This is Resident Evil from the inside, from the 1996 original to Requiem, released in February 2026: what Capcom's developers have actually said, which versions were thrown away when they were nearly finished, and which fan legends have nothing behind them. It opens with what's known about the next games as of October 19, 2026, and closes with a table of every main-series game with scores and official sales.
- What's next: Resident Evil Veronica in 2027, every other remake is still a rumor
- Resident Evil, 1996: horror handed to a man who hated being scared
- Why Biohazard became Resident Evil, and the story behind that voice acting
- Resident Evil 2, 1998: a game 70% finished went in the bin
- Nemesis and Code: Veronica: which one was the real third game
- The GameCube years: "I will cut my head off", and RE4 sold better on PS2
- Resident Evil 4: three scrapped versions, the Hook Man and the birth of Devil May Cry
- RE5 and RE6: the Africa debate and a 600-person team
- Resident Evil 7, 2017: the director played Jack Baker first
- The remakes: Mr. X's footsteps and 19.7 million copies
- Village, 2021: 2.9 meters tall, but that's with the hat and heels
- Requiem, 2026: it began as an online open-world game
- Every main Resident Evil game: year, platform, score and sales
- Where to start with Resident Evil in 2026
The strangest part of this story happens in the very first meeting. Producer Tokuro Fujiwara asked a young Shinji Mikami whether he liked being scared. Mikami said he hated it. So Fujiwara gave him a horror game. The series that grew out of that conversation had sold 213 million copies by mid-2026.
What's next: Resident Evil Veronica in 2027, every other remake is still a rumor
The video loads from YouTube (Google) when you press play. Privacy policyOne project is official. On June 5, 2026, at Summer Game Fest, Capcom revealed Resident Evil Veronica, a remake of 2000's Code: Veronica. Claire Redfield leads, the setting is Rockfort Island, it runs on RE Engine, and it's due in 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2 and PC. There's no exact date yet, and it wasn't shown at Tokyo Game Show. The hint was hidden in Requiem all along: a wine called Avernico, an anagram of Veronica.
Everything else is a leak and should be treated like one:
- A Resident Evil 0 remake. In October 2025 actor John McLaren listed a lead role in "Project Chamber" on his résumé, a nod to Rebecca Chambers, and later removed it. In June 2026 insider Dusk Golem said the project had been rebooted and handed to a different Capcom division. Rumored target: 2028.
- A new remake of the first game. Dusk Golem described it as in full production in March 2026 and in pre-production in July. The two claims contradict each other.
- Resident Evil 10 in 2029. Dusk Golem again. His call on Veronica (revealed in 2026, out in 2027) came true, so people listen, but Capcom has confirmed nothing.
- Don't hold your breath for RE5 and RE6 remakes. According to the same insider, neither is coming for at least five years.
Two more official things. Producer Masachika Kawata told Game Informer that Capcom wants a Resident Evil every year, with remakes helping fund new entries. And the series had its best year at the cinema: Zach Cregger's film has grossed $361 million on a $75 million budget according to The Numbers, the first Resident Evil movie to pass $100 million in the US.
Resident Evil, 1996: horror handed to a man who hated being scared
The first game came out on PlayStation on March 22, 1996 in Japan and a week later in the US. Its roots are in Sweet Home, Capcom's 1989 horror game based on a Japanese film, but it wasn't a remake. Fujiwara, speaking to Continue magazine in 2003, called it a new series that could do what Sweet Home couldn't. And he explained the choice of lead like this: he asked Mikami "You hate being scared?", got "Yep", and decided that was exactly right, because "you can't make a horror game if you don't have any fear."
- It started as a first-person game. Mikami said so to gM magazine in 1999. Fujiwara made the call to drop it: first person would have meant cutting the graphics hard, so the camera became fixed.
- Mikami cut the zombie children himself. Nobody asked him to, he told GameFan in September 1996: "I thought it was morally wrong to have such disturbing elements as blowing kids' heads off".
- A team of rookies. In the same interview Mikami counted it out: six months planning alone, then ten people, about fifty by the end. For roughly 70% of them it was their first game.
- It nearly got cancelled. A consulting firm working for Capcom wrote "Discontinue Biohazard project" in a report. Fujiwara defended it, and Mikami only found out about ten years later. Staff, he told Retro Gamer, "would resign from the job" one by one.
By September 1996 it had sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide. Capcom's list puts the original PS1 version at 2.75 million lifetime, with the two Director's Cut editions adding over two million more.
Why Biohazard became Resident Evil, and the story behind that voice acting
The video loads from YouTube (Google) when you press play. Privacy policyIn Japan the series is still called Biohazard. In the US the name couldn't be trademarked: there was already a DOS game called Biohazard and a New York hardcore band of the same name. Capcom's US office ran an internal naming contest. Chris Kramer, who handled PR, voted against the winner and called it "super-cheesy". GamesRadar told that story in 2009, and Kotaku and Engadget picked it up.
