Resident Evil at 30: franchise milestones and where to play

On March 22, 1996, Capcom released Biohazard in Japan, a title developed as a reimagining of its 1989 horror game Sweet Home. Limited 3D experience among the team and influences from Alone in the Dark produced the series’ early trademarks: fixed camera angles, pre-rendered backgrounds and tank-style controls. For the Western market the game was renamed Resident Evil because Biohazard was already used by other entities in the United States.

Origins and central antagonists

Image showing franchise elements tied to Umbrella Corporation and the series' origins. Divulgação

The Umbrella Corporation sits at the core of the franchise’s narrative: a pharmaceutical giant that secretly engineered biological weapons from the Progenitor Virus, spawning the T-Virus and numerous variants. A 1998 leak at the Spencer Mansion exposed S.T.A.R.S. — the elite police unit that included Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield — to the outbreak that would later culminate in Raccoon City’s destruction and an estimated 100,000 fatalities.

Key characters emerged from that crisis. Leon Kennedy, a rookie cop whose first night on duty coincided with the outbreak, and Claire Redfield, who traveled to Raccoon City searching for her brother Chris, escaped together and remained central figures in subsequent entries. They also intersected with Sherry Birkin, the daughter of a scientist infected by a virus he helped create.

Ada Wong debuted as a spy working for Albert Wesker, the former S.T.A.R.S. leader who was secretly allied with Umbrella. Wesker — a product of Umbrella’s eugenics program — survived the mansion incident and later became a major antagonist, enhancing himself with viral variants until his final confrontation with Chris Redfield in Resident Evil 5.

After Umbrella: new groups and ongoing threads

Following Umbrella’s collapse, Chris and Jill founded the BSAA to counter bioweapons globally. Leon became a top government agent while Claire joined Terra Save to combat bioterrorism. Each new title introduced additional viruses and organizations, yet core characters frequently reappeared across nearly three decades. The franchise’s most recent entry, Resident Evil: Requiem, returns the story to Raccoon City.

Scope of the franchise

Over 30 years, the Resident Evil brand has grown to 31 games — including mainline entries, remakes, spin-offs and portable titles — and has sold more than 200 million copies, according to Capcom. The series has shifted through multiple styles: classic survival horror, high-octane action, first-person horror and recent hybrids that mix those approaches.

To identify the installments most treasured by players, audience scores on Steam were cross-referenced with fan polls on GameFAQs and Ranker.com, alongside consensus from specialist coverage. The following entries stand out as the fan favorites.

Resident Evil 4 (2005)

Leon confronting villagers in Resident Evil 4 — Leon Kennedy amid villagers infected by Las Plagas in Resident Evil 4. Divulgação

Resident Evil 4 places Leon Kennedy—now a U.S. government agent—in a remote Spanish village where a cult called Los Illuminados has kidnapped Ashley Graham, the president’s daughter, and infected villagers with a parasite known as Las Plagas. The game replaced the classic fixed camera with an over-the-shoulder viewpoint that set a new standard for third-person action, and is widely cited as the moment the series fully embraced action-oriented gameplay.

Resident Evil 2 Remake (2019)

Leon and Claire in Raccoon City remake — Leon and Claire inside Raccoon City police station in the Resident Evil 2 remake. Divulgação

The 2019 remake rebuilt the 1998 classic from the ground up, following Leon on his first day as a police officer and Claire as she searches for Chris amid a Raccoon City police station overrun during the outbreak. As they flee Mr. X and uncover Umbrella’s experiments on William Birkin, the remake became a reference for how to modernize a classic while respecting the original.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017)

Ethan Winters and the Baker family setting — Ethan Winters in the Louisiana farmhouse setting of Resident Evil 7. Divulgação

After Resident Evil 5 and 6 leaned heavily into action, Resident Evil 7 shifted the series back toward horror by adopting a first-person perspective. The game follows Ethan Winters searching for his missing wife Mia in an isolated Louisiana farmhouse dominated by the Baker family. The story later connects directly to Resident Evil Village.

Resident Evil 2 (1998)

Classic Resident Evil 2 PlayStation era scene — Leon and Claire facing the Raccoon City outbreak in the original Resident Evil 2. Divulgação

The original 1998 release is remembered as a PlayStation 1 high point: Leon on his first night as a cop and Claire searching for Chris find themselves trapped in a Raccoon City overrun by zombies. Many players still regard this version as the franchise’s most memorable experience, despite the availability of the 2019 remake.

Resident Evil (Remake, 2002)

Remade Mansion scene from the 2002 Resident Evil remake — S.T.A.R.S. members investigating the Spencer mansion in the 2002 Resident Evil remake. Divulgação

Capcom had already experimented with remaking its own work before it became common: the 2002 remake of the first Resident Evil for GameCube rebuilt the visuals and added new scenes. The narrative follows S.T.A.R.S. members, including Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield, investigating disappearances at the Spencer Mansion and uncovering Umbrella’s experiments; the remake is frequently listed among the best survival-horror games and one of the strongest remakes in gaming.

Ongoing sales and confirmed remakes

Even after three decades, Capcom continues to expand the franchise. Resident Evil: Requiem has surpassed 8 million copies sold shortly after launch, bolstered by awards received prior to release.

Capcom has also confirmed a full remake of Resident Evil Code: Veronica, scheduled for 2027. That announcement targets a long-requested update for a chapter that had not yet received the same remake treatment as RE2, RE3 and RE4.

Complete list of games and platforms

Resident Evil (1996): PS1, PC.
Resident Evil 2 (1998): PS1, PC.
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999): PS1, PC.
Resident Evil Survivor (2000): PS1.
Resident Evil Code: Veronica (2000): Dreamcast, PS2, GameCube.
Resident Evil Survivor 2 (2001): PS2 (Japan).
Resident Evil Gaiden (2001): Game Boy Color.
Resident Evil Remake (2002): GameCube, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch.
Resident Evil Zero (2002): GameCube, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch.
Resident Evil: Dead Aim (2003): PS2.
Resident Evil: Outbreak (2003): PS2.
Resident Evil: Outbreak File #2 (2004): PS2.
Resident Evil 4 (2005): GameCube, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, iOS, Android.
Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (2006): Nintendo DS.
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007): Wii, PS3.
Resident Evil 5 (2009): PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch.
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009): Wii, PS3.
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (2011): Nintendo 3DS.
Resident Evil: Revelations (2012): Nintendo 3DS, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch.
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (2012): PS3, Xbox 360.
Resident Evil 6 (2012): PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch.
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch.
Umbrella Corps (2016): PC, PS4.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch, iOS.
Resident Evil 2 Remake (2019): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch, iOS.
Resident Evil 3 Remake (2020): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch, iOS.
Resident Evil: Resistance (2020): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series (included with RE3 Remake).
Resident Evil Village (2021): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch, iOS, PS VR2.
Resident Evil 4 VR (2021): Meta Quest.
Resident Evil 4 Remake (2023): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, iOS, PS VR2.
Resident Evil: Requiem (2026): PC, PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2.