Best Resident Evil Games: Scared You as a Kid and They Still Do Now!

Resident Evil helped define survival horror by making you manage scarce ammo, solve strange mansion puzzles, and distrust every quiet hallway.

Since 1996, it has kept a following because it changes with the times without fully abandoning its roots. You can move from fixed-camera tension to first-person dread or third-person action and still recognize the uneasy Umbrella-shaped shadow.

The series has also shown how remakes can preserve a game’s identity while updating its controls and presentation. This has been the case for most of their games, so picking the “best” is no easy feat.

Still, we tried, and here are some of our picks of the best Resident Evil games!

Disclaimer: This list is purely opinion-based, and readers’ discretion is advised.

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Our Picks For The Best Resident Evil Games

Without further ado, here are the best Resident Evil games in no particular order:

1. Resident Evil 4 / RE4 Remake (2005 | 2023)

Platforms: GameCube, PlayStation 2, PC, Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch; the remake also released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and iOS

You play Leon S. Kennedy, sent to rural Spain to find the U.S. President’s kidnapped daughter. What starts as a rescue job turns into villages, cults, parasites, and a man with a chainsaw who clearly skipped customer-service training.

The 2005 original reshaped third-person action with its over-the-shoulder camera, tense resource management, and combat that rewards quick decisions. You never have quite enough ammunition to feel relaxed, which is exactly the point.

The remake keeps that pressure while modernising movement, shooting, parries, exploration, and Ashley’s companion mechanics. It earned strong reviews because it respects the original’s pace and strange charm while making it easier for new players to enjoy—yes, even if you missed the GameCube era.

2. Resident Evil Remake (2002)

Platform: Nintendo GameCube; later released on Wii, PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch

You return to Spencer Mansion as Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield, where locked doors, limited ammunition, and suspiciously placed herbs make every room matter. The remake keeps the original’s fixed-camera tension but adds sharper visuals, stronger sound design, defensive daggers, and new threats such as Crimson Heads.

It expands the 1996 game without sanding off its strange, deliberate survival-horror edges. Lisa Trevor adds meaningful lore, the mansion’s interconnected layout rewards careful exploration, and you learn quickly that burning a zombie is less optional than it sounds.

If you want Resident Evil at its most traditional, this is a strong place to start.

Read more: Best Spider-Man Games

3. Resident Evil 2 Remake (2019)

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows; later PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions

You step into Raccoon City as Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield, then spend much of your time wishing you had packed more ammunition.

Its police-station setting rewards careful exploration, tense resource management, and puzzle-solving that feels purposeful rather than like filing paperwork during a zombie outbreak.

The remake earns its reputation through strong atmosphere, responsive modern controls, and two lead campaigns that give you reasons to return. Mr. X adds steady pressure without turning every hallway into a sprint, while the detailed environments make even a quiet room feel suspicious.

You get survival horror with room to breathe: zombies remain dangerous, weapons feel valuable, and the story moves with more care than many action-heavy entries.

4. Resident Evil 2 (1998)

Platforms: PlayStation, Windows, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, GameCube

You guide Leon S. Kennedy or Claire Redfield through a ruined Raccoon City, balancing scarce ammunition, puzzles, and zombies that refuse to respect personal space. Its fixed-camera angles and tank controls can feel dated, but they also make every unseen corner mildly suspicious.

The two-character scenario system gives you different routes, encounters, and story details, so a second run feels meaningful rather than like homework with more lickers.

You also get memorable locations, tense sound design, and a cast whose voice acting occasionally has the delightful stiffness of its era.

Critics and players praised its atmosphere, cinematic presentation, and improvements over the first Resident Evil. If you enjoy survival horror that makes you check every doorway twice, this remains an essential stop in the series.

5. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017)

Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S

You step into Ethan Winters’ shoes and enter the Baker estate, a decaying Louisiana home where every corridor feels one bad decision away from trouble. The first-person view makes its tight spaces, scarce supplies, and unpleasantly close encounters far more personal.