The famously wooden voice acting has an explanation too. It was recorded in Japan with American actors under a Japanese director, and the actors were asked to speak very slowly so players without subtitles wouldn't miss anything. Mikami admitted to GameFan in 1996: "Since i'm Japanese, I didn't realize how strange it was for them to be speaking so slowly." You can hear it in the first minutes of the video above.
Resident Evil 2, 1998: a game 70% finished went in the bin
Hideki Kamiya directed the sequel, and its first version, which fans call Resident Evil 1.5, was about 70% done. The restart was pushed by scenario writer Noboru Sugimura, who joined midway. He explained it to The Playstation magazine in June 1998: "It was all too realistic." A modern police station without the mansion's dread just wasn't scary. In the released game the station became a former art museum, statue in the main hall and all.
- The Tyrant wasn't in the plan. The stalker in scenario B, the future Mr. X of the remake, was added because Kamiya insisted.
- Claire came from a question. Sugimura asked why none of the first game's heroes were in it, and Kamiya came up with Chris's sister. In December 2025 Kamiya described his younger self: "I was a selfish idiot".
- George Romero shot the TV ad. A neat full circle: Mikami had said back in 1996 that he chose zombies because of the Romero film he saw as a schoolboy.
The restart paid off: 4.96 million copies on PS1, the series' best result until the PS3 era.
Nemesis and Code: Veronica: which one was the real third game
There are more legends than documents here, so carefully. According to scenario writer Yasuhisa Kawamura and old posts by Kamiya, Nemesis was planned as a side story and the company gave it the number 3. The "real" third game for PS2 was Kamiya's project, which later turned into Devil May Cry. Code: Veronica came out on Dreamcast in February 2000 and scored 94 on Metacritic, one of the series' best. Mikami, in a 2020 video interview, put its missing number down to "political reasons"; the popular story about a Sony contract isn't backed by any Capcom document.
One detail looks funny in hindsight. In 2015 Kawamura said he'd love to remake the third game but that Capcom would never go for it. The remake came out in 2020 and sold 14.5 million copies.
The GameCube years: "I will cut my head off", and RE4 sold better on PS2
In 2002 the series moved to GameCube. The remake of the first game was originally meant to be nearly unchanged apart from graphics. Mikami considered making every enemy invisible, decided that wouldn't be Resident Evil anymore, and came up with zombies that get back up, the Crimson Heads. He compared his concept to a very bitter beer. Resident Evil 0 had originally been in development for the Nintendo 64.
That's also when the series' most famous vow was made. In the summer 2002 issue of Hyper Capcom Special (known through a fan translation), Mikami said Resident Evil 4 would only come out on GameCube, otherwise "I will cut my head off." The game launched on GameCube in January 2005 and on PS2 less than a year later. According to Capcom, the GameCube version sold 1.6 million and the PS2 version 2.3 million.
Resident Evil 4: three scrapped versions, the Hook Man and the birth of Devil May Cry
RE4 has the messiest history in the series. First came Kamiya's project: Mikami asked for a new Biohazard and allowed it not to be about fear. Kamiya wanted a free camera and a hero who looked cool, and it ended up as Devil May Cry, as he wrote in a column on Capcom's site in 2001.
Producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi took it from there in a 2004 GameSpy interview. Version one: an assault on Umbrella's main base in Europe. Version two, shown at E3 2003: an infected Leon sees hallucinations and monsters that aren't there, which is where the famous Hook Man comes from. Version three had zombies and was never shown publicly, and after it the team decided: "NO MORE ZOMBIES!" Version four became the game we know.
![Resident Evil 4 - All Beta Footage [Biohazard 3.5]](https://framesgames.com/wp-content/uploads/yt-covers/ojtbdcJP6SU.jpg.webp)
The video loads from YouTube (Google) when you press play. Privacy policy- The Hook Man. Writer Yasuhisa Kawamura called that version an experiment with no real backstory; he took the idea from the bathroom scene in the Winona Ryder film Lost Souls. It was judged too expensive: "I felt very sorry. You can even say that I was ashamed."
- The over-the-shoulder camera came from Onimusha 3. Mikami told Shacknews in 2011 that while playing it he thought: "If only the camera was behind the player, it would have been so much better".
- A story written in three weeks. Mikami admitted he wrote the final version's story in under three weeks and hoped the remake would improve it. He later called RE4 the game with "the least amount of myself" in it.
For all that, RE4 holds the series' best score, 96, and its 2023 remake has sold 16 million copies.
