All Resident Evil Games Ranked and Best Places to Start

The Resident Evil series is one of gaming’s most popular and recognisable franchises, dating back to the PlayStation 1 and encompassing more than 25 years of history. With a hardcore following across the globe that hotly anticipates all upcoming entries — no matter where it’s a mainline instalment or spin-off — Capcom has a mainstay on its hands that won’t be going anywhere any time soon. The series has its highs and lows, but the potential will always remain. It does contain some of the greatest games ever made, after all. And because of that, it will always attract new players who want to know where to start with the ever-growing franchise and what titles are the best.

This guide is designed as a catch-all, comprehensive breakdown of the Resident Evil series that offers advice based on your tastes and preferences. We shall detail the best games to start with depending on the sort of experience you are looking for, no matter whether it’s a quick catch-up to enable you to play the latest instalments or a deep dive into the classics that got us to where we are today. Finally, we will rank every Resident Evil game released to date on PlayStation consoles regardless of their style, camera angle, or mechanics.

Best Resident Evil Games to Start With

At its heart, Resident Evil is the king of horror. It’s been terrifying fans for generations at this point, but it has done so in a number of different ways. It’s been a classic survival horror experience. It’s been a third-person action game. It’s been a first-person horror undertaking. It’s even been an online multiplayer disaster. As such, it’s impossible to recommend a single experience that captures absolutely everything it means to be Resident Evil.

We are instead going to put forward a few different options that prioritise what various entries did best. Suggestions include one that fast tracks you to playing the latest and greatest Capcom classics, another which explores the roots of the series, and one more situated in between the two extremes. These are the best Resident Evil games to start with.

Best Resident Evil Games for Newcomers

Perhaps the biggest differentiator between various eras of the Resident Evil series is the camera angle. Fixed camera angles were the bread and butter of early entries before the third-person perspective took over on PS2. However, the latest instalments on PS5 and PS4 have now switched to a first-person camera. It’s unlikely Capcom will ever revert back to the fixed camera angles of the PS1 generation (outside of special modes or unlocks), so this approach to the series will help you quickly get to grips with its most modern titles.

In order, the Resident Evil games we recommend you play are:

This shortlist allows you to experience the Resident Evil franchise in a very approachable manner as well as sample the series from both the first and third-person perspective. For a start, all three games are available on PS5 and PS4 so it’s unlikely you’ll need to buy a new console in order to begin proceedings. Both first and third-person camera perspectives are covered by playing these games — in fact, Resident Evil Village allows you to switch between the two angles in the game.

Resident Evil 2 on PS4 is a remake of the original game released on PS1 back in 1998 that completely modernises the experience. Featuring the same story and locations, the game is the perfect place to start as it blends the old with the new to give you a fantastic taste of all things Resident Evil in the modern era. If you enjoyed your time with police rookie Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, we recommend you move on to the former’s crowning adventure. Resident Evil 4 is the best game in the series — it’s the quintessential undertaking that represents the peak of the franchise so far. There’s no getting around this one: you simply have to play it.

Finally, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is the start of a new story that introduced a new protagonist named Ethan Winters. It’s best to become familiar with him since he’ll feature in future games, but it also marked the moment when the mainline series adopted the first-person camera. An important moment for Resident Evil, completing this chapter will leave you ready for what comes next in Resident Evil Village.

Best Resident Evil Games for Nostalgic Players

So you want to turn the clock back to the late 1990s and understand what it was that made Resident Evil so beloved in the first place. That’s a commendable task, but it’s the toughest to perform of our three recommended approaches. This is because two of the four titles cannot be played on modern hardware, meaning you’ll have to buy retro systems. The proposal is also all about fixed camera angles and the possibility of tank controls — love or loathe them.

In order, the Resident Evil games we recommend you play are:

The remake of the original Resident Evil game is available as a native PS4 title, but if you’re looking for that first experience from the PS1 days, you can download the title via PS Plus Premium on PS5 and PS4. The original PS1 versions of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis are only accessible as PS1 classics on PS3 and PS Vita, however.

Luckily, the HD remaster of the original Resident Evil game as well as the Resident Evil Code: Veronica X port can be played on both PS5 and PS4. With all that out of the way, you’ll get to experience the origins of the franchise. The first Resident Evil title looks outstanding in HD, allowing you to select a modernised control scheme or those classic tank controls, but the fixed camera angles remain.

In fact, this approach to playing Resident Evil is all about them. You’ll learn all about the horror and tension the fixed perspective can create as well as infiltrate the Spencer Mansion and escape Raccoon City twice over. The plight of Claire and Chris Redfield in Code: Veronica X then represents the series’ first evolution of fixed camera angles, adding 3D environments and dynamic camera movement. This is survival horror at its best, so if you can get your hands on all four titles, they’re the best place to start if you want to see what kickstarted Resident Evil.

Best Resident Evil Games for Everything the Series Offers

If you really want to understand the long journey the Resident Evil franchise has taken from inception up until now, this approach would be best. We’re going to focus on some of the series’ biggest moments and turning points, such as when the camera angle changed and the PS3 era wobble which saw Capcom focus on action instead of horror. All of these titles are absolutely worth playing though, so this strategy is both a history lesson and a bundle of fun.

In order, the Resident Evil games we recommend you play are:

The approach starts with the HD remaster of the first Resident Evil game, which still looks good to this day and is by far the most accessible version of that classic survival horror experience. The fixed camera angles remain and the tank controls are only an option — using the updated scheme doesn’t take away from proceedings at the classic Spencer Mansion too much. We then move on to the PS4 remake of Resident Evil 2, which shines in the modern era with a third-person camera and a faithful recreation of the original PS1 scarefest.

Next up is Resident Evil 4 because it’s the best entry in the series to date, simply put. Need we say more? Our next recommendation is where things get interesting, however. Capcom opted to prioritise action during the PS3 generation, and many hardcore fans see the instalments released during that time as the mainline series’ low point. That may be true, but we still think you should give Resident Evil 5 a shot. Playable entirely in co-op, bring a friend along and you can have a lot of enjoyment with this trip to Africa to put a stop to a terrorist threat. It doesn’t go quite as far as its awful follow-up, retaining just enough of the Resident Evil DNA to make it a fairly solid recommendation.

The approach is rounded out by Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, which sees the core series adopt the first-person camera that is being utilised for upcoming titles. It also introduces new protagonist Ethan Winters, so it’s best to get that meeting out of the way during his inaugural undertaking. Follow this strategy and you’ll have a good understanding of where Resident Evil has come from, where it somewhat stumbled, and where it’s headed in the future.

Resident Evil Village is that future, which concludes the story of Ethan Winters. Through post-launch updates, you can now play the game from the first-person perspective it was first designed around or switch things up with the third-person camera. Both are more than viable, allowing you to experience one of the best entries in the series.

All Resident Evil Games Ranked

We will now rank all 23 Resident Evil titles released on PlayStation hardware so far from worst to best. This is a purely subjective list based on our own opinions and experiences with the games in question. We shall update this ranking as and when new Resident Evil games are released.

What Resident Evil games would you recommend newcomers start with? And what do you make of our overall series ranking? Do you agree or would you move a few titles about? Share your thoughts in the comments below.