Resident Evil 4 is a 2023 survival horror game created and published by Capcom. K2 Inc. provided extra help with the game and its downloadable content. This version is a remake of the 2005 game Resident Evil 4. It was released on March 24, 2023, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. Later, versions for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS were released on December 20, 2023.
In the game, players control Leon S. Kennedy, a U.S. agent who must rescue Ashley Graham, the daughter of the U.S. president, from a secret group in rural Spain. The remake includes a new story, improved graphics, new characters, and updated gameplay similar to other Resident Evil remakes like Biohazard (2017) and Village (2021). The team added more details about Ashley’s character and her relationship with Leon. They used Capcom’s RE Engine for the game. Two downloadable content pieces were released: Mercenaries, a mini-game where players fight waves of enemies, and Separate Ways, a side story where players control Ada Wong, another agent.
Resident Evil 4 received high praise from critics and was nominated for the Golden Joystick Award for Ultimate Game of the Year and The Game Award for Game of the Year. By April 2025, it had sold over 10 million copies, making it the fastest-selling Resident Evil game until another game, Resident Evil Requiem, surpassed it in 2026.
Gameplay
Resident Evil 4 is a remake of the 2005 game Resident Evil 4. It uses a "over-the-shoulder" third-person shooter style, similar to the original, and includes design ideas from the remakes of Resident Evil 2 (2019) and Resident Evil 3 (2020). The game has new visuals meant to create a more intense mood, along with updated character designs and backgrounds. Players can choose from six control schemes, one of which matches the original game. At times, players must solve puzzles to access certain areas. In some parts of the game, Leon must protect the president's daughter, Ashley. Ashley has a simpler health system than the original version, and players can tell her to stay near or far from Leon.
Like the original game, players organize items using an attaché case. A new crafting system allows players to make items and ammunition using collected resources. The Merchant returns, letting players buy, upgrade, and trade items. The Merchant also offers new side quests that can be completed during the main story. Combat focuses on shooting enemies and reloading, as in the original. However, Leon can now move and use weapons at the same time, letting him dodge attacks while firing and reload while moving. Leon can use melee attacks to hurt enemies and push them away. A new parrying feature lets Leon block, counterattack, and kill fallen enemies with his knife. Unlike the original, Leon's knife has a durability meter. If the knife breaks, players must speak to the Merchant to repair or improve it. Leon can carry multiple knives with different abilities.
The gameplay in the Separate Ways DLC is mostly the same as the main game, but adds a grappling hook mechanic. This allows Ada to reach areas that were previously unreachable and perform melee attacks from a distance. Attaching a specific charm lets Ada use her grappling hook to remove shields from certain enemies. Ada also has an Internal Retinal Inquiry System (I.R.I.S.) that helps her see hidden clues, which aid her mission.
Plot
After the destruction of Raccoon City in 1998, Leon S. Kennedy (Nick Apostolides / Toshiyuki Morikawa) joins a special program and gets training with Major Jack Krauser (Mike Kovac / Kengo Tsuji) after agreeing to work for the United States government. Six years later, in 2004, Leon is sent by the president to rescue his kidnapped daughter, Ashley Graham (Genevieve Buechner / Akari Kito), from a village in rural Spain with the help of Ingrid Hunnigan (Raylene Harewood / Yu Sugimoto) from far away. Soon after arriving, Leon finds his escorts brutally murdered by the villagers, who are being controlled by the parasite Las Plagas and have joined the Los Illuminados cult. Searching for Ashley, Leon meets Luis Serra (André Peña / Kenjiro Tsuda), a scientist on the run from the cult whom Ingrid confirms once worked for the Umbrella Corporation. Leon and Luis are captured by the village head, Chief Bitores Méndez (Jon Bryant / Takeshi Oda), who injects Leon with a Plaga parasite. After escaping captivity, the pair separate.
