Every Resident Evil game ranked best to worst

It's time to rank all the main games from Resident Evil, arguably the biggest-ever survival-horror franchise, from worst to best.

[Nerdmaster]

For me Resident Evil is at its best when it perfectly balances action and survival horror. 5 and 6 went too much towards action, while 7 went too much towards horror. 4 balances those aspects better, and that's why it feels like a better game - from the post-classic style games - for me, even though in the final part it did steer a bit too much into action territory.

About the list, the fact that they didn't include Zero (a prequel, but not a spin off) and Code Veronica (which was made to be the true RE3) bothers me a little bit.

[Sonic-and-Crash]

Original Resident Evil 1 on Ps1 (not dualshock version) is kilometers far superior game to any sequel that followed ... ...and also one of the best games released in history of the videogames

After RE1 ...yes you can compare the rest of the games , RE3 Nemessis being the best of the bunch , RE 2 and RE Outbreak following 3rd place ....the rest (RE 4 5 6 )being alot inferior action oriented .....RE 7 8 are NOT Resident Evil games

[SullysCigar]

RE7 was the nutz in VR. You may have a different opinion, but you haven't seen enough of RE8 yet to write it off as "NOT Resident Evil".

I liked that they ramped up the horror for 7 - it's just inline with what I prefer.

[mikeslemonade]

7 is the worst because it’s not even a real RE game.

[Dragonscale]

@sonic, no it isn't one of greatest games in history lol. It was ok at the time but really hasn't aged well.

[bouzebbal]

Every resident evil and they they rank 7 of them 🤣🤦‍♂️
There are much more RE than that.
RE 456 are only spin offs.
Code Veronica is the best episode!

[CrimsonWing69]

RE7 is the most Old-school RE feeling game of any of the modern RE games in terms of the scenario design, like how the whole Baker mansion is like a puzzle. I absolutely loved 7 and I’m a huge Old-school RE fan.

[Necr0philiac]

@bouzebbal
I agree. Code Veronica was the best. 1 and 2 are close behind it.

[anast]

4 is a cartoony action game, this wasn't the balance I was looking for. I think 7 finally brought it back.

[NapalmSanctuary]

REmake is the pinnacle of the series. RE7 is a whole other franchise with the RE name slapped on it. RE4 is a damn good spin off title.

[Nacho_Z]

I don't know why the downvotes you're spot on. 7 was a good game but the pendulum did swing a bit too much towards atmospheric horror. 4 had the right balance gameplay wise although it was pretty cheesy.

I think 8 will take what worked from 7 and filter it through all the other games.

[Knightofelemia]

Nothing beats the original RE games on PS1 least RE 3 on PS1 is still one of my favorites in the franchise I even went out of my way to buy RE2 on N64 just to collect. I still have my Game Cube and Sega Dreamcast ports. Code Veronica is also another one of my favorites Dreamcast port and on. But I am surprised there is no Zero or other RE games like Oubreak, and Umbrella Chronicles they are also in the franchise Zero is another good game. RE6 and RE5 are only good when you have co-op I didn't really like them.

[cooperdnizzle]

Surprised to say I actually agree with is list 100%

Dude knows he’s re games and Definitely made the perfect list and gave the right games the credit. Re2’ all day !

[atsugiT2]

I dont understand people that dont consider 7 a resident evil game. You dont have to like the game, but you kinda have to acknowledge that they did hit all the wickets that make a RE game, and a survival horror game. They made it first person, which is new. But definitely adds to the experience.

[Terry_B]

Headline "Every Resident Evil game ranked best to worst"

Below it
"It’s time to rank all the main games from Resident Evil"

Big difference.

[Babadook7]

Yah. Where was the excellent Code Veronica?

[manusche]

Resident Evil 7 in PSVR is the best unbeaten Horror feeling I had since Dead Space 1 on Ps3 playing in the night with lights out with a friend before that Resident Evil 1 was a new way to feel horror in a videogame for me then later was in cinema for the movie and was ranting on the way home with my friend how bad the Resident Evil movie was.

[Neonridr]

While 4 was divisive in it's departure from the pure horror zombie theme, it introduced so many welcome additions to the series like being able to actually aim your gun for a change. Personally I love 4, but I understand it's not everyone's cup of tea.

Also 7 was a breath of fresh air for the series as 5 and 6 had done series damage to the franchise. Here's hoping 8 continues the trend up.

[ManMarmalade]

With how good 7 was and all of the great feedback, I won't be surprised if they stick to the resident evil 7 gameplay. It's definitely more immersive playing in first person and creepier too. VR takes the cake.

[Neonridr]

fully agree. Horror + VR = a match made in heaven for me personally.

[mgszelda1]

A list that didn't make RE4 at number 1, I'm genuinely shocked. But also I agree RE2 remake or og is the best RE

[ocelot07]

4 shouldn't be anywhere near the top of the list. It was the game that took the franchise off track and ruined it for many years. 7 was really good and a nice change to the series. But the series only got back on track with the resident evil 2 remake.

