying start to the game.

Ethan always felt like he was out of his depth, but Grace in this game is in a league of her own. I never felt that she was safe, and her terror was palpable. The limited ammo, the blood collection and the enemy variety meant I was on my toes the whole time.

And then, in one of the most satisfying moments of the game, you got to steamroll through any enemy you’d missed with Leon. It was the kind of power fantasy I could get behind.

All-Time Great

2 – Valdelobos Village (RE4 Remake)

When people think of RE4 and its recent Remake, they think of Valdelobos Village. It has gone down in gaming history as one of the best opening areas in the medium.

The first chapter is such a perfect start. Already the vibes are very different – this is no longer the apocalyptic city streets I was used to, and instead we’re in a quaint yet seemingly cursed village. That opening village attack sets the tone for the intense, roundhouse-kicking gameplay.

But the thrills don’t stop there. Across the first six chapters you infiltrate a fishing village, boat across a massive lake and take down Mendez in a badass barn fight (to name a few of the awesome events). And once Ashley joins the mix and you have to protect her, it opens up a whole new dimension of tactical gameplay.

This is a perfect area … if it wasn’t for that dumb Del Lago “boss fight” in the third chapter. The harpooning gimmick gets old fast, and it becomes a huge pain in the backside on repeat playthroughs. That’s the only thing stopping Valdelobos Village from claiming my top spot.

1 – RPD (RE2 Remake)

The RE2 Remake was the first “Resident Evil” game I ever played. I booted up the game, played through the opening gas station cutscenes, and then I was dropped inside the local police station. Little did I know that the RPD would end up being one of my favourite locations in all of gaming.

This museum-turned-station blends puzzles with survival horror in a way I’d never seen before. It was a beginner-friendly yet horrifying introduction for a series newbie such as myself, and I had a blast collecting the three disks and escaping into the Parking Garage.

But the thrills didn’t stop there – in fact, the best of the RPD was yet to come, when you return there for the second time to collect the two circuit boards. Once Mr. X smashed through that helicopter, and while this unkillable foe stalked me through the station corridors, I knew I was playing one of the greatest, scariest horror games of all time.

The RPD single-handedly ignited my love of the “Resident Evil” series. For that, it couldn’t rank anywhere except top spot.

Aaaand that’s my list! If you liked this post and want to support me, please consider giving me a one-time donation. Even a few pence (or whatever currency you use) is fantastic! I’ve never monetized this blog before, but it would be great if I could do this comfortably and not have to worry about the yearly website domain costs. Thank you so much!