Resident Evil 3 is a 2020 survival horror game created and published by Capcom. It is a remake of the 1999 game Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. In the game, players control Jill Valentine, a former S.T.A.R.S police officer, and Carlos Oliveira, a mercenary, as they work to find a vaccine and escape a city during a zombie outbreak. The game is played from a third-person perspective, meaning players see the characters from the side. Players must defeat monsters, solve puzzles, and avoid being chased by a powerful engineered mutant called the Nemesis. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in April 2020. It later became available for Amazon Luna, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S in June 2022. A version for Nintendo Switch was released in November 2022, and an Apple version for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS was released in March 2025.
Most of Resident Evil 3 was developed at the same time as the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2. Both games use Capcom’s RE Engine. While the game follows the same basic story as the original, many parts of the story were rearranged or removed to focus on a clearer narrative. To match the action style of the original game, developers changed the movement speed and animations from the Resident Evil 2 remake and added the ability to dodge attacks. Because some features from the original game were not included, a separate online multiplayer game called Resident Evil: Resistance was released alongside Resident Evil 3.
Critics generally gave the game positive reviews, praising its engaging story, tense atmosphere, and high-quality graphics. Some critics pointed out that the game was short and had significant missing content compared to the original version. Others were disappointed that the game focused more on action and scripted events rather than exploration. By September 2025, the game had sold 10.2 million copies.
Gameplay
Resident Evil 3 is a survival horror game where players shoot from a side view. Most of the game is played by controlling Jill Valentine, a main character. Some parts of the game require players to control Carlos Oliveira for short periods. Players explore the environment to open doors, climb ladders, and collect items. Collected items are stored in an inventory, which can be checked anytime. Items can be used, examined, or combined to solve puzzles and unlock new areas. Players can pick up maps to reveal unexplored sections in the automap, which shows the player’s location and indicates if items remain to be collected. The game includes cutscenes with quick time events to advance the story.
As players progress, computer-controlled monsters will try to stop them. Players can collect and use weapons like knives, guns, and grenades. Some weapons can be improved with added parts. The main enemy, Nemesis, chases the player during key moments. Nemesis becomes more dangerous as players defeat him in battles. Players have a limited amount of health that decreases when Jill or Carlos is hurt. On harder difficulty settings, ammunition and health items are rare, and avoiding fights is often better. Jill can dodge attacks up close, while Carlos can use melee attacks to slow enemies. If Jill or Carlos dies, the game restarts from the last saved point.
After completing the game on the highest difficulty, two additional difficulty modes become available. These modes disable automatic saves, make enemies stronger, change some battles, and move item locations. Completing the game for the first time unlocks an item shop in the main menu. Players earn points by completing challenges, such as finding weapon upgrades or destroying hidden Charlie dolls. These points can be used to buy in-game advantages like new weapons or items that help with healing and damage. Unlocking items is necessary to complete the game’s most difficult modes.
Plot
On September 28, 1998, one day before the events of Resident Evil 2, most people in Raccoon City became zombies because of the T-virus, a dangerous virus created secretly by the company Umbrella. Jill Valentine, a former member of the Raccoon Police Department's Special Tactics and Rescue Service (S.T.A.R.S.), is attacked in her apartment by a smart bioweapon called the Nemesis T-Type, which was made by Umbrella to kill surviving S.T.A.R.S. members. She briefly teams up with another S.T.A.R.S. officer, Brad Vickers, but he is killed by zombies. Jill escapes from Nemesis and is saved by Carlos Oliveira, a soldier from the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service (U.B.C.S.). Carlos explains that he and his group—Mikhail Victor, Tyrell Patrick, and Nicholai Ginovaef—have set up subway trains to help civilians leave the city. Jill helps them restart the subway power and boards a train with Nicholai and Mikhail, while Carlos and Tyrell stay behind to find Dr. Nathaniel Bard, an Umbrella scientist who might have made a vaccine for the T-virus.
Later, Mikhail suspects Nicholai about how their group was attacked by zombies. Nemesis attacks the train and kills the civilians. Nicholai locks Jill and Mikhail out of the train, and Mikhail sacrifices himself by blowing up the train to stop Nemesis. Meanwhile, Carlos and Tyrell reach the police department, thinking Bard is at the S.T.A.R.S. office, but learn he is at a nearby hospital. Jill, who survived the train crash while being chased by Nemesis, contacts Carlos. She escapes and defeats Nemesis but becomes infected with the T-virus and loses consciousness. Carlos finds her later and takes her to the hospital, where he learns Bard was killed. A video from Bard shows Umbrella's leaders are destroying vaccines and hiding their connection to the T-virus. After Carlos gives Jill Bard's vaccine, Tyrell discovers the U.S. government plans to destroy Raccoon City with a missile strike to stop the T-virus. Carlos goes to a lab under the hospital to find more vaccines, while Tyrell tries to stop the missile strike.