RE5 and RE6: the Africa debate and a 600-person team
Resident Evil 5 faced accusations of racism over its African setting in 2009. Producer Jun Takeuchi told the Associated Press that refusing to set games in Africa or Arab countries would itself be wrong: "That in itself is a form of racism." The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions alone sold 10.9 million copies.
Resident Evil 6 was the series' biggest production by headcount. Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi told Gamasutra in 2012 that about 150 people worked on it inside Capcom and more than 600 including contractors. Each team built its levels end to end, like a separate studio, and you can tell: four campaigns that don't quite fit together. The result was 74 on Metacritic, the lowest of the numbered games, and still 11.1 million copies sold.
Resident Evil 7, 2017: the director played Jack Baker first
After RE6 the series turned back toward fear and a first-person view. Director Koshi Nakanishi told Vice that in the rough previsualization, before the American actors were cast, he played Jack Baker himself. Marguerite, who force-feeds her guest, is based on his own mother: "When I go home, my mother is always forcing me to eat so much food". For the dialogue Capcom hired an American narrative designer, Richard Pearsey, for the first time.
- The KITCHEN demo. It was shown at E3 2015 without the game's name, and Capcom had been researching VR since 2012. After the demo took off, the whole game was made playable in VR.
- The RE in RE Engine doesn't stand for Resident Evil. According to Capcom's official report, it's "Reach for the Moon". The engine was built alongside RE7 and now powers other Capcom series too.
The remakes: Mr. X's footsteps and 19.7 million copies
The 2019 Resident Evil 2 remake is the series' best-seller and second in Capcom's entire catalog after Monster Hunter: World. Director Kazunori Kadoi explained to PC Gamer how Mr. X works. His footsteps weren't recorded from a real person but mixed from many sounds. If you hear them, the Tyrant really is nearby. If he can't find you for a while, his senses sharpen. And the hat was added specifically so people would talk about it. That worked a little too well: "we had no idea that people would enjoy Tyrant to this degree".
Village, 2021: 2.9 meters tall, but that's with the hat and heels
Lady Dimitrescu became a star before the game even came out, and the team didn't see it coming. Art director Tomonori Takano gave her height on the series' official account: 2.9 meters, about 9'6", but that includes the hat and heels, not barefoot as is often claimed. According to reports of his IGN interview, the inspirations were Countess Elizabeth Báthory, the Japanese urban legend of Hasshaku-sama and Anjelica Huston's Morticia Addams. Village has sold 15.8 million copies.
Requiem, 2026: it began as an online open-world game
The video loads from YouTube (Google) when you press play. Privacy policyRequiem launched on February 27, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2 and PC. In a developer diary Nakanishi said the team first tried an online game and an open world before realizing that wasn't what fans wanted. In June 2025 he said Leon wasn't a good fit for horror; in December Leon was revealed as the second lead. Nakanishi calls new heroine Grace "the biggest scaredy-cat in Resident Evil history": her part is built like RE2, Leon's like RE4, and he compared switching between them to jumping into a cold bath after a sauna.
The official numbers: over 5 million copies in less than a week, 6 million by March 16 and 8 million by June 30, 2026, and 89 on Metacritic. A story expansion is in development, which Nakanishi confirmed in March, and the free Leon Must Die Forever mode arrived in May. The Ada DLC rumor still circulating on some sites was an April Fools' joke.
Every main Resident Evil game: year, platform, score and sales
| Year | Game | Launch platform | Director | Metacritic | Sold, millions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Resident Evil | PS1 | Shinji Mikami | 91 | 2.75 (PS1) |
| 1998 | Resident Evil 2 | PS1 | Hideki Kamiya | 89 | 4.96 (PS1) |
| 1999 | Resident Evil 3: Nemesis | PS1 | Kazuhiro Aoyama | 91 | 3.5 (PS1) |
| 2000 | Code: Veronica | Dreamcast | Hiroki Kato | 94 | 1.14 (DC) |
| 2002 | Resident Evil (remake) | GameCube | Shinji Mikami | 91 | 1.35 (GC) |
| 2002 | Resident Evil 0 | GameCube | Koji Oda | 83 | 1.25 (GC), 5.6 (HD) |
| 2005 | Resident Evil 4 | GameCube | Shinji Mikami | 96 | 1.6 (GC), 2.3 (PS2) |
| 2009 | Resident Evil 5 | PS3, Xbox 360 | Kenichi Ueda | 84 | 10.9 |
| 2012 | Resident Evil 6 | PS3, Xbox 360 | Eiichiro Sasaki | 74 | 11.1 |
| 2017 | Resident Evil 7 | PS4, Xbox One, PC | Koshi Nakanishi | 86 | 18.4 |
| 2019 | Resident Evil 2 (remake) | PS4, Xbox One, PC | Kazunori Kadoi, Yasuhiro Anpo | 91 | 19.7 |
| 2020 | Resident Evil 3 (remake) | PS4, Xbox One, PC | Kiyohiko Sakata | 79 | 14.5 |
| 2021 | Village | PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC | Morimasa Sato | 84 | 15.8 |
| 2023 | Resident Evil 4 (remake) | PS4, PS5, Xbox Series, PC | Yasuhiro Seto | 93 | 16.0 |
| 2026 | Requiem | PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, PC | Koshi Nakanishi | 89 | 8.0 |
| 2027 | Resident Evil Veronica (remake) | PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2, PC | not announced | n/a | n/a |
Where to start with Resident Evil in 2026
On Steam the Resident Evil 2, 3 and 4 remakes and Village are $39.99 each, Requiem is $69.99, and the HD versions of the first game and Zero, the original RE4, RE5, RE6 and RE7 are $19.99 each. The 1996-1999 originals are sold on GOG. I'd start with the Resident Evil 2 remake: it's the best entry point, needs no knowledge of earlier games and shows the series at its best. Then the RE4 remake if you want more action, or RE7 if you want more fear. Before Veronica arrives in 2027, at least play the RE2 remake: Claire comes from there, and her story continues.
