Ultimate Ranking of All 12 'Resident Evil' Mainline Games & Remakes!

The Resident Evil franchise is soon to be celebrating its 30th anniversary with the release of a brand new game. At Summer Games Fest on June 6, fans got their first look at the next installment in the iconic survival-horror series, Resident Evil: Requiem, coming out February 27, 2026. RE: Requiem will be the ninth game in the mainline series. 

Not much was shown, but hardcore fans may have recognized a familiar name, Grace Ashcroft, as well as a very familiar place in the form of Raccoon City from the first three games. This marks the series return to Raccoon City (not counting remakes) after 27 years since it was nuked in Resident Evil 2 and 3. Outlets also were given access to a 30-minute demo, which revealed the game can be played in both first and third person and that there’s a Mr. X-type enemy that’s described as being similar to the creature in Zach Cregger’s Barbarian. (Cregger, incidentally is making the next Resident Evil film.) The game seems to be blending a mix of all the elements Capcom created for the Resident Evil franchise since switching to the RE Engine in the 7th game. All of these reveals for the next entry may make players reminisce about the previous entries, so we are here ranking them from worst to best!

The Resident Evil games are a survival horror series but changes subgenres with each entry, jumping from haunted house survival horror and reinventing 3rd person shooters to blockbuster multiplayer adventure-horror and then reorienting itself back to full horror, all while maintaining its core traits that makes Resident Evil what it is. This doesn’t mean they are all perfect. The Resident Evil franchise is home to roughly 32 games (sans mobile games and remasters) -- 10 mainline, 4 remakes, and 18 spin-offs. These spin-offs include the '03-’04 Outbreak series where the “Ashcroft” name originates, as she is the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, the main character of those games. The series has gone through highs and lows like most franchises do, but their ability to reinvent themselves helps the games feel fresh and engaging for fans. For the purposes of this list, we are sticking to the 9 mainline games and the remakes. Apologies to the RE: 0, Revelations, and Outbreak fans. 

12. Resident Evil 5

When ranking anything, something has to go on the bottom. Resident Evil 5 is the second big gameplay change in the franchise, introducing a co-op story mode. Resident Evil 5 is also the biggest departure in tone, keeping the horror elements but being much more action-oriented. The series was no longer strictly about solving puzzles in a survival horror environment but instead felt more like Call Of Duty than Resident Evil in terms of gameplay. It's a lot of fun going on this action adventure with your friend by your side. Chris punches a boulder in a volcano -- what’s not fun about that? However, despite the blockbuster atmosphere, this game has faced its fair share of controversies in its depiction of Africa. Capcom faced heaps of controversy about being racially insensitive for their depiction of African natives in the game. The counter argument is that it’s not so different from RE4 being set in Spain, which is fair, but the imagery on display which depicts racial stereotypes is a pretty damning argument against Capcom. Overall, this does not invalidate the game but is a valid point to mention in conversations about it, such as the possible discussions of a remake. If one were to be made, hopefully Capcom considers the sensitivity around their depictions of racial stereotypes more. 

11. Resident Evil -- Code: Veronica

Code: Veronica feels like a relic of older Resident Evil games in the worst ways. It's a game that represents the worst of the franchise -- the worst atmosphere, worst writing, and the most annoying the back tracking has been. Players can get hard blocked by a checkpoint (the fire extinguisher, iykyk) and would have to go back 20+ minutes or fully restart your file because the whole run is ruined. I kind of adore that this type of mechanic was in a AAA game like this, but god is it so annoying. It’s fine in RE1, but Code: Veronica requires a more sizable map traversal for hauling key items to complete puzzles. Despite being this low on the list, a remake of Code: Veronica would be great to see.

10. Resident Evil ‘96/’02

The game that started it all. The look of these two games are iconic, thanks to the fixed camera and the composition (this goes for the others with this camera as well). Additionally, I would be amiss to not mention the B-movie dialogue and campy performances that make the cutscenes so entertainingly bad. The original set the groundwork for the atmosphere and structure for these games while the 2002 remake improves the mechanics and enhances the look of the game into what the original feels like it always should have been. It's only this low because, while not as egregious as Code: Veronica, players can entirely mess up a run by grabbing the wrong items and taking the wrong route. The game requires a precision that’s really only found in speedruns. This doesn’t make the game unplayable, it’s just an inconvenience on a 7th restart before the midpoint.

9. Resident Evil 3 (Remake)

This was a game I was scared to play, as I enjoyed the original RE3 so much and heard only negative things about this remake. In my opinion it's not the worst, but it removes a lot of what makes the original game great. Whole sequences have been removed, there is no clock tower, Grave digger boss fight, Nemesis’s forms have been decreased, and more. This means it's half the time shorter than the original. The VA and writing are greatly improved from the original and lets one of my favorite characters of the series, Jill, shine. Her trauma from the events in the Spencer mansion is more present here, allowing her character to be more three-dimensional. These gameplay and story removals are missed, but the modernized mechanics and writing allow for an entertaining experience nonetheless.

8. Resident Evil 6

Resident Evil 6 takes the multiplayer element introduced in 5 and ups it to the next level. Players now have 4 new storylines to play with a friend in what feels like Resident Evil: Endgame. Leon, Chris, Ada, and even Sherry all return for this epic action-adventure blockbuster. Fighting zombies and playing with your friend makes it hard to hate this game. Leon's story is fantastic, and this is the first game I have truly loved Chris -- his story really makes you empathize with him in a way I never really did in his other games. RE6 is an exhilarating ride, even if it needed to fail to give the franchise a new bolt of life.

7. Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 2 took the elements the first game laid out and made them even better. It took the haunted house environment and amplified it to a full zombie apocalypse. It keeps the gothic atmosphere but adds more action mechanics. This is perfectly represented in its primary location, RPD, a police station that is, for some reason, in this elaborate art museum. The map is so well designed, backtracking and unlocking shortcuts don’t feel tedious; instead, it’s like you’re remembering your way around your old high school. This is Leon, Claire, and Ada’s first game and have since become fan favorites. Resident Evil 2 truly cemented the tropes in the Resident Evil franchise. 

6. Resident Evil: Biohazard

Biohazard, which is actually the original name for the series in Japan, reinvented the Resident Evil franchise by taking it from the action blockbusters that RE5 and 6 were to revamping the look and gameplay to first-person horror survival. In Biohazard, we play as Ethan Winters, who is looking for his wife Mia, who went missing 3 years prior, in the swamps of Louisiana where he gets kidnapped by the Baker family. The gameplay is nothing new for Resident Evil outside of its first-person POV; it’s the same puzzle-solving, backtracking, resource-conserving gameplay loop found in the others. However, this is maybe the hardest to play. That’s not because of its difficulty but just because it’s truly terrifying. Initially, I couldn’t play for more than 20-30 minutes at a time because Jack was scaring the crap out of me. The bosses get in the player's face and have no choice but to look at their gross features because of the camera. Resident Evil: Biohazard is one of the most successful, best reinventions a franchise has put out.

5. Resident Evil 3 

I think what makes Resident Evil 3 so beloved for me is that it feels like one big chase sequence. It takes place concurrently with RE2, but here we are following Jill as she tries to survive being chased by Nemesis, who has been sent to kill her and any remaining S.T.A.R.S. members from the first game. Unlike Mr. X, who is only introduced after half-way through 2, Nemesis is a constant threat as Jill navigates her way through the zombie-riddled streets of Raccoon City. You never can truly beat him, only slow him down in order for you to complete puzzles and search for loot in peace. The writing in the remake is a lot better at highlighting Jill’s PTSD. However, that’s still present and was more effective for me after playing the first three games back to back. Resident Evil 3 is the climax to the Raccoon City arc, and beating it felt like closing the final chapter in a book. This is something that the remake, with its technical improvements, can never fully replicate. 

4. Resident Evil: Village

Village, the continuation and conclusion of the Winters saga, is one of the best stories produced in the Resident Evil franchise. Ethan is trying to rescue his daughter from Miranda, who pretended to be Mia to steal his daughter Rose. We learn that Eveline, the true villain of Biohazard who infected the Bakers, was actually created through Miranda’s dead daughter Eva’s DNA. Now, Miranda is stealing Rose so she can actually bring Eva back because Rose is special. Also, Ethan died in RE: Biohazard and is actually a mold man. There is a lot of information thrown at you, but it’s so well-paced and written it doesn’t feel overwhelming. This also has some of the best set pieces in the franchise, like Lady D’s castle, which is a triumph in video game architecture, Heisenberg’s factory, which is insane, and let’s not forget the baby…Actually, let's forget because that thing? It’s disgusting and gross. This is Ethan’s Resident Evil 4, both because its gameplay and setting are similar, but also because the quality of the game is on par with RE4. 

3. Resident Evil 4 (Remake)

Resident Evil 4 had the herculean task of following up one of the most iconic games of the mid-'00s. After fans were let down by the Resident Evil 3 remake, Capcom had a lot riding on this game to see if this remake experiment could be successful again. That fear, though, was squashed by the demo alone, where fans could see the game was carefully recreating the iconic moments while also diverging to create a new experience for hardcore fans. Capcom could not revolutionize the genre again, but they could improve, even if just slightly, to make an entertaining game for fans. The parrying and melee system are extremely fun and makes you wish it was in the others, even if it would make them worse. Leon’s story is mostly untouched, and his personality is as cheesy as always. Sections are removed, like in the Resident Evil 3 remake, but the way they went about it was better. Instead of completely erasing them, they added them into this remake’s Ada Wong DLC, Separate Ways, which fits that character way more. Resident Evil 4 remake is as successful as it could be while remaking an icon of gaming that is impossible to top.

2. Resident Evil 4

We’ve talked about reinvention in the Resident Evil franchise a lot now, but this was the biggest reinvention and also the biggest gamble. The series became stuck in a formula, which is how we got Code: Veronica, and they needed to do something crazy to get out of that rut. So, they made a third-person shooter, and not just any third-person shooter but one that revolutionized the genre. Every third-person shooter that came after this is because of this game. The gameplay is excellent. The movement is smooth, the inventory sorting is like its own little minigame, and the aiming is incredibly intuitive. The remake looks great, but the old graphics and color palette are integral to the look of this game. The music, too, is iconic -- the safe room/merchant theme is one I could listen to forever and is just so good at making you feel like you have nothing to worry about. It’s a far cry from the previous entries but still feels like the Resident Evil you know and love because the atmosphere and core gameplay mechanics are still present. 

1. Resident Evil 2 (Remake)

The remake for Resident Evil 2 is the gold standard of what video game remakes should be. It modernizes the game mechanics, graphics, and writing without sacrificing what made the original so good. Capcom builds on their method of remaking from RE1 ‘02, as well as everything they learned about the RE engine with Biohazard, to make a wholly unique experience for fans and new players. The designs have never been better (though Leon & Ada’s fits in RE4 are superior), the gore is taken to new extremes, and the environment is just as intuitive as before. Overall, everything about this remake is an improvement on the original and marks a new golden era for the Resident Evil franchise.

I can't wait to find out where Resident Evil: Requiem ranks when it drops in February!