The game won players over by restoring survival-horror basics after the action-heavy direction of Resident Evil 5 and 6: exploration, puzzles, inventory limits, and careful ammunition use.

Its later sections lean more toward action, and the enemy roster is limited, but the mansion’s atmosphere carries much of the experience. If you want a Resident Evil game that makes you check doors twice, Biohazard remains an easy recommendation.

6. Resident Evil Requiem (2026)

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC

Resident Evil Requiem gives you two very different survival-horror experiences: Grace Ashcroft handles tense exploration, stealth, and puzzles, while Leon S. Kennedy brings more direct combat.

Switching between them keeps the pace from settling into one familiar groove.

You get resource management, elaborate environments, and the series’ fondness for strange villains, alongside responsive gunplay and Leon’s parry-focused combat.

Critics have also responded well to its balance of horror, action, and puzzle-solving, plus its return to Raccoon City without treating nostalgia like a free pass.

If you want a modern entry that borrows ideas from several Resident Evil eras, this is an easy game to consider. Its focused campaign also avoids excessive filler, so your time goes toward infected creatures, locked doors, and the occasional deeply questionable laboratory decision.

7. Resident Evil Village / RE8 (2021)

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch, macOS, and iOS

You guide Ethan Winters through a snowy European village, balancing scarce ammunition, exploration, and fights against Lycans, vampires, and other deeply inconvenient locals.

Its first-person view continues Resident Evil 7’s approach, while its merchant, weapon upgrades, and village hub borrow welcome ideas from Resident Evil 4.

Players responded well to its varied locations and enemy roster, which keep the campaign from settling into one repeated scare. Castle Dimitrescu delivers gothic pursuit, House Beneviento shifts toward psychological horror, and later areas lean harder into action.

You can revisit the central village as new keys and tools open paths, treasures, optional encounters, and resources for the Duke’s shop. Some boss battles and puzzles feel simpler than they should, but the game gives you enough tense combat and curious detours to make the return trip worthwhile.

8. Resident Evil Code: Veronica (2000)

Platforms: Dreamcast; later PlayStation 2, GameCube, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360

You get classic survival-horror tension: limited supplies, tricky puzzles, and enemies that punish careless ammo use. The shift to real-time 3D environments also gave the series more active camera work than its pre-rendered-background predecessors.

Players often rate it highly because it feels like a direct continuation of the original story, with Claire and Chris sharing the spotlight and Wesker returning to complicate everyone’s week.

Its difficulty and old-school design can be rough if you arrive unprepared, but that pressure is part of why it stays memorable.

9. Resident Evil 5 (2009)

Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC; later PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch

You get a co-op-focused action-horror game that pairs Chris Redfield with Sheva Alomar in a mission against a bioterror threat in Africa.

Its faster pace marks a clear shift from survival horror, but resource sharing and coordinated encounters still reward careful teamwork.

It remains well received for its satisfying two-player campaign, varied set pieces, and memorable series lore involving Jill Valentine and Albert Wesker.

Playing with a friend fixes many frustrations with Sheva’s AI, while Chris punching a boulder remains exactly as subtle as it sounds.

10. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)

Platform: PlayStation

You guide Jill Valentine through Raccoon City as the outbreak turns the streets into a very unfriendly place for a walk. The game runs alongside Resident Evil 2, but its tighter pace and city setting give you a different view of the disaster.

Nemesis earns its reputation because the hulking pursuer can interrupt your plans with unnerving regularity, sometimes armed with a rocket launcher. You also get dodge moves, ammunition crafting, and choice-driven moments that alter routes and encounters.

The fixed-camera controls and brief campaign may feel dated if you arrive from newer entries, yet the tension still works. You are rarely fully comfortable, which is exactly the point—and Jill remains one of the series’ most capable leads.