Here are the top 10 best Resident Evil games to play on PC!
Capcom has been a gaming Titan since 1979 and is the genius behind great franchises like Street Fighter, Devil May Cry and, one of my favorite game series, Resident Evil. It is probably the first title people think of when the subject of zombie video games sparks and the premise has expanded to movies, cross-overs into other game brands and is a major presence at gaming and fantasy fiction fan conventions. Resident Evil is the supreme choice among the walking dead stories because it successfully exploits the biology and manipulation of the zombie-virus. It goes beyond the average outbreak and delves into the crazy science and people behind it.
Technically, there are seven installments but Capcom has made countless spin-offs and extra content to add more ties, twists, monsters and characters to the series. Instead of going through it all, I rather cut to the good stuff and present the top 10 Resident Evil games that you can play on your PC.
10. Resident Evil Zero HD REMASTER (2016)
The game that technically started the entire franchise, Zero explores the events right before the horror in Raccoon City. We get more insight into the Umbrella Corporation (a company developing bioweapons) and the hellish t-virus, thanks to nasty attack leeches controlled by an ominous singing figure deeply involved with the company. The slimy critters take over a train owned by the Umbrella Corporation, they turn everyone into flesh eating zombies, which calls for a S.T.A.R.S. (Special Tactics and Rescue Service) task force to blindly investigate.
By the time Resident Evil Zero was released, Capcom had set out many installments that gave some information on the origins of the Umbrella Corporation and t-virus. Zero fills in the blanks and gives us the real moment things go south for Raccoon City. We follow Bravo member Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen, a former Marine charged with 23 counts of homicide. Even though the two are on opposite sides of the law, they need each other to survive the night, which includes close interaction and teamwork while discovering personal struggles and great revelations.
The remastered version of the game also allows players to be Alex Wesker and utilize his tricks and perks during gameplay.
Rebecca certainly wasn’t expecting to be trapped on speeding train with zombies and a convicted murderer!
Four hands means 2 to 4 guns at a time. No matter whose with you, that’s better than fighting genetic monstrosities solo.
My rating: 6/10
9. Resident Evil HD REMASTER (2015)
We all know the story, or we all should: A S.T.A.R.S. task force is sent to investigate murders on the outskirts of Raccoon City. Shortly after they land, rabid dogs chase the group to a nearby mansion, where more horror awaits, created by our favorite sinister global corporation. Players become S.T.A.R.S. agents Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield who must destroy the facility.
Whether you play the original or remade version of the first Resident Evil, this game revitalized horror gaming and the zombie genre. The action, gore and scares are stellar and the story that has continued on 10+ years is still top of the line.
The mansion is full of monsters, secret areas and booby traps. Being the owner must be much more fun than being an uninvited guest.
Everyone must see the epic scene Jill Valentine meets the first zombie of the franchise.
My rating: 10/10
8. Resident Evil 2 (1998) (REMAKE (2019))
The second part of Resident Evil follows the t-virus (zombie-making mutagenic virus) on the streets of Raccoon City and the g-virus (an agent capable of mutating a human into the ultimate bioweapon) up for grabs. More high-level employees of the Umbrella Corporation give more answers on why and where the biological weapons are headed. Survivors in the city, mainly new Raccoon City police officer Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield’s sister Claire, all do what they can to find others and flee the contamination.
My favorite time of a zombie takeover is the first day of the outbreak. RE2 creates a successful scenario, mixing the fear and confusion of crazed cannibals coming at you with accidental access to a bigger conspiracy. As everyone expected, Capcom is creating a RE2 remake, which will look better with their up-to-date gameplay and graphic advancements.
Walking into catastrophe would be a challenge for anyone. Luckily, our main guy Leon is armed and able to investigate.
The police station is the first building we see in ruined Raccoon City and it is overrun with zombie-cops and criminals.
My rating: 8/10
7. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999)
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis takes places during the same time as RE2 and follows Jill Valentine’s escape from Raccoon City. Getting out of town won’t be easy for her. Not only will the Umbrella Corporation destroy the city, but they’ve unleashed an engineered bio-organic weapon of a monster to kill all S.T.A.R.S. operatives, especially those who have witnessed their doings.
Nemesis showcases how far Umbrella’s research, testing and reach goes. They are able to create wicked enemies and will stop at nothing to cover up their mistakes.
Not too many can fight zombies in a strapless top and tight skirt but Jill Valentine does it with ease, making the visual iconic.
Meeting Nemesis for the first time is quite the experience but Valentine can handle it!
