Resident Evil, known as Biohazard (バイオハザード, Baiohazādo) in Japan, is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It includes survival horror, third-person shooter, and first-person games. Players often survive in settings filled with zombies and other mutated creatures. The franchise has grown into other media, such as live-action films, animated films, television shows, comic books, novels, audiobooks, and merchandise.

Resident Evil is one of the highest-grossing horror franchises in history and Capcom's most successful franchise, with over 170 million copies sold worldwide as of March 2025. Some games in the series have won awards. Characters like Leon S. Kennedy, Chris Redfield, and Albert Wesker are considered video game icons.

The first Resident Evil game was made by Shinji Mikami and Tokuro Fujiwara for PlayStation and released in 1996. It helped create the survival horror genre and brought zombies back into popular culture. With Resident Evil 4 (2005), the series shifted to more action-focused gameplay, introducing the widely used "over-the-shoulder" third-person view in action-adventure games. The franchise returned to survival horror with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017) and Resident Evil Village (2021), both using a first-person perspective. Capcom also released four remakes: Resident Evil (2002), Resident Evil 2 (2019), Resident Evil 3 (2020), and Resident Evil 4 (2023). The ninth main game, Resident Evil Requiem, was released on February 27, 2026.

The first Resident Evil film came out in 2002, starring Milla Jovovich. It was followed by five sequels and a reboot called Welcome to Raccoon City (2021). The films received mostly negative reviews but earned over $1.2 billion, making Resident Evil the third-highest-grossing video game film series.

History

The first Resident Evil game, called Biohazard in Japan, began being made in 1993. Capcom’s Tokuro Fujiwara asked Shinji Mikami and others to create a game using ideas from his earlier game, Sweet Home, which was made for the Family Computer (Famicom) in Japan. When the game was ready to be released in the United States in late 1994, the company had to find a new name. This is because the name Biohazard was already used for a computer game and a music band. A contest was held to choose a new name, and the winning choice was "Resident Evil," the name used for the game in Western countries. Resident Evil was first released on the PlayStation in 1996 and later made available for the Sega Saturn.

The first game in the series was the first to be called a "survival horror" game, a term created to describe the new type of game it started. Its success led to two follow-up games: Resident Evil 2 in 1998 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis in 1999, both for the PlayStation. A version of Resident Evil 2 was also made for the Nintendo 64. Later, all three games were released for Windows computers. The next major game, Resident Evil – Code: Veronica, was made for the Dreamcast and released in 2000. Updated versions of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis were also released. Code: Veronica was later rereleased for the Dreamcast in Japan with small changes, including new story scenes. This updated version was later made available for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube as Code: Veronica X.

At first, the next game in the series was planned for the PlayStation 2. This led to the creation of an unrelated game, Devil May Cry. However, Shinji Mikami decided to focus on making future games only for the GameCube. The next three games in the series were a remake of the original Resident Evil, a prequel called Resident Evil Zero, and Resident Evil 4. All were released for the GameCube in 2002 and 2005. Resident Evil 4 was later released for Windows, PlayStation 2, and Wii.

A series of three light gun games, called Gun Survivor, used first-person gameplay. The first game, Resident Evil Survivor, was released in 2000 for the PlayStation and PC but received average reviews. Later games, such as Resident Evil Survivor 2 – Code: Veronica and Resident Evil: Dead Aim, were better received. Dead Aim is the fourth Gun Survivor game in Japan, with Gun Survivor 3 being a spin-off called Dino Stalker. Another series, called Chronicles, also used first-person gameplay but on a fixed path. Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles was released for the Wii in 2007, and its sequel, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, was released in 2009. Both were later made available for the PlayStation 3 in 2012.

Resident Evil Outbreak is an online game for the PlayStation 2, released in 2003. It tells a series of stories set in Raccoon City during the same time as Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. It was the first game in the series to include cooperative gameplay. A sequel, Resident Evil Outbreak: File #2, was later released. Raccoon City is a city in the Arklay Mountains of the Midwestern United States. It was destroyed by a nuclear missile attack after a deadly virus outbreak. The city is an important place in the series, as it led to the downfall of a company called Umbrella and introduced key characters.

Resident Evil Gaiden is an action-adventure game for the Game Boy Color with a role-playing-style combat system. There have been several mobile games based on the Resident Evil series in Japan, some of which were released in North America and Europe through T-Mobile. At a Sony press event in 2009, a new game called Resident Evil Portable was announced for the PlayStation Portable. It was described as a new game designed for the PSP Go and different from previous Resident Evil games. No further updates were made, and the game is believed to have been canceled.

