Resident Evil is known for many things. For one, it is widely regarded as the greatest horror game franchise of all time, having delivered many unforgettable titles over the past 20 years. But in between their smash hits, there have been plenty of oddities that spawned, giving players a completely different experience from the ones they may be used to from the series.
Every Main Resident Evil Game In Release Order
The Resident Evil franchise has been around for decades and is responsible for some of the greatest horror games ever. Here are all the main releases.
From multiplayer shooters that focus more on PvP action than killing the undead, to strange stories that seem to have no cohesion when compared to the rest of the games, there are more than a few instances of an idea getting out of hand and resulting in a strange amalgamation of ideas, often with unintended comedic effect.
7 Resident Evil: Survivor
A Different Perspective With Some Strange Decisions
Resident Evil: Survivor
- Released
- January 27, 2000
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence
- Developer(s)
- Tose
- Genre(s)
- Action, On-Rails Shooter
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation (Original)
Resident Evil: Survivor marked a dramatic departure from the franchise’s third-person roots, shifting to first-person with a light gun experience on the PlayStation and PC. However, its lack of support outside Japan and stiff controls made it feel awkward rather than immersive.
The game’s bizarre nature stems from its tonal mismatch and mechanical limitations that made the whole experience feel nothing like a Resident Evil game. It combined arcade shooter mechanics with survival horror themes, but lacked tension or polish. This, combined with a disjointed narrative, made the title feel more like a spin-off experiment than a proper entry, now being remembered mostly for its uneven execution and unusual place in the series.
6 Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
Not Even Close To Survival Horror
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
- Released
- March 20, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
Operation Raccoon City abandoned Resident Evil’s core horror identity in favor of a team-based third-person shooter gameplay that felt completely different from any other game in the series. Players controlled Umbrella operatives tasked with eliminating survivors and covering up the outbreak during the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3, through a variety of action-heavy missions that left a lot to be desired.
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The bizarre shift to action-based shooting mechanics and alternate endings alienated fans and critics alike. Reviews pointed to poor AI, clunky controls, and an overall lack of polish, most notably the game's discarding of all survival elements entirely, opting for generic squad combat that failed to deliver either compelling action or horror.
5 Resident Evil 6
Four Campaigns With No Cohesion
Resident Evil 6
- Released
- October 2, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
Resident Evil 6 is easily the strangest mainline entry in the franchise, delivering a long, drawn-out cooperative campaign that feels far more like an action movie than a horror game. Playing as one of several fan favorites, the story constantly shifts between locations and people, often feeling far more confusing than anything else in the series.
Many of the stylistic choices both for the enemies and the characters made a lot of the sequences and cutscenes feel far more comedic than frightening, and if the game didn't have the RE name attached to it, many would have ignored its disjointed story and peculiar gameplay mechanics.
4 Resident Evil Gaiden
Experimentation In A Completely Different Way
Resident Evil Gaiden
- Released
- June 4, 2002
- ESRB
- t // Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Capcom, M4
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Color
Resident Evil Gaiden was released for the Game Boy Color and took the franchise to handhelds with less than desirable results. The top-down exploration and first-person combat based on timed attacks marked a sharp departure from traditional R E gameplay, in a standalone story that is more than forgettable.
The game’s bizarre structure is amplified by its unique mechanics and graphical limits. Combat relied on a moving gauge, breaking immersion and pacing, and its ambiguous ending hinted that Leon had been replaced by a creature, but no follow-up ever confirmed the twist. Largely non-canonical and experimental, Gaiden is a relic of its time, memorable more for its novelty and strangeness than its contribution to the series.
3 Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2
Ambition Meets Chaos
Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2
- Released
- September 9, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2
Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2 offered online co-op survival horror before it became a genre norm. Players assumed the roles of civilians in Raccoon City across various episodic scenarios, including a zoo filled with infected animals, with each level having its own replayability and unpredictability.
Despite its innovation, the game’s bizarre identity stems from clunky controls, weak and surreal design choices that made the whole experience feel more like a fever dream than a successful entry in the series. Fighting a zombified elephant or navigating bizarrely laid-out maps clashed with the series' grounded tone, and the ambitious online component was hampered by technical limitations and minimal narrative connection.
2 Resident Evil: Dead Aim
Dramatics On A Whole Other Level
Resident Evil: Dead Aim
- Released
- June 17, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m // Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Capcom Production Studio 3
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2
Resident Evil: Dead Aim was a large step forward that attempted to innovate in a whole new direction, but ended up being more like a failed experiment. Players navigated a cruise ship in third-person but shifted to first-person for shooting segments, fighting off bioterrorists as an overly dramatic U.S. Agent.
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The game’s charm lies in its tonal absurdity and awkward mechanics. Its villain, Morpheus D. Duvall, delivers theatrical monologues and transforms into a glamorous mutant antagonist, a departure from the menacing bosses seen elsewhere in the series. Combined with erratic voice acting and tonal inconsistency, Dead Aim feels more like a low-budget spy thriller than a chilling horror game.
1 Umbrella Corps
The Shooter Nobody Asked For
Umbrella Corps
- Released
- June 21, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Game Experience May Change During Online Play, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4
- OpenCritic Rating
- Weak
Umbrella Corps ditched the entire identity of the RE franchise, removing all survival horror elements for an arena-based multiplayer shooter that pulled from the lore but focused more on gameplay than narrative. The zombies went from real threats to background enemies that served more as environmental hazards than real dangers, completely subverting the whole point of the series.
The familiar locations and characters drew many to the game, but they were surprised to find a title devoid of any substantial connection to the main franchise. The gameplay was simplistic and served more as an attempt to enter the esports space than to develop the iconic franchise further.
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