The Resident Evil franchise has been hitting its stride lately. Following the landmark success of Resident Evil 4, the franchise stumbled a bit with Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, which many fans considered to lean far too much into the action side of the action-horror equation. That's not to say that they are bad games, but only that they departed greatly from what a large portion of the playerbase was expecting from Resident Evil.
Then came Resident Evil 7, which was effectively a soft reboot of the franchise, succeeded by Resident Evil Village just a few years later. But there's been another key pillar of modern Resident Evil's construction that can't be overlooked: remakes. Starting with the Resident Evil 2 remake in 2019, Capcom has worked its way through the games in order, with the incredibly well-received Resident Evil 4 remake being the studio's most recent endeavor. Since RE4's remake, rumors and speculation have run rampant, as audiences try to guess where the franchise is going to go next. Chances are, it'll go back to Resident Evil 5.
Why Playing as Chris Redfield Would Feel Better Than Ever in a Resident Evil 5 Remake
Players would once again get to fill the shoes of Chris Redfield in a Resident Evil 5 remake, and the character could feel better than ever.
A Resident Evil 5 Remake Seems Likely, and Not Just for the Obvious Reasons
Wesker Is Back in Action in 2023's Resident Evil 4
Naturally, one would assume that Capcom will tackle Resident Evil 5 at some point, as the previous three RE remakes have seen great critical and commercial success thus far. But Capcom could very well choose to remake the first Resident Evil to make it more aligned with the modern interpretations of its successors, or it could remake a spin-off like Resident Evil Revelations or Resident Evil: Code Veronica. Indeed, these outcomes are precisely what fans and journalists have speculated about, and there've been plenty of rumors and leaks to support such notions.
But it still seems more likely that Resident Evil 5 will be next up on the remake chopping block. A major reason to believe this, aside from the fact that Capcom has only been remaking mainline entries thus far, is that Wesker is featured in the Resident Evil 4 remake, particularly so in the Separate Ways DLC. This is his first appearance in the RE remake saga, and the foreboding final scene of Separate Ways seems to be queuing up his role in Resident Evil 5, as he doubles down on his plan of mass extinction. It's impossible to know for sure, but it certainly seems like his presentation in the remake was designed with the intention of setting up the RE5 story. It would therefore be strange to take a narrative detour in the interim.
Resident Evil 5 Could Be the Next Remake, but Probably Not the Next Resident Evil Game
Even if Capcom is remaking the first Resident Evil or a spin-off game, which definitely seems likely, it's safe to say that RE5 will come first, or at least not be too far behind. That said, it would be surprising if the RE5 remake were to come onto the scene before Resident Evil 9. 2025 will mark four years since the last proper, forward-moving entry in the Resident Evil franchise, which left a lot up in the air with respect to the franchise's future. With the exception of the Shadows of Rose DLC, which may or may not be linked to the next Resident Evil, nothing has come down the pipeline regarding the next steps in the overall RE narrative.
Thus, Capcom is in something of an interesting position when it comes to the Resident Evil 5 remake. On the one hand, it seems like the most logical next step, and there's definitely a strong financial incentive, given the performance of the previous remakes, to get it to market, but it would also mean further delaying the next original RE game. In other words, an RE5 remake is probably around the corner, but it's also probably not the first cab off the rank at the moment.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 72 /100 Critics Rec: 62%
WHERE TO PLAY
The Umbrella Corporation and its crop of lethal viruses have been destroyed and contained. But a new, more dangerous threat has emerged. Years after surviving the events in Raccoon City, Chris Redfield has been fighting the scourge of bio-organic weapons all over the world. Now a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), Chris is sent to Africa to investigate a biological agent that is transforming the populace into aggressive and disturbing creatures. Joined by another local BSAA agent, Sheva Alomar, the two must work together to solve the truth behind the disturbing turn of events.
- Engine
- havok, MT Framework
- Multiplayer
- Local Co-Op, Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Resident Evil
- Number of Players
- 2
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- October 29, 2019
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- How Long To Beat
- 12 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Premium (PS3 Version)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