My rating: 7/10
6. Resident Evil 4 Ultimate HD Edition (2014)
RE4 is the first diversion of the franchise and introduces a new threat, the mind-controlling parasite called Las Plagas. From RE2, which takes place 6 years before this game’s events, Leon makes a comeback on a mission to save the US President’s kidnapped daughter in Spain by a mysterious cult. They intend to infect her so she can pass it on to her dad in hopes of world domination.
People suffering from Las Plagas don’t become undead cannibals. No, they function normally but become violently dangerous and will kill you in the name of their puppet master, all able to attack you with weapons, press chainsaws into your chest and execute traps and pinpointed attacks. The gameplay caters to their nature and gives players defenses that go beyond shots at a slow zombie.
The people of the small Spanish town Leon must navigate has many secrets and chainsaws!
When Leon finds the President’s daughter, she comes in handy with puzzles and hard to reach places. But, against monsters, she’s just a liability.
My rating: 10/10
5. Resident Evil: Revelations (2012)
Occurring between RE4 and RE5, Revelations introduces another player in bioweapons, terrorist group Veltro and their concoction T-Abyss, destined for Earth’s water supply. Fortunately, the counter-terrorism group Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA) is on their tail. Guess who is on the payroll: Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield.
Revelations was originally released for Nintendo 3DS and later a HD version became available across several gaming platforms. This installment in the franchise makes it clear that Resident Evil is the master of bioweapons and engineered monsters, no matter who is making them.
Veltro proves to be as creative as Umbrella with their mutants.
When will Valentine and Redfield get a break? It seems they will never get out of the business.
My rating: 7/10
4. Resident Evil 5 (2009)
Five years after the events of RE4, Las Plagas spreads in Africa and BSAA hooks up Chris Redfield and franchise newbie Sheva Alomar to find the source. They will soon be hit with BSAA’s true identity, Jill Valentine’s recent death debacle and the revival of the Umbrella Corporation.
The characters of Resident Evil have come a long way and stay in the fight against horrible acts by mad scientists and their creations. They go deeper than expected.
It’s great to see veterans of the franchise mingle with new zombie-slayers.
Sheva may be new to Resident Evil but she handles herself well and is a great partner to have.
My rating: 7/10
3. Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015)
Continuing on between RE4 & RE5, Revelations 2 portrays another anti-terrorism group named TerraSave with Claire Redfield and new member Moira Burton. The two are kidnapped at a work function and wake up in what looks like an insane asylum full of men that seem to be afflicted with the T-virus and Las Plagas parasite. The duo surely figure out who is behind the misplacement and what advancements they’ve achieved in biological and chemical warfare.
Revelations 2 has two possible endings which are dependent on Moira’s decision to get over her fear of guns. Claire Redfield has become a strong agent and is capable of saving the day. Also, Barry Burton, a supporting character in the original RE and Moira’s father, appears on the scene to save the day and meets a strange little girl on the way.
One gun between two is not easy, especially when the reason comes down to an anti-gun fool in the middle of a zombie-asylum.
Barry Burton is in a similar situation while caring for a suspicious young girl that pops up along his path.
My rating: 7/10
2. Resident Evil 6 (2013)
The 6th episode of the series revolves around the new c-virus sweeping the globe, turning world leaders and top law and anti-terrorism agents into monsters. An entity name Neo-Umbrella, believed to be RE veteran Ada Wong, may be involved while Alex Wesker steps into the situation.
The battle between good and bad intensifies and all the icons of Resident Evil become vulnerable to the new infection. This game reminds me of the comics and TV show Walking Dead in how beloved characters suddenly become endangered or face the worst: death.
More destruction and monsters await in another round of Resident Evil.
Resident Evil 6 doesn’t hold anything back and will test all characters.
My rating: 8/10
1. Resident Evil 7 (2017)
The latest Resident Evil addition takes place 10 years after RE6, set in Louisiana during a time that has calmed down after the big c-virus outbreak. But everything isn’t what it seems and a new horrific adventure awaits.
Like every other big title series, every new RE installment raises players’ standards and expectations. RE7 does push the story forward to please fans and produces another fresh perspective for the epic legacy. The ending will hook you along for a possible 8th Resident Evil.
My first impression of this open house is run away as fast as I can!
We will never escape Resident Evil’s demonic monsters and mutants.
My rating: 9/10
Capcom has treated us PC players well with remastered and alternate versions, exclusive storylines, bonuses and fixes on some of the issues all games have. Terror is not easy to do nowadays but Resident Evil keeps progressing to the depths of hell. Like watching The Handmaid's Tale, play these games slowly, take your time, it will be okay, the zombies are not real. And, deep down in my heart (that black smelly piece of man-meat) there lies a secret, one I'm going to reveal now. I want there to be another Resident Evil live-action movie franchise! The video games have given so much content, it's time to get something going, especially if there's an eighth installment on the way.
