Highlights
- Rumors about a Resident Evil 2 remake were followed by remakes of Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil 4.
- Not all Resident Evil games need remakes, as Resident Evil 4 is still great to play on modern consoles.
- Fans are hoping for remakes of certain games like Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City and Resident Evil Outbreak.
Rumors about a Resident Evil 2 remake swirled for seemingly decades. Eventually, Capcom put out a remake for it in 2019, which was followed closely by Resident Evil 3 in 2020. Three years later, Capcom made waves with a remake of one of its most beloved titles in the series, Resident Evil 4.
The 10 Best Resident Evil Clones, Ranked
Resident Evil really helped to kickstart the horror genre in video games and paved the way for these fantastic "clones."
Did it need a remake? No. Resident Evil 4 still plays miraculously well through its various HD ports, and even the original on GameCube holds up. It’s still great to play it on modern consoles, though. Is Capcom done with remakes? Given the praise these three games have gotten, it doesn't seem likely. With that said, some Resident Evil games are arguably much more deserving of being remade than others.
Updated January 4, 2024, by Mara Cowley: The Resident Evil series has been thriving in recent years thanks to the games that covered the Winters' storyline, as well as remakes of 2, 3, 4 and whatever may come next. With Capcom promising more remakes in the future, fans are already theorizing and hoping for certain games to make a return. The ending of the RE4 remake revealed Wesker, making it seem like a remake of the fifth numbered game in the series will be coming next. Though this title has proved divisive with fans, if it is given the same remake treatment as other installments, it could prove to be a fantastic multiplayer experience.
8 Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
A Remake Could Realize It's Full Potential
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City was released on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in 2012. It is one of the worst games reviewed in the series, even though the idea of it sounded cool on paper. Taking place between the second and third games, Umbrella sent in agents to recover data during the zombie chaos within Raccoon City.
Players could assume the role of cult classic Hunk and other team members in his squad. The problem was that it was quite glitchy and too simplistic. Again, the idea is solid enough that Capcom should try it again, whether through a remake or by focusing on a new Umbrella agents game that doesn't rely solely on multiplayer.
7 Resident Evil Gaiden
A Game Forgotten By The Majority of Fans
Resident Evil Gaiden was one of the few games in the series that was released first in the PAL regions. This was in 2001 for the Game Boy Color, while North America and Japan didn’t get it until 2002. It is an obscure entry in the series despite Leon and Barry being the two stars.
The two of them are investigating a ship when, low and behold, a zombie outbreak begins. The game is played from a top-down perspective, but encountering a zombie will create a first-person window that has some RPG enemies thrown into the mix.
6 Resident Evil: Dead Aim
A Successful Remake Could Resurrect A Dead Genre
Apparently, the early 2000s made Capcom boat wild because Resident Evil: Dead Aim also takes place on a boat. It was released on the PS2 in 2003 exclusively and has never been ported anywhere since. It came packed with a gun controller and is essentially a light-gun game, although players can explore as well.
9 Best Spin-Off Games
These spin-off titles could even rival the main entries of the game series they came from.
The two protagonists are one-off characters that are never seen or heard from again in the series. Agents Bruce McGivern and Fong Ling are sent in to investigate Umbrella’s lab aboard this boat and get mixed up with some good old-fashioned zombie action. A successful remake could bring back the light-gun genre, which outside of arcades, seems dead in the water as of today.
5 Resident Evil Outbreak
With No Remaining Servers, The Original Game Is Impossible To Play
Resident Evil Outbreak is even harder to play because it was an online experience primarily. It takes place between the events of the second and third games, with players assuming the roles of random citizens within Raccoon City. Players had to work together to solve puzzles or kill zombies as part of this title.
It was an interesting idea that was ahead of its time, as the PS2 was not quite online savvy in 2004 in North America. The game did get a sequel to continue the experience, and there was a third game planned, too. That sequel was canceled, and, as of 2007, Capcom shut down the servers. With proper online support, this game could thrive as a remake.
4 Resident Evil Zero
Rebecca Has Not Made An Appearance In Recent Titles Yet
Resident Evil Zero was released in the same year as the remake of the first game. Resident Evil was released in April in North America, while Resident Evil Zero was released in November. It is a prequel that follows Rebecca Chambers, another S.T.A.R.S. member who was sent in first to explore an incident within the Arklay Mountains. Her team is wiped out, but she does have a companion, Billy Coen, who is an escaped convict.
Together, they must escape the horrors of the mountains while avoiding zombies and monster leeches. Things end right up to the point where the events of the first game begin. It’s a weird game with an even clunkier inventory system than most. It did get a remaster in 2016, but besides the visuals, not a lot was changed. A proper remake is what Rebecca deserves.
3 Resident Evil
The Original Game Has Been Remade But Not In The Same Style As The Recent Remakes
Resident Evil
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo DS , PC , PS1 , Sega Saturn
- Released
- March 30, 1996
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Resident Evil has been ported, remade, and remastered probably more times than any other game in the series. It was first released on the PS1 in 1996, with the big remake hitting GameCube in 2002. It did get a remaster in 2015 as well and is more widely available than Resident Evil – Code: Veronica thankfully.
Resident Evil: Freakiest Looking Enemies In Capcom's Series
Resident Evil boasts a menagerie of grotesque and terrifying monsters. Here are the the freakiest looking from across the franchise.
However, the remake could use some work. Imagine what Capcom could do with Resident Evil with the technology at their disposal now. They could even create campaigns for Jill and Chris that don't follow the same paths in the Spencer Mansion. That would be more than enough reason to try and remake this horror classic again.
2 Resident Evil 5
Capcom Has Already Set The Stage
Resident Evil 5 saw a drastic change in direction of the RE series, taking the action segments of its predecessor and expanding on them while including a cooperative element to capitalize on the booming popularity of multiplayer games.
Capcom has already set the stage for a potential RE5 remake, as the RE4 remake ended with a scene of Wesker, showing his character recreated in the RE Engine for the first time. This ending could perfectly lead into the events of 5, and if given the remake treatment of the other games, it could prove to be just as excellent.
1 Resident Evil – Code: Veronica
Would Return Fan Favorite Characters Such As Claire And Wesker
Resident Evil – Code: Veronica is the game some fans thought Capcom would remake before Resident Evil 4. That’s because it is the next game chronologically. Since they already made a new model for Claire, via Resident Evil 2, it would have made sense to go in this direction.
Now, Resident Evil – Code: Veronica originally hit store shelves in 2000 on the Dreamcast. It received various ports over the years, like on PS2, but the biggest update it got was in 2011 when the game was remastered on PS3 and Xbox 360. That version remains trapped on those systems, however, which is why a remake is now more important than ever.