In 2009, Resident Evil 5 was released for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. It became the best-selling game in the series despite mixed fan opinions. Capcom later released Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, a third-person shooter game made by Slant Six Games, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows in 2012. A survival horror game called Resident Evil: Revelations was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012. The next numbered game in the series, Resident Evil 6, was released in October 2012 and received mixed reviews, though it had strong pre-order sales.

In 2013, producer Masachika Kawata said the Resident Evil series would focus more on horror and suspense than action. He noted that survival horror games are not as financially successful as action games but emphasized the importance of meeting fan needs. Resident Evil: Revelations 2, an episodic game between Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, was released in 2015. A series of multiplayer games began with Umbrella Corps, released in 2016 but poorly received. Resident Evil: Resistance was released in 2020, followed by Resident Evil Re:Verse in 2022. Both games were available for free to those who purchased Resident Evil 3 and Village.

Using the newly developed RE Engine, the series returned to focusing more on horror. The next main game, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, was released in 2017 for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Set in a ruined mansion in Louisiana, the game uses a first-person perspective and focuses on horror and exploration rather than action. The first-person perspective continued in Resident Evil Village, the eighth main game, released in 2021. Set in a mysterious European village, it is a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard but includes more action elements inspired by Resident Evil 4. The game was also the first in the series to be released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The ninth main game, Resident Evil Requiem, was released in 2026.

A new wave of remakes began in 2019 with a remake of Resident Evil 2 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The remake sold more than five million copies within a year. A remake of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, called Resident Evil 3, was released in 2020. A remake

Story overview

The early Resident Evil games focus on the Umbrella Corporation, a large international company that secretly creates viruses to develop bio-organic weapons (BOWs). These viruses can turn humans into mindless zombies and change plants and animals into terrifying creatures. Umbrella uses its power to control Raccoon City, a fictional city in the American Midwest. In the first Resident Evil game, members of an elite police group called the Special Tactics and Rescue Service (STARS) are sent to an old, abandoned mansion near Raccoon City. Most of the STARS team is killed by zombies and other BOWs, leaving only a few survivors, including Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Albert Wesker. Chris and Jill explore the mansion and discover a hidden Umbrella research facility underground. Wesker is revealed to be working for Umbrella and betrays his team. However, Wesker appears to be killed by a powerful BOW called the Tyrant.

Chris and Jill escape the mansion, but city officials ignore their warnings because Umbrella has too much influence. At the same time, a virus spreads in another Umbrella facility beneath Raccoon City, infecting most of the city’s residents and turning them into zombies. In Resident Evil 2, two new characters, Leon S. Kennedy, a young police officer, and Claire Redfield, Chris’s sister, arrive in Raccoon City during the outbreak. Leon is helped by Ada Wong, a spy pretending to be an FBI agent, while Claire rescues Sherry Birkin, the daughter of two Umbrella scientists. Meanwhile, Jill escapes the city in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. A new Tyrant, called Nemesis, is sent by Umbrella to kill surviving STARS members and pursues Jill. The U.S. Government destroys Raccoon City with a nuclear missile to stop the virus. Leon, Claire, Sherry, Ada, and Jill escape before the city is destroyed. Claire searches for Chris, while Leon joins the U.S. Government.

In Resident Evil – Code: Veronica, Claire escapes from a prison camp in the Southern Ocean and reunites with Chris at an Umbrella research facility in Antarctica. It is revealed that Wesker is still alive. Resident Evil 4, set six years after the Raccoon City incident, follows Leon as he tries to rescue the U.S. President’s daughter from a cult in Spain.

A government investigation finds that Umbrella caused the Raccoon City disaster, leading to the company’s collapse. Even after Umbrella is gone, its research and BOWs continue to spread through the black market, increasing bioterrorism. Chris and Jill form the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA) to fight these threats worldwide. Wesker creates new dangerous viruses and BOWs. In Resident Evil 5, Wesker plans to release a powerful virus that could infect all humans. Chris and the BSAA stop him in Africa. In Resident Evil 6, Leon and Chris meet for the first time in the game series. They work separately to stop bioterrorist attacks in the United States, Eastern Europe, and China. They are helped by Sherry, Wesker’s son Jake Muller, Ada, and others from the BSAA and the U.S. Government.

In Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil Village, a new character named Ethan Winters becomes involved in a bioterrorism event while searching for his missing wife. He meets Chris and the BSAA, who help him rescue his wife and defeat a powerful BOW named Eveline. Ethan, his wife Mia, and their baby, Rosemary, are moved to Eastern Europe but are kidnapped by a cult. Ethan sacrifices himself to destroy a dangerous fungal colony used by bioterrorists and save his family. In Resident Evil Requiem, a new character, Grace Ashcroft, investigates a sickness affecting survivors of the Raccoon City disaster. She finds clues in the city’s ruins with help from Leon and Sherry.