Leon learns that Ashley is being kept inside the village's old church and rescues her. She has also been infected with a Plaga. They are pursued by Méndez and many villagers until Leon kills him inside an abandoned warehouse. With their rescue helicopter delayed by bad weather, the pair retreat to a castle to seek shelter but Lord Ramón Salazar's (Marcio Moreno / Chō) forces capture Ashley. Leon briefly re-encounters Ada Wong (Lily Gao / Junko Minagawa) following their last encounter in Raccoon City. Leon battles his way throughout the castle before reuniting with Luis underground, who provides suppressants for the Plagas and reveals he wants to atone for his actions while working as an Umbrella researcher and for Los Illuminados. The pair use mining tunnels to reach the surface, but Luis is fatally stabbed by Krauser, who engages Leon in combat until Luis forces him to retreat. Before he dies, Luis gives Leon the key to his personal lab so the latter can cure himself and Ashley. Upon returning to the castle, Leon battles and kills Salazar before receiving Ada's help in pursuing Krauser, who has taken Ashley to an island facility.
Fighting through the island, Leon reunites with Ashley, but they encounter Osmund Saddler (Christopher Jane / Hōchū Ōtsuka), Los Illuminados' leader, who intends to send the infected Ashley back to the United States to infect her father so he can take over the world. Saddler uses their Plagas to control Ashley and incapacitate Leon, separating them again. While moving through the facility, Leon discovers Krauser kidnapped Ashley and brought her to the village out of resentment against the United States government for their handling of "Operation Javier," a mission he narrowly survived two years prior that resulted in his entire unit being killed. Desiring power, Krauser uses a Plaga to mutate himself and fight Leon, who kills him despite not wanting to. Leon reunites with Ashley again but Saddler returns and attempts to kill Leon until Ada intervenes, allowing Leon to take Ashley to Luis's lab and remove their parasites. While searching for a means of escape, Leon rescues Ada from Saddler before joining forces with her to kill him, who drops a vial of Plaga amber. Ada takes the vial and leaves in a helicopter while Leon and Ashley escape the exploding island on a jet ski.
Prior to Leon's arrival, Ada frees Luis from Salazar's dungeon so he can procure a vial of Plaga amber he had hidden for her, but gets infected with a unique Plaga by one of Salazar's enforcers, Pesanta. While attempting to rendezvous with Luis and evading Pesanta, Ada helps secretly Leon in his fight against Los Illuminados. As her infection gets worse, Ada's increasingly impatient boss, Albert Wesker (Craig Burnatowski / Jouji Nakata), periodically checks in on her. She eventually reunites with Luis, who realizes she is infected and convinces her to collect ingredients for a suppressant to slow her, Leon, and Ashley's infections. Complicating matters, Ada's condition worsens further in the amber's presence, forcing the pair to separate once more until her suppressant takes hold. While Luis helps Leon and Ashley, Ada kills Pesanta, which causes her to vomit her parasite. After killing it, she tries to find Luis again, only to learn Krauser killed him for the amber.
Ada helps Leon reach Los Illuminados' island facility before secretly placing a tracker on him and breaking off to find Krauser. She witnesses him give the amber to Saddler before Wesker provides a device to help her bypass the facility's security. Upon learning Wesker also intends to detonate the island, regardless of Ashley's survival, Ada uses Luis's files to sabotage the bombs before using Leon's tracker to locate Saddler. She rescues Leon and Ashley and defeats Saddler, but he catches her off-guard and captures her. Leon eventually rescues Ada, who joins him in killing Saddler before retrieving the amber. As she leaves, she contacts Wesker to inquire about his intentions for the amber. When he promises a "new dawn will break" at the cost of billions of casualties, a disgusted Ada forces her pilot to change course.
Wesker learns of Ada's betrayal and that the island is still intact due to the bombs not detonating correctly. Having obtained Krauser's body, an undeterred Wesker proclaims the "age of man" will soon end.
