If you want more: Modern Resident Evil remakes
Notable differences: Basically none
Availability: Windows (Steam Deck OK), Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Amazon Luna
If somehow you have not played the recent remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3, you need to get on that. They’re both excellent recreations of the original late ‘90s survival horror classics and are what set all of our expectations for the Resident Evil 4 remake so high in the first place.
If you’re not sure which one to jump into, here’s what you need to know: RE2 is Leon S. Kennedy’s origin story, following his first day on the job as a new recruit in the Racoon City Police Department. Things, as you might imagine, go horribly wrong. But RE2 also features another protagonist with a whole other side to this legendary campaign in Claire Redfield, who arrives in Racoon City looking for her brother, Chris, one of the two protagonists of the original Resident Evil.
Read More: The Scariest Resident Evil Games, Ranked From Worst To Best
Resident Evil 2’s 2019 remake easily demands two full playthroughs, if not more. But if you want something a bit more brief, and maybe a bit more action-centered, the remake of Resident Evil 3 is also worth considering—though purists might argue that RE3’s remake is more of a reimagining, as 1999’s original Resident Evil 3: Nemesis contained various features that didn’t reappear in the 2020 remake. Here you’ll play as Jill Valentine, one of the protagonists of the first Resident Evil, as she attempts a heroic escape from the zombie-infested Racoon City.
If you haven’t played either of these games before and Resident Evil 4 really grabbed your attention with its world and gameplay, Resident Evil 2 and 3 are must-plays. And if you have played them before, maybe it’s time for another go.