Why is Resident Evil called Biohazard in Japan?
Biohazard couldn't be trademarked in the US because a DOS game and a band already used the name. Capcom's US office held an internal contest and Resident Evil won. In Japan the series is still called Biohazard.
What is Resident Evil 1.5?
The first version of Resident Evil 2, about 70% complete. It was scrapped at scenario writer Noboru Sugimura's urging because the police station felt too realistic and not scary. The game was rebuilt almost from scratch and released in 1998.
Has the Code: Veronica remake been announced?
Yes. Capcom announced Resident Evil Veronica on June 5, 2026, for release in 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series, Switch 2 and PC. There's no exact date yet. A Resident Evil 0 remake hasn't been announced; there are only leaks.
What is the best-selling Resident Evil game?
The 2019 Resident Evil 2 remake: 19.7 million copies as of June 30, 2026, according to Capcom. Next are Resident Evil 7 with 18.4 million and the RE4 remake with 16 million. The whole series has sold 213 million.
Is Resident Evil a remake of Sweet Home?
No. It grew out of 1989's Sweet Home, but producer Tokuro Fujiwara described it as a new series that could do what Sweet Home couldn't.
Sources
The series' future: Capcom IR press releases of March 4 and 16, June 8 and September 10, 2026, the Platinum Titles and series sales lists as of June 30, 2026; Gematsu (Veronica, Requiem updates); VGC (John McLaren's résumé); Wccftech, Insider Gaming, My Nintendo News and VICE (Dusk Golem's claims); 80.lv via Game Informer (Masachika Kawata); The Numbers and Deadline (film box office). The Ada DLC rumor was checked as an April 1, 2026 joke.
Development: Tokuro Fujiwara, Continue vol. 12, 2003, translated by GlitterBerri; Shinji Mikami in GameFan, January 1997 (scan on archive.org), gM, January 1999, translated by shmuplations, and Retro Gamer via GamesRadar+, March 22, 2021; Kotaku and Engadget, April 2009 (the name); Hideki Kamiya and Noboru Sugimura, The Playstation, June 1998, translated by shmuplations; Kamiya via Nintendo Life, December 2025; Kamiya's column on Capcom's site, 2001; Hyper Capcom Special 2002 and the official biohazard book, 2002, fan translations; Hiroyuki Kobayashi, GameSpy, September 27, 2004; Yasuhisa Kawamura via GameWatcher, March 2012; Mikami in Shacknews, March 9, 2011, via Game Informer, February 2022, and GamesRadar+, March 2022.
Later games: Jun Takeuchi, Associated Press via Engadget, March 6, 2009; Gamasutra, September 21, 2012 (RE6); Vice, January 25, 2017, and UploadVR, April 11, 2017 (RE7); Capcom's 2025 integrated report (RE Engine); PC Gamer, March 1, 2019 (Mr. X); the official series account via Shacknews, February 1, 2021 (Lady Dimitrescu); VGC, June 27, 2025, and Automaton, December 12, 2025 (Requiem). Scores: Metacritic as of October 19, 2026. Prices: Steam, US, October 19, 2026.
Images: official screenshots and art from Steam (Resident Evil HD, Zero HD, RE4, RE5, RE6, RE7, the RE2, RE3 and RE4 remakes, Village, Requiem) and GOG (the original Resident Evil, 2 and 3). Videos: the official Resident Evil channel, first-game gameplay from LongplayArchive, early RE4 versions from NeoGamer - The Video Game Archive.
