Summary
- Resident Evil 6: Not scary, feels dull, goes too big, and lacks excitement, even when played with a friend.
- Resident Evil 3 Remake: More action-focused, lacks scares, bosses don't intimidate much, commendable for not mimicking the RE2 remake.
- Resident Evil 5: Co-op campaign relieves tension, less scary but offers a fine linear experience with capable characters.
The Resident Evil franchise is one of the most iconic horror game series ever created, but how scary is it? Is it really so terrifying that players will not want to even boot up the game?
7 Popular Resident Evil Fan Theories
The weird and wacky world of Resident Evil has encouraged many fans to come up with their own unique theories.
Ultimately, the horror varies from game to game. Some leave players shaking in their boots, while others don't even make them jump once. However, scary or not scary is not indicative of the game's quality. Except for one game, just about every mainline Resident Evil game is a classic. To find a good measure of which entries will give players the most nightmares and ultimately find out what the scariest Resident Evil game is, read on below.
Updated on April 30, 2024, by Jason Wojnar: To some, horror can be one of the coziest gameplay experiences out there. There's something to be said about getting the adrenaline rush of being scared in a safe environment where players know they are not in any real-life danger. This is why it's important to know which Resident Evil games will provide the most scares. The updated version of this list more clearly defines why each entry is so scary and also reveals what critics thought of the game on average.
A game's terror does not always correlate to a high Metacritic score
17 Resident Evil 6
Metacritic: 67
Resident Evil 6
- It's just an action extravaganza
- Loadouts remove the tension of resource management
Resident Evil 6 is not only tame in terms of scares, but it will also likely bore players throughout the campaign. It goes too big and ends up feeling dull despite attempts at epic set pieces. Even playing with a friend will not make the action much more exciting.
In the massive 20-hour campaign players are not likely to feel scared even once, despite some segments seeing the heroes take on hordes of freakish monsters. Thankfully, Capcom learned its lesson after this title and toned down the scope of the action for Resident Evil 7.
16 Resident Evil 3 Remake
Metacritic: 79
Resident Evil 3
- Released
- April 3, 2020
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Nemesis isn't as threatening as Mr. X
- More action-focused than Resident Evil 2 Remake
While not considered as good as Resident Evil 2's remake, the Resident Evil 3 Remak e is still a fantastic title from 2020. However, it leans more into the action than its predecessor. The segments where players run away from Nemesis are very on rails, a far cry from the dynamic behavior of Mr. X from the Resident Evil 2 Remake.
The bosses also do not intimidate a lot with their design. Play it on a higher difficulty for a more tense journey that will make it at least a little scarier. Despite the lack of scares, it earns commendation for not simply trying to do what the Resident Evil 2 remake did.
One almost feels like they have to deduct scary points for its uninspired multiplayer mode; Resident Evil: Resistance. While a separate game in the menu, players received it for free for purchasing the remake.
15 Resident Evil 5
Metacritic: 83
Resident Evil 5
- Released
- March 5, 2009
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
- Co-op relieves much of the tension
- Leans more into action than Resident Evil 4
- Notable for still being scary while taking place in the daytime
Things are almost always less scary with friends by one's side. However, the scares were a worthy tradeoff in Resident Evil 5's case. It offers one of the finest linear co-op campaigns available.
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These stealth games just aren't the same experience without a co-op partner there to watch your back.
It makes more sense narratively, too. Chris Redfield already has plenty of experience dealing with BOWs so he would not feel the same way he did when he went to the Mansion back in the first Resident Evil. He's more capable now, and less terrified to face these fearsome foes.
14 Resident Evil 0
Metacritic: 83
Resident Evil 0
- Released
- November 12, 2002
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Controlling two characters at once feels like a gimmick
- Inventory management between the two is more frustrating than scary
This list is not about the quality of a game, but when an old-fashioned Resident Evil game does not have scares, it deflates the whole experience. Resident Evil 0 for the GameCube introduces a new mechanic of controlling two different characters and switching between them on the fly.