Gameplay

The Resident Evil franchise has used many different ways for players to control characters and play games over time. Solving puzzles has been an important part of the series throughout its history.

The first game introduced a control method known as "tank controls." In this system, players move the character based on the character's position, not the camera's view. For example, pressing "up" on a controller moves the character forward, "down" moves them backward, and "left" or "right" turns them. This can feel confusing if the character is facing the camera, as the controls seem reversed. This is different from many 3D games, where characters move in the direction the player pushes the controls from the camera's perspective. Some critics believe this control method is intentionally difficult to increase the challenge.

The first three games used tank controls, but the third game, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, added action-focused features like a 180-degree turn and a dodge command. Resident Evil 4 changed the gameplay significantly by using a tracking camera instead of fixed camera views, adding more action-oriented mechanics. This game also included more ammunition and updated aiming and melee systems. Some critics said these changes made the game less scary. The next two games, Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6, continued this shift by adding cooperative play, strafing, and the ability to move while aiming and shooting, completely moving away from tank controls.

Resident Evil 7 was the first main game in the series to use a first-person perspective and virtual reality. It was compared to other survival horror games like Outlast and PT. The eighth main game, Resident Evil Village, also uses a first-person view. A VR version of Resident Evil 4 was released on the Oculus Quest 2 on October 21, 2021.

Other media

The Resident Evil franchise includes video games, movies, books, and other products. It also has animated and live-action films, comic books, and novels.

From 2002 to 2016, six live-action Resident Evil films were made. All of them were written and produced by Paul W. S. Anderson. These films are not based on the games’ stories but include some characters from the games. The main character in the films is Alice, a new character created for the movies. She is played by Milla Jovovich. Although critics did not like the films, they earned more than $1 billion worldwide. These films are the only video game adaptations that made more money with each new movie. In 2012, the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition listed the series as having the most live-action films based on a video game. It also called it the most successful movie series based on a video game.

A new version of the films, called Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, was released on November 24, 2021. Johannes Roberts wrote and directed it.

In January 2025, Zach Cregger was announced as the writer and director of another new version of the films. The movie is being made by Constantin Film and PlayStation Productions. In March 2025, Sony Pictures won the rights to the Resident Evil franchise. Columbia Pictures will distribute the new movie. The film is set to release on September 18, 2026. In June 2025, it was reported that the movie will be filmed in the Czech Republic. On August 11, 2025, Austin Abrams was confirmed to star in the film. Filming will begin in Prague in November 2025. Cregger said he had not seen any of the previous films and that the new movie will be closer to the video games, especially Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, and Resident Evil 4.

The first animated film for the franchise was Biohazard 4D-Executer. It was a short 3D movie made for Japanese theme parks and did not include any game characters. Starting in 2008, longer animated films were released. These films share the same story as the games and include characters like Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Ada Wong, Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Rebecca Chambers.

Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, a four-part animated series, began on Netflix on July 8, 2021. It follows Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield as they uncover a global plot.

A live-action series called Resident Evil premiered on Netflix on July 14, 2022. It has eight episodes and follows two storylines set in 2022 and 2036. These stories focus on Albert Wesker and his daughters as they deal with Umbrella’s experiments in New Raccoon City.

Toy companies like Toy Biz, Palisades Toys, NECA, and Hot Toys have made their own lines of Resident Evil action figures and models. Tokyo Marui also made airsoft guns based on weapons from the games, such as the STARS Beretta from Resident Evil 3 and the Desert Eagle in a special edition. Other merchandise includes an energy drink called “T-virus Antidote.”

Resident Evil Archives is a guide to the Resident Evil series written by Capcom staff. It was translated into English and published by BradyGames. The guide covers key events from Resident Evil Zero, Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, and Code: Veronica. It also includes character relationships, artwork, item descriptions, and game transcripts. A second volume was released in 2011 and covers Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil 5, and other related content.

A restaurant called Biohazard Cafe & Grill S.T.A.R.S. opened in Tokyo in 2012. In 2013, Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights included a haunted house called Resident Evil: Escape from Raccoon City, based on Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis.

The first Resident Evil novel was Biohazard: The Beginning by Hiroyuki Ariga. It was published in 1997 as part of a book given away with the Sega Saturn version of Biohazard. The story introduces events before the original game, where Chris investigates the disappearance of his friend, Billy Rabbitson.

S. D. Perry wrote novels based on the first five games and created two original stories between the games. These books sometimes differ from the games’ plots. One character added in the novels is Trent, who helps the main characters from behind the scenes. Perry’s books were translated into Japanese with new covers. Some events in his novels, like Billy Rabbitson’s disappearance, connect to Biohazard: The Beginning.

In Japan, there are three original Biohazard novels. Hokkai no Yōjū was written in 1998 by Kyū Asakura and Flagship staff. Two more novels were published in 2002: To the Liberty by Sudan Kimura and Rose Blank by Tadashi Aizawa. These books have not been officially translated into English but were published in German.

