This list contains spoilers!
From the pixelated visuals of its debut game to the current-gen mobile and VR installments, the Resident Evil franchise has consistently terrified gamers in various ways. While virus-infected people and creatures alone can frighten many players, this list delves deeper to uncover some of the most chilling moments in the franchise's history—whether through encounters with enormous zombified monsters or phobia-inducing scenarios.
Despite the multiple changes in the franchise’s direction and gameplay style, there is one thread that connects every Resident Evil game: Horror. Although the games differ in how much they succeed in scaring players, every title has at least one or two moments that will have most gamers reaching for their pillow.
Updated on February 1, 2026, by Mark Sammut: We are less than a month away from Resident Evil Requiem, and I'll be shocked if the upcoming game doesn't end up ranking among the franchise's scariest releases. Until then, you might want to revisit some of the older entries. I've added a quick picks section, along with expanding some of the entries.
Quick Picks: Best Resident Evil To Play If You Want Scares
While we will get to the main rankings in a second, let's first dedicate a short section to instant recommendations to help guide folks who just want to know which game they should play right now. I am going to cover a few different categories and limit games to one appearance, just to try and cast a wide net.
|
Category |
Game |
Why |
|---|---|---|
|
Best Overall Scares |
Resident Evil 7 |
By far the most "horror" game in the series, and the first-person perspective adds to the immersion and terror. |
|
Best Psychological Horror |
Resident Evil 2 Remake |
Psychological horror is about sustained mental pressure rather than jump scares. RE2 Remake excels in this area due to Mr. X's relentless pursuit, environment complexity, resource management, and protagonists who are capable but vulnerable. |
|
Best Action-Horror Balance |
Resident Evil 4 |
Be it the original or remake, RE4 perfected the action-horror fusion, and the entire genre has been chasing its tail ever since. |
|
Best Old-School Game |
Resident Evil (2002) |
While still worth playing, the PS1 Resident Evil games can be difficult to revisit, and they are not that scary. Resident Evil's 2002 remake preserves the franchise's old-school roots while being modern enough to stand the test of time. |
17 Resident Evil 6
The Scariest Moment: Ustanak Encounter
Resident Evil 6
- Released
- October 2, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
There are multiple encounters with Ustanak in RE6. However, the initial encounter should be the most intense. Just as Jake Muller realizes how big a threat this giant beast is, he is chased by it in a narrow corridor. Following the chilling chase, Jake must finally confront Ustanak, which feels like fighting both Nemesis and Mr. X at the same time—Ustanak just won’t go down no matter what.
According to Resident Evil 6’s lore, Ustanak was the subject of experimental tests on the C Virus, which resulted in his transformation. What makes this monster scarier is his high intelligence. Unlike most other gigantic Resident Evil creatures, Ustanak can make his own weapons and make dreadful decisions when facing his targets.
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Capcom's Resident Evil is the most well-known horror franchise, and fans are likely to enjoy these games.
To be fair to other entries on the list, Resident Evil 6 does not create many scary moments. The enemy designs are rather stereotypical, seemingly aimed at attracting more FPS fans who may not have enjoyed previous games. However, the outcome fell short of satisfying hardcore fans of the genre and was not as financially successful as expected.
16 Resident Evil 5
Scariest Moment: Traversing Crocodile-Infested Water
Resident Evil 5
- Released
- March 5, 2009
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.
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Due to the success of Resident Evil 4, its mainline successor was destined to follow suit and double down on the action-horror hybrid. While its predecessor struggled to strike a solid balance between the two genres, Resident Evil 5 went the extra step and leaned a bit more on the action side of things, delivering set pieces that are unapologetically over-the-top and outlandish.
Although rarely attempting to be scary, the game at least tries to be consistently intense through the sheer volume of enemies, even if the protagonists feel a bit too overpowered. That said, Resident Evil 5 has a couple of moments that work as pure horror, and they nearly always happen when the game decides to slow things down and let players catch their breath.
15 Resident Evil (1996)
Scariest Moment: Black Tiger Boss Fight (Underground)
Resident Evil
- Released
- March 22, 1996
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Imagine it’s 1996, and a teenage gamer is about to fire up a game on their PS1 that everyone’s buzzing about: Resident Evil. The initial cinematics are spine-chilling enough to tempt them to eject the disc and retreat to Crash Bandicoot. Nonetheless, they muster the courage to dive in. Following a few hours of gripping gameplay that leaves their eyes widened and palms sweaty, they’re confronted with their ultimate dread: Fighting a colossal spider in a claustrophobic underground tunnel. That’s true fear.
The pixelated visuals of the first RE game might not look scary now. But back when the survival horror genre was in its baby stage, those “funny-looking” zombies could easily give someone a heart attack—especially if they had no idea what a jumpscare is. The arachnophobia-inducing Black Tiger boss battle in Resident Evil 1996 is destined to stand as an iconic “hair-raising” moment in video game history. Its impact goes beyond the inherent creepiness of giant spiders; it inspired numerous horror games to exploit gamers’ phobias in the most sadistic ways imaginable.