Jill wakes up on October 1, the day of the missile strike, and joins Carlos at the lab. Tyrell tells her the government will stop the missiles if they get a vaccine from the lab within hours. Nemesis kills Tyrell, but Jill creates a vaccine. She also learns Nicholai works for an unknown contractor to sabotage Umbrella and collect data on their bioweapons, including Nemesis. Nicholai takes the vaccine from Jill to leave her to fight Nemesis. Jill defeats Nemesis with a railgun and confronts Nicholai on a helipad. Nicholai destroys the vaccine, saying the city's destruction does not matter as long as he is paid. Carlos stops Nicholai, and Jill shoots him. Disgusted by his greed, Jill escapes the city with Carlos by helicopter, leaving Nicholai behind. As missiles destroy Raccoon City, Jill promises to fight Umbrella no matter what.
Development
Resident Evil 3 was created by Capcom as a remake of the original Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, which was first released for PlayStation in 1999. The idea to make this remake came soon after Capcom began working on the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2. Since Capcom had previously remastered the 2002 version of the original Resident Evil in 2015, completing the trilogy became an important goal. Capcom received help from its subsidiary K2 Inc and outside companies Red Works and M-Two, with M-Two founded by former PlatinumGames CEO Tatsuya Minami. Kiyohiko Sakata, a veteran from PlatinumGames who worked on the first four Resident Evil games, directed the project. Although development for Resident Evil 3 and the Resident Evil 2 remake started at different times, both projects overlapped significantly. As a result, both games share similar technology and use Capcom’s special game engine called RE Engine.
Some people who worked on the original game were involved in the remake and helped redesign Raccoon City to match their original vision. Because Resident Evil 3 happens at nearly the same time as Resident Evil 2, the development team decided to connect the stories more closely than in the original versions. Improving the story’s pace and creating stronger character relationships, especially between Jill and Carlos, was a major focus. The team wanted Jill to appear strong and capable of surviving difficult situations, while Carlos was designed to be her loyal ally. Their outfits were changed to reflect these roles, with Jill wearing more practical clothing and Carlos having a more rugged appearance. Capcom used the likeness of Russian model Sasha Zotova as the basis for Jill’s face. To honor the original game’s action-focused style, the team improved movement speed and animations from the Resident Evil 2 remake and added a feature that lets players automatically aim at an opponent’s head after dodging an attack.
Designing Nemesis, the game’s main enemy, went through many changes. While the art team kept the character’s original look, they redesigned it to fit a more realistic setting. One major change is that Nemesis now wears bodybags instead of regular clothing. According to the game’s director, Kiyohiko Sakata, this choice was made to show that Nemesis is a prototype, not a finished model. In an interview, Sakata explained that the bodybags were meant to look like restrictive gear hastily created to contain Nemesis. The game’s producer, Peter Fabiano, said the redesign helped keep the original game’s spirit while making it more modern. Sakata originally wanted Nemesis to actively hunt the player, but after seeing how the Resident Evil 2 team designed the Tyrant to behave, he decided to make Nemesis more advanced. The team gave Nemesis the ability to use weapons, grab Jill with his tentacles, and jump long distances to appear near her. These changes were meant to make players feel constantly chased by a powerful enemy while also giving them moments of relief and the chance to believe Jill could win.
Although Resident Evil 3 follows the same basic story as the original, many parts were rearranged, especially compared to the Resident Evil 2 remake. Some locations from the original, such as the clock tower, graveyard, park, and city hall, were removed. However, the game’s story and dialogue were expanded to create a more consistent narrative. Carlos plays a bigger role in the remake. The original game’s multiple endings and choices that affected the story were removed to focus on a single, clearer storyline. The Mercenaries – Operation: Mad Jackal mode, which challenges players to escape the city within a time limit, was also excluded from the remake. Instead, Capcom bundled Resident Evil 3 with Resident Evil: Resistance, a separate online multiplayer game made by a company in Taiwan called NeoBards. By January 2020, about 90% of the game was completed, with final adjustments made afterward. The total development time for the game was three years.
Marketing and release
Resident Evil 3 was officially announced during a Sony live event on December 10, 2019, after development of the game had been suggested by multiple sources. A hint about the game was later added to the Resident Evil 2 remake through an update, giving players a reward if they found and read a letter left by Jill in the game. A demo version was released on March 19, 2020, letting players try a small part of the game before its full release. A new trailer focusing on Jill was shared on March 27, 2020. Players who pre-ordered the game at certain stores received a special downloadable content pack that included Jill's original outfit and Carlos' original hairstyle.