[Imalwaysright]

4 is literally the game that saved the IP. An IP that was losing sales with each passing game due to how stagnant it had become. Also, what ruined the IP was Mikami's departure from Capcom because last I checked RE4 is the game that paved the way for the likes of Dead Space https://www.pcgamer.com/how... and RE2 remake. It's not Mikami's fault that after he left Capcom, whoever was at the helm of RE games was taking cues from CoD https://gamerant.com/reside...

[Terry_B]

Not really.
Capcom released Code Veronica on Dreamcast, the excellent Remake on the Gamecube, both consoles that did not sell that well. It was impossible to top the sales of the previous RE games alone already because there were not half as many DC or GC owners combined than on the Playstation 1

And even RE4 had to be ported to the PS2 since it was sold not even half as much as Resident Evil 3 on the PS1.

[Imalwaysright]

Terry_B

RE sales were on a downward spiral with each passing game and it was RE4 that broke that trend. RE4 on the Gamecube sold more than Code Veronica on the DC and if you combine Code Veronica DC/PS2 sales and RE4 GC/PS2 sales, RE4 sold around 1.2 million copies more than Code Veronica.

[ocelot07]

4 saved the franchise are you sure about that? Because of the way 4 took the series we then got resident evil 5 and 6. Because of 4 resident evil became a action game.

Imo resident evil 1,2,3, zero, code Veronica, outbreak where gems. 4 was a good action game just not a good resident evil game same goes for 5. 6 was just god awful. Operation Raccoon City as well as Umbrella Corp was also awful.

7 made the series reverent again and the 2 latest remakes have made Resident Evil a really good series again. All my opinion of course.

[Imalwaysright]

ocelot07

Yes I am. The franchise was losing sales with each passing game due to how stagnant the series was. RE4 marked the rise of the IP in terms of sales and gave it a much needed breath of fresh air and like I wrote in my comment above, RE4 paved the way for Dead Space wich is one of the best survival horror games of all time in its own right and its devs are the 1st ones to say it.

I don't understand why you and others blame RE4 for ruining the series. Yes, it was more action oriented however it kept the creepy atmosphere and that to me is the thing that defines the survival horror genre the most because without it you don't really have a horror game. Visceral understood how important atmosphere was and gaves us the phenomenal Dead Space while the people that were at the helm of RE after Mikami left Capcom were doing their best to attract the CoD crowd. That's what ruined the IP for several years.

[Petebloodyonion]

We all gonna have a different list because we all have different tastes
My List

- Res 0 There's a number no?)
What can I say about res 0 that most ppl always forget about this game, The story is quite fun and the dual mechanics works but the tank control is probably the main reason why I'll never go back to this game.
I suggest playing Umbrella chronicle so you can experience the story.

- Res 5
Not a bad game by itself and quite fun in COOP but Sheva is utterly useless in single player, the gameplay is pretty much generic vs similar 3rd person shooter.

- Res 6
I feel that res 6 got so low on review just because Res5 was overated by all reviews at the time but I believe that it's a better game compared to 5.
Sure Chris campaign suck but the other are quite fun and long. I love the idea of the 4 coop boss battle mode and the invading stage where you try to mess with somebody's else game is a neat idea.

- Res 1
What can I say?
It's great, but the loading screen are still present and the tank control still suck but still a great game that you should experience.

- Res 3 (classic/remake)
I loved the classic 3 version due to randomized Item and events, Also the Nemesis can bring the heat the moment you play this game on hard.

-Res 4
If Nostalgia was a factor then this game would rank #1 It was the perfect game at the time and it's still perfect in terms of Gameplay, Story, content, bosses and innovation (and honestly I still have nightmare about Dr. Salvador's chainsaw).

-Res 2 remake
I would have put classic lower to 4 but the remake make this game one of the best game of all time.
Mr X is the star of the game and just hearing the footstep is enough to drive you crazy. Graphics are insane, gameplay is perfect.

Res 7
Why this game is the best of all resident evil? well because of 4 letters: PSVR
Honestly VR is the true way to play Res 7 and the moment you do it pulverize all the other games.
I promise you that just walking the Baker's house is a scary experience and the VR aspect bring an incredible feeling like when you are crawling under the kitchen or squeezing yourself between 2 walls.
Also just facing Jack in the Garage is an experience that will mark you for life.

[MocBistro]

My rankings:
1. RE2 REMAKE
2. RE3 ORIGINAL
3. RE4
4. RE REMAKE
5. RE RELEVATIONS 1
6. RE:0 REMAKE
7. RE5
8. RE3 REMAKE
...

[Starman69]

Code Veronica for me 🖕

[Tzuno]

There is no best or worst resident evil, all the games are interesting and tell a different story , thank you capcom for the series, cannot wait for 8.

[Starman69]

Nah. Resi evil 6 was dump!

[ajax17]

RE7 is better than 2 remake

[Starman69]

Possibly!