14 Resident Evil 5: Lost in Nightmares
For the most part, Resident Evil's DLC are extensions of their core games, delivering experiences that are roughly of the same quality and tone. As such, there is no reason to include them separately; however, "Lost in Nightmares" is a notable exception. Unlike its base game, this DLC hearkens back to the franchise's horror roots, delivering a short but memorable journey reminiscent of the original Resident Evil. You get to explore a mansion, meet a new type of enemy, fight against a familiar boss, and traverse a maze.
Due to its brief length and limited enemies, "Lost in Nightmares" cannot rank too highly, even though it is arguably scarier than Resident Evil 5. If nothing else, it helped prove that the franchise could combine co-op and horror.
13 Resident Evil: Revelations 2
Scariest Moment: Revenant Jumpscare
Resident Evil: Revelations 2
- Released
- February 24, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
One of the spin-off titles from Capcom's flagship horror franchise was Revelations 2, a game that brought back fan favorites such as Claire and Barry and introduced new characters like Moira and Natalia, which a second player could control.
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Along with new characters, there are a host of new enemies, including the terrifying revenants and grotesque monstrosities of sewn-together body parts that are infected with the Uroboros virus. During the exploration of the mansion, one sneaky revenant falls down from the ceiling right at the player's feet, resulting in a cheap but effective jumpscare.
12 Resident Evil 3 Remake
Scariest Moment: Encountering Drain Deimos
Resident Evil 3
- Released
- April 3, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Horror
The remake of Capcom's classic RE3 saw players returning to the virus-ravaged streets of Raccoon City as the unstoppable Nemesis tenaciously hunts down Jill Valentine, one of the few survivors of the Spencer Mansion incident.
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Through her explorations of the city, Jill experiences many terrifying events, such as running away from Nemesis, mutated dogs, or the dreaded drain deimos. Said to be infected with fleas, these insects, unfortunately, are not flea-sized and are large enough to present a threat. The most horrifying thing about these creatures is that they can grapple Jill and infect her with parasites that are a death sentence unless she can cleanse herself of them.
11 Resident Evil - Code: Veronica
Scariest Moment: Rockfort's Torture Chamber
Resident Evil CODE:Veronica
- Released
- March 28, 2000
WHERE TO PLAY
Raccoon City was just the beginning. Claire and Chris Redfield’s nightmare continues as the siblings fight to survive against zombies and other monstrosities within Umbrella’s deadly facilities. Scavenge for weapons and precious ammo to battle undead canines, a gigantic subterranean worm, and other terrors lurking in the shadows. Explore the mysterious Rockfort Island facility and the freezing Antarctic Base for clues exposing the Umbrella Corporation’s sordid goals and the truth behind the mysterious and unsettling Ashford twins.
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- Sega Dreamcast
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Resident Evil: Code Veronica was the first main series of Resident Evil games to be released after the original trilogy. The game was notable for its visuals, which were a significant improvement over the game's predecessors.
The visuals were considered to be movie-like at the time of the game's release. This made the game all the more frightening, as audiences hadn't seen such realistic horror visuals in a video game before.
10 Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
Scariest Moment: Yawn Boss Fight
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
- Released
- November 13, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles was the first game in the franchise to be released after the iconic Resident Evil 4. This put a ton of pressure on the on-rails shooter, and sadly, it failed to live up to the hype.
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Much like Resident Evil 5, the amount of hype around Umbrella Chronicles was more of a curse than a gift. The initial disappointment overshadowed what was otherwise a solid on-rails shooter that made excellent use of the Nintendo Wii's motion controls. The on-rail mechanic is what grants Umbrella Chronicles a spot on this list, as players have no choice but to follow their characters who are constantly heading directly into danger.
9 Resident Evil 0
Scariest Moment: Queen Leech Boss Fight
Resident Evil 0
- Released
- November 12, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
The Resident Evil series' fifth main installment was released in 2002. The game didn't perform badly with critics, though it was seen as a drop in form from the incredible run of games that Capcom was on leading up to its release. Criticisms were predominantly directed at the game's lack of innovation, particularly in terms of its fixed camera, which seemed outdated at the time.
Resident Evil 0 earns a spot on this list for its atmosphere. The improved hardware of the GameCube allowed Capcom's developers to create more meticulously detailed environments than ever before, which greatly helped the game's unsettling elements pop.
8 Resident Evil: Revelations
Scariest Moment: Scagdead Boss Fight
Resident Evil: Revelations
- Released
- January 26, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
Resident Evil: Revelations was a breath of fresh air in 2012, and Capcom pulled off a minor miracle when they got it running on the Nintendo 3DS. As impressive as that feat was and still is, a handheld system is not great for horror, so it wasn't until the HD version dropped on other systems that Revelations really got its time in the sun.
You really need to put yourself in 2012 to understand why this title was so well received. This was years after Resident Evil had shifted almost entirely to action at the expense of horror, and the fanbase was crying out for a game that was closer to the classic entries. Revelations delivered something close to that by emphasizing survival and limited resources over explosive kills.