Resident Evil 3 was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on April 3, 2020. A launch trailer was also released, reminding buyers that Resident Evil: Resistance was included for free with every purchase of the game. A collector's edition was available for console versions, including a Jill Valentine figurine, a hardcover art book, a Raccoon City map poster, and a two-disc soundtrack. In Europe, physical copies of the game were likely delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A board game based on Resident Evil 3 was released by Capcom on April 28, 2020, supporting up to four players and featuring a 19-hour campaign with a main storyline. A downloadable content pack that lets players unlock Jill's S.T.A.R.S costume and items from the in-game shop without completing challenges was released in August 2020.
Versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S were announced on March 2, 2022, and released digitally on June 13, 2022, along with upgrades for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and the Resident Evil 2 remake. These versions include improved graphics, such as ray-tracing and high-framerate modes, with the PlayStation 5 version also supporting haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. Owners of the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One versions could upgrade for free, and a free upgrade patch for the Windows version was released at the same time. A version for Amazon Luna was announced on May 26, 2022, and released on June 10, 2022. A Nintendo Switch cloud version was released on November 18, 2022. In 2025, versions for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS were released.
Reception
Resident Evil 3 received mostly positive reviews on Metacritic and a 79% score on OpenCritic. IGN said the game is as strong as its popular predecessor, noting it successfully brings back the horror and tension of the original late '90s game while updating its gameplay. Game Informer called it an exciting experience from start to finish. GameRevolution described it as short but thrilling, saying it improves on the original in visuals and storytelling. Destructoid mentioned the remake might divide opinions, just like the original did. Some critics were less impressed. GameSpot said the game starts strong but loses quality later. PC Gamer called it shallow, saying its high-quality visuals hide a rushed and unambitious feel.
Critics praised the game’s visuals, including detailed environments, tense atmosphere, lighting, and varied locations. Destructoid highlighted the remake’s character designs, saying they enhance the scary feeling of exploring the city. IGN said the storytelling delivers dramatic moments without unnecessary explanations. Edge magazine noted the game’s writing is better than the original because it keeps the original’s style while updating characters. Many critics liked the characters, especially Jill and Carlos, who were described as believable. However, some critics were disappointed that the game relied heavily on scripted scenes and cinematic moments. VG247 said Nemesis is only active in a small part of the game, mostly during scripted sequences or boss fights, which some critics felt wasted his potential.
Most critics agreed the game lacks the depth of its predecessor, focusing more on action than exploration or puzzles. However, some said it is not as action-heavy as Resident Evil 6 and still includes item management from earlier games. GamesRadar+ compared the hospital area to the police station in the Resident Evil 2 remake, saying both require careful exploration. The dodge ability was praised but criticized for inconsistent timing. Some critics said the combat and gunplay were less satisfying than the original.
Many critics criticized the game’s short length and limited replay value. GameSpot said the game follows the original’s story but omits some locations, making its short length more noticeable. GameRevolution said the game removes some areas but adds others, calling it a reimagining rather than a true remake. Edge said the short length is not a problem, as it takes about six to eight hours to complete and includes unlockable items for speedruns, which encourage replaying. The magazine also said the remake is more true to the original’s spirit than its content.
At The Game Awards 2020, Resident Evil 3 was nominated for Best Audio Design but lost to The Last of Us Part II. At IGN’s Game of the Year Awards 2020, it was nominated for Best Action-Adventure Game and Best Remake/Remaster but lost to The Last of Us Part II and Final Fantasy VII Remake, respectively. It won the Award for Excellence at the Japan Game Awards 2021.
Resident Evil 3 sold more than two million copies in its first five days, with about half sold digitally. In Japan, the PlayStation 4 version sold over 189,000 copies in its first week, becoming the second best-selling retail game that week. By May 2020, the game had sold 2.5 million copies, and by June 30, 2020, 2.7 million copies. Although this is a 55% drop from its predecessor’s sales, Capcom said the numbers met expectations. In January 2021, sales reached 3.6 million copies. By October 2021, sales hit 3.9 million, and Capcom called the game a "hit." By November 2021, sales reached 4.6 million, with many copies sold digitally. By January 2023, sales reached 6.4 million, and by June 2023, 7.6 million. At the end of 2023, total sales reached 8.4 million. By April 2025, sales reached 10 million copies, and by January 2026, sales reached 10.994 million copies.