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Finding its origins all the way back in 1996,Resident Evilhas cemented itself as one of the finest horror franchises not just in gaming, but across the entire media landscape. From the games that started it all, to blockbuster film releases, Resident Evil has infected every known medium possible.
But let’s not look at all that yet. It started as games, and it is still primarily games. In fact, there’s probably a whole bunch more games than you might have even expected. How many, exactly? Great question! Let’s dive into the article and find out for ourselves just how many frights this unsettling series can manage across its many entries.
Just to get an idea of how big Resident Evil is as a multi-media franchise, why not check outhow many Resident Evil films there aretoo?
How Many Mainline Resident Evil Games Are There?
From its initial game back in 1996 thatkickstarted the survival horror genre, Resident Evil has never quite stopped. It’s had plenty of ups and downs but never has this train of fear ever slowed down. Even looking at just mainline games, we have a pretty number on our hands.
Release date
Resident Evil: Village
June 24, 2025
Fun fact - Code Veronica and Resident Evil Zero are the only mainline games released prior to Resident Evil 4 to not receive remakes yet.
We have our direct entries that no one would argue about, Resident Evil 1 through Village.That comprises eight mainline games. If you’re willing to be a bit more lenient (as this article you’re reading is), then we can count Code Veronica and Resident Evil Zero.That brings us up to ten mainline entries.
How Many Resident Evil Spin-Offs Are There?
Now, we all know and love the mainline Resident Evil games. They’re both the pinnacle of survival horror and pure action. They teeter on that edge frequently, giving way to either side between entries. The spin-offs though hold no such notions. They will be whatever perspective and genre they want, and it has led to a wild series of games.
Resident Evil Re:Verse
July 03, 2025
Resident Evil: Survivor 2 had an even earlier release date than shown above - an arcade release in Japan in July 2001
Let’s start off with the raw numbers here.That’s 14 spin-offs. Having ten mainline games was impressive enough, but also managing to shoot out 14 spin-offs in between is frankly absurd. Many of those games lean heavier into the action side of things, whilesome of them are even in first person, far preceding Resident Evil 7.
Lots of them are also Capcom’s attempts to get into multiplayer. Those also tend to be the lowest-rated games in the series.
How Many Resident Evil Remakes Are There?
Something the games industry has been obsessed with in recent years has been the past. Through rose-tinted glasses of the past and ballooning budgets of the present, remakes became the premier way to guarantee profits. For Capcom, however,they’ve been in the remaking game longer than many others, and have typically held those very remakes to a higher standard too.
Gamecube remake of the original Resident Evil
Resident Evil: Deadly Silence
Jul 16, 2025
A DS remake of Resident Evil 1 featuring gameplay features from Resident Evil 3 and 4
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
June 21, 2025
A Wii pseudo-remake of Resident Evil 0, 1, and 3 from Wesker’s perspective
PS4/Xbox One/PC remake of the original Resident Evil 2
PS4/Xbox One/PC remake of the original Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Resident Evil 4
Jun 14, 2025
PS4/Xbox One/PC and newer remake of the original Resident Evil 4
As you may see above,we have a grand total of six Resident Evil remakes. Resident Evil 1 is the only entry that faced a roughly one-to-one remake, improving visuals, gameplay, and sound. Resident Evil 2 and 3 opted for a more drastic remake, pulling heavily from Resident Evil 4’s perspective.
Resident Evil 1, however, also has a second remake in Deadly Silence for the DS. It will likely also remain the only game in the series that can ever afford to be remade twice.
The Umbrella Chronicles isn’t strictly a remake, but something more akin to a recap game.It tells the events of RE 0, 1, and 3 with narration from Wesker, though you still play as the respective characters from those stories in on-rail segments. In the final scenario of the game new content is introduced.