Unfortunately, it just ends up making puzzles and item management more frustrating. Worst of all, the game simply is not that scary. Playing it reminds players that the series was certainly ready for the change that came shortly afterward with Resident Evil 4.
13 Resident Evil: Revelations
Metacritic: 82
Resident Evil: Revelations
- A return to the survival horror roots
- the downsized visuals assuage some of the terror
At a time when the numbered games were action-packed affairs, Resident Evil: Revelations felt like a life raft for fans of classic Resident Evil. It still maintained the over-the-shoulder camera but the story's smaller scope and setting shifted the gameplay's focus back to puzzles and more intimate enemy encounters.
Having initially come out on the Nintendo 3DS, the technological limitations of the handheld did hold it back in some respects. The title is not so much terrifying as it is a refreshing mixture of the old and the new. All the same, one can still expect a few gross-out moments and jump scares throughout the story.
12 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Metacritic: 91
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
- Released
- November 10, 1999
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- Sega Dreamcast, Nintendo GameCube, PC, PS1
- Nemesis is intimidating
- The most action-focused game with tank controls
Of all the Resident Evil games utilizing tank controls, Resident Evil 3 is the most action-packed. It is also one of the least celebrated of the PS1 trilogy, but it is still a must-play for any fan of the series.
Seeing more of Raccoon City is enough reason alone to play through this game's story. It also includes segments absent from the remake. Resident Evil 3 lacks the tension of the prior two entries, however, even though Nemesis is an iconic monster.
11 Resident Evil 4
Metacritic: 96
Resident Evil 4
- Released
- January 11, 2005
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Enemies gang up on Leon
- Some scary enemy designs
Some fans are still sore over the changes Resident Evil 4 made to the franchise, becoming more action-oriented. Even so, the fourth mainline entry is one of the greatest games of its generation and still holds up more than 15 years later.
Though it lacks the terror of earlier games, there is still a layer of tension permeating through the whole campaign. The enemy AI and the sheer amount of enemies on the screen feel overwhelming at times. Resident Evil 4 was later released in VR, a change that so heavily modifies the experience that it is an entirely new experience.
10 Resident Evil - CODE: Veronica
Metacritic: 94
Resident Evil CODE:Veronica
- Released
- March 28, 2000
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- Sega Dreamcast
- The bandersnatch is terrifying
- The latter arctic environment is isolating
While not numbered, CODE: Veronica is still considered a part of the mainline franchise since it pushes the story forward and takes place after Raccoon City's destruction. It is also the biggest of the games using the classic formula, taking about 12 hours to beat.
Some of the creative enemy designs are effective, especially the Bandersnatch. The second half of the game takes place in an arctic environment, where the isolation helps contribute to the terror that the player feels.
9 Resident Evil: Revelations 2
Metacritic: 75
Resident Evil: Revelations 2
- Player two is almost defenseless
- Players have to rely on each other to progress
Even though Revelations 2 is a cooperative game, that does not make this entry any less scary. If anything, the second player will be even more frightened throughout the adventure since they have fewer combat abilities. Unlike the fifth and sixth games, Player two either controls Moira Burton or Natalia Korda, neither of whom can use firearms.
They have some means of fighting back, but this makes both players rely on each other more since player one has to protect player two so they can use their abilities to solve puzzles and progress through the story.
8 Resident Evil 4 Remake
Metacritic: 93
Resident Evil 4
- Released
- March 24, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Changes the original game's meta
- Impressive graphics make the environments more grotesque
Some consider Resident Evil 4 a perfect game and they questioned the necessity of a remake. However, the 2023 reimagining of the classic 2005 title does a lot to justify its existence with subtle gameplay tweaks and dramatic visual upgrades. It also adds additional drama to the story while still maintaining the tongue-in-cheek moments and Leon Kennedy's bravado.
Even though players have more tools up their sleeves and can move and shoot, the game manages to be more difficult and scarier than the original. Part of what adds to the fear is how old tricks no longer work. The knife is breakable and a finite resource, for example.
After release, this remake received an update granting full PSVR 2 support. The free patch allows players to go through the whole game in VR.