Ranking Every Mainline Resident Evil Game

The Resident Evil franchise is one of the most famous and celebrated multimedia juggernauts in modern entertainment. The franchise has spawned several video games across multiple platforms and for a person getting into the games, it can be difficult to know where to start..

In anticipation of the upcoming Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City movie that's set to hit theatres in November, we'll be ranking every Resident Evil game from the mainline story installments in order to give readers a basic understanding of the Resident Evil universe and what to expect from the upcoming movie. 

Resident Evil (1996)

This is the game that started it all - every live-action movie, animation, series etc, was adapted from Capcom's first survival horror game that launched in 1996 for PlayStation before subsequently making its way to Sega Saturn and PC. 

It was here we were first introduced to Chris Redfield, a U.S Airforce Pilot along with his partner, Jill Valentine, an American Special Operations Agent (SOA) as Alpha Team members that players can play with.

The game was at the peak of survival horror games and fans of the franchise can't forget the first time a zombie dog broke through a window. The game delivered good voice acting, interesting puzzles, hilarious characters and introduced several concepts of survival horrors. 

Resident Evil wasn't the first time players encountered zombies in a video game, but many players still consider it the scariest till date. But simply because it was the original entry in the series doesn't mean it's not been bettered by its predecessors. 

Resident Evil 2 (1998)

Resident Evil 2 was released in 1998 in an attempt to outclass the first game and it did just that by introducing two of the franchise's most iconic characters, Leon S. Kennedy, an American federal agent and Claire Redfield, a local police officer. 

This game picks up two months after the events of Resident Evil 1. Players take control of Leon and Claire as the two playable characters who must invent ways to escape Raccoon City after the people were transformed into zombies by a biological weapon. 

If you think the original Resident Evil game was filled with standout moments, Resident Evil 2 doubled down on them hard. It offers not one single solo campaign but two additional campaigns that can be unlocked, controls are improved and the atmosphere is more terrifying compared to the first game. 

By adding more emphasis to important features, it's really no surprise that the game went on to sell over 5 million copies. The 2019 remake became a massive success as well. It sold close to 8 million copies and was one of the best games to come out that year. 

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)

There's really nothing we can say about this game that hasn't been said before! Resident Evil 3 took everything that made the first two games incredible and expanded its scope when it launched for PlayStation in 1999.

It's the third game in the Resident Evil series where the events take place almost concurrently with that of Resident Evil 2. Player must control Jill Valentine as she attempts to escape from a city that has been infected by a virus.

The game offered more detailed characters and environments compared to previous games. The music and overall sound design drew deep into the hearts of every player and introduced one of the most fearsome and vicious creatures in the franchise's history - Nemesis. 

Resident Evil 4 (2005)

A lot of players criticized this game for not implementing a shoot and run feature. However, the game somehow manages to be one of the most perfect experiences in the Resident Evil franchise. 

When the president's daughter is somehow abducted by a cult in Spain, it's up to international agent, Leon S. Kennedy to save her. Capcom didn't just reinvent Resident Evil with this fourth entry but the entire first person genre.

The game's over-the-shoulder and precision-based gunplay still feels incredible to this day. Perhaps it's the way you can target limbs, it's fantastically grimm fairy tale setting or maybe it's the fact that you're up against formidable cult leaders but Resident Evil 4 remains a masterpiece in the franchise to this day.

If you've not played this game then do yourself a favour and find out why it's the only game we've called a masterpiece on this list. 

Resident Evil 5 (2009)

Resident Evil 5 introduced a lot of features but the most eye-catching was the duo player control system. It wasn't a perfect feature but it was fun having it for the first time in the franchise.

The plot involves an investigation of a terrorist threat by Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance agents Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar in Kijuju, a fictional region of Africa. 

The game's story also took a while to pick up until close to the end when Chris learns that he must confront his past in the form of an old enemy, Albert Wesker, who is the main antagonist in the Resident Evil franchise and his former partner, Jill Valentine.

There's a lot to admire in Resident Evil 5 but it also has its share of problems and on top of that, it was the game that proved that the franchise was starting to lose its sheer brilliance. 

Resident Evil 6 (2012)

When discussing the worst game in the Resident Evil franchise, pretty much all attention is directed to the sixth entry in the main series and for good reason. It became a glaring turn for Capcom's horror franchise after focusing less on the horror aspect laid up by previous games and steered into action shooter territory. 

Players take control of Chris Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy, Jake Muller, and Ada Wong as they confront the force behind a worldwide bio-terrorist attack. The story is centred around their four interwoven campaigns, and every campaign features a unique style in both tone and gameplay.

Resident Evil 6 isn't without its charms but it's bogged down with too much content.  Leon's campaign being a look back to the good old days of survival horror, Chris' being focused on the action that would take over the franchise, while Jace's just fell totally flat on its face more often than not. 

The closest you'll get to enjoying a traditional Resident Evil experience was Leon's campaign. The remaining campaigns were lackluster with a confusing and uninteresting story. Critics were a little bit generous with the review scores for this game but most die hard players of the franchise would agree that this was Resident Evil at its lowest. 

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

After the regrettable experience that was Resident Evil 6, many of us had given up on seeing the franchise return to its former glory until Resident Evil 7 launched in January 2017.

The game surpassed all expectations and apart from reeling the flagship franchise back to the survival horror territory, it introduced a whole new story with new characters known as The Baker Family - they went on to become some of the most disgusting and terrifying characters we've seen in years. 

In Resident Evil 7 players control Ethan Winters as he searches for his long lost wife in the midst of a derelict plantation that's been occupied by the infected Baker Family. 

It is the first game in the mainline story to use a first-person view and in VR, this can be one of the most terrifying horror games you will find. Capcom's balancing of horror and action in Resident Evil 7 is the most balanced it's been for years and the game is simply stunning.

After playing Resident Evil 7, we can confidently say that Capcom has revitalised the franchise. 

The upcoming Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City will introduce some of the characters mentioned in this article such as the likes of Leon, Chris, Jill and Claire as the four main protagonists and being an adaptation of the original video game, they'll revisit scenes from Resident Evil 1-3.

This article, while laying more emphasis on ranking all the mainline Resident Evil video games, we hope has given you a basic understanding of the Resident Evil series ahead of the upcoming movie reboot which will premiere on November 24th, 2021.