Novels based on the films Genesis, Apocalypse, and Extinction were written by Keith DeCandido. Afterlife did not get a novelization because Capcom stopped working with Pocket Books. Retribution was written by John Shirley, and The Final Chapter by Tim Waggoner. Genesis was published two years after the film and marketed as a prequel to Apocalypse. Extinction was released in July 2007, two months before the film. The Final Chapter came out in December 2016 with the movie. A Japanese novelization of the first film, unrelated to DeCandido’s version, was written by Osamu Makino. Makino also wrote two novels based on Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles.

Reception and legacy

Most of the games in the popular Resident Evil series have received positive reviews. Some games, including Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 4, have won many Game of the Year awards and are often included in lists of the best video games ever made.

In 1999, Next Generation ranked the Resident Evil series as number 13 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time" list. They said the game had perfect graphics, great music, and a strong story that created a unique atmosphere and suspense. In 2012, Complex placed the Resident Evil series at number 22 on the list of the best video game franchises. That same year, G4tv called it "one of the most successful series in gaming history."

By December 2022, about 135 million Resident Evil games had been sold. The first two games sold around 11 million copies worldwide by March 1999. By early 2001, the series had sold 17 million copies worldwide and earned more than $600 million. By 2011, the series had sold about 46 million copies and was estimated to have made at least $1.3 billion. The Guinness World Records recognizes the Resident Evil series as the best-selling survival horror series. The Resident Evil 2 remake is the best-selling survival horror game as of 2023. Seven of the top ten best-selling horror games in North America are from the Resident Evil series.

The 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4 sold more than 3 million copies in its first two days. It sold 4 million copies in its first two weeks, making it one of the fastest-selling Resident Evil games. In Japan, it was the best-selling retail game in its first week, selling 89,662 copies on PlayStation 5 and 85,371 on PlayStation 4.

The Resident Evil film series was the highest-grossing film series based on video games by 2012. By 2011, the films had earned over $600 million at the box office, bringing the franchise's total revenue to more than $1.9 billion from video games and films combined. As of 2020, the films had earned more than $1.3 billion from box office and home video sales. The success of the games and films made Resident Evil the highest-grossing franchise in the horror and zombie genres.

GameSpot listed the original Resident Evil as one of the 15 most influential video games of all time. It is credited with creating and popularizing the survival horror genre. It also helped video games move toward a movie-like style, including live-action scenes. However, the game’s live-action opening was controversial and led to it receiving the "Mature 17+" (M) rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), even though the scene was censored in North America.

The Resident Evil franchise is credited with starting a comeback for the zombie genre in popular culture, leading to more zombie films in the 2000s. The series also helped change the zombie genre by using science to explain how zombies are created instead of supernatural ideas. Kim Newman wrote in the book Nightmare Movies (2011) that the zombie revival began in the Far East, mainly because of the 1996 Japanese games Resident Evil and The House of the Dead. George A. Romero said in 2013 that the games Resident Evil and House of the Dead helped popularize his zombie ideas in the early 2000s. Alex Garland, the writer of 28 Days Later (2002), said Resident Evil inspired his film. Edgar Wright, the writer of Shaun of the Dead (2004), said Resident Evil 2 influenced his movie. Simon Pegg, who co-wrote Shaun of the Dead, also said the first Resident Evil game started the zombie revival. Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead comic, called Resident Evil his favorite zombie game. Greg Nicotero, the director of The Walking Dead TV series, said Resident Evil and The House of the Dead introduced zombies to a new generation of people who did not grow up watching classic zombie films like Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead.

The zombies in Resident Evil: Apocalypse were planned and organized by Sharon B. Moore and Derek Aasland. They created a logical explanation for the T-virus that explained how zombies behave, based on the script by Paul W. S. Anderson. Sharon B. Moore and Derek Aasland wrote a guide called the "Undead Bible," which helped nearly 1,000 cast members, including stunt performers, actors, dancers, and extras, perform zombie movements consistently. The stunt and core teams participated in a training program called "Undead Bootcamp." A 2007 documentary titled Undead Bootcamp features producer Jeremy Bolt, director Alexander Witt, and choreographers Sharon B. Moore and Derek Aasland.

On the DVD featurette Resident Evil: Game Over, director Alexander Witt said the zombies in Apocalypse needed to be "more aggressive and more dangerous" than in the original film. The choreographers Sharon B. Moore and Derek Aasland designed the zombies as "liquid zombies," meaning they moved forward without stopping, flowed around obstacles, and attacked suddenly. This is also described in the book Biopunk Dystopias: Genetic Engineering, Society, and Science Fiction (Lars Schmeink, 2016, p.