Development
Capcom moved the development of Resident Evil 4 back to its own team in early 2021, led by the Division 1 team. Many staff members who worked on the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2 returned to help create Resident Evil 4. Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi said making a remake of Resident Evil 4 was challenging because the original game was very popular. Kazunori Kadoi and Yasuhiro Anpo, who worked on the Resident Evil 2 remake, were chosen as directors. Kadoi oversaw gameplay details, such as how Leon’s knife works and how long it lasts after fighting enemies. Capcom used fewer quick time events than the original game. The development team was divided into three groups that worked on three areas: the village, the castle, and the island.
The team wanted to improve Ashley’s character and her relationship with Leon, and make the story more focused on horror. Visuals were updated to create a stronger sense of horror. The game was made using the RE Engine. Japanese voice actors for Leon and Ada from the Resident Evil 2 remake returned for this game. Nick Apostolides, who voiced Leon in the Resident Evil 2 remake, also voiced Leon in English for this game. The English voice of Ada was changed to Lily Gao, who played the character in the 2021 film Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, replacing Jolene Andersen. Gao removed her Instagram posts after being harassed online and later said, “My Ada is a survivor. She is unpredictable, resilient, and absolutely not a stereotype.” D.C. Douglas, who voiced Wesker for many years, did not return; Craig Burnatowski took over the role. As with previous remakes, other actors provided likenesses, 3D modeling, and performance capture. Ella Freya, a Dutch model, provided the face model for Ashley, while Genevieve Buechner provided her voice.
The team updated gameplay to match Resident Evil Village (2021) and the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3. The original game used a laser sight on weapons to help aim, but this was replaced with a reticule. To please fans who liked the laser, Capcom included it as an attachment. Like in Resident Evil 2, Leon’s knife has limited durability and wears down with use but can be upgraded. A new weapon, the bolt thrower (a crossbow), was added to stealthily kill enemies. The Ganados were redesigned to be more dangerous, requiring players to use the environment, such as lighting flammable objects or blocking doors and windows. Changes to the environment are saved, so returning to areas shows moved or destroyed objects. If grabbed by an enemy, players can press buttons or use the knife to escape. The Ganados’ Plaga parasites now cause them to fall to the floor and convulse instead of erupting immediately, forcing players to prioritize killing them before other enemies.
The team improved Ashley’s role by making her stay with Leon at all times, though players can tell her to stay close or keep distance. Yasuhiro Anpo, co-director of the remake, explained, “We wanted her to be by your side so she left an impression, and we wanted to avoid making her disappear for a while.” Ashley’s health bar was removed, and she can no longer use yellow herbs to boost her health. If she takes severe damage, she falls and must be revived to avoid losing the game, similar to Resident Evil 6. She can also be carried by enemies, and if carried too far from Leon without being saved, the game ends. Her outfit and design were changed to make her look and act more like a partner than a damsel in distress. Like the original, Ashley can be sent out to complete tasks, such as leading her through holes to unlock doors. Unlike the original, she can now climb ladders on her own.
While reviewing the 2005 game for ideas, developers noticed the Blue Medallion mini-quest in the village, which was not repeated elsewhere. New mini-quests were added to the village, rewarding Leon for finding specific items and defeating target enemies for the Merchant.
Release and marketing
The first teaser trailer was shown during the PlayStation State of Play presentation on June 3, 2022. The game was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on March 24, 2023, with future support for PS VR2. A version for macOS and iOS on select iPad, Mac, and iPhone models was made available on December 20, 2023.
A second trailer and gameplay footage were shown during a showcase in October 2022. Preorders included Leon's briefcase and Leon's handgun ammo as collectible items. A third trailer was shown during PlayStation's State of Play on February 23, 2023. After feedback about rain effects in preview footage, Capcom planned to release a patch on the game's release day to adjust them.
A playable demo was announced during a Capcom Spotlight livestream on March 9, 2023, and released immediately for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. On March 20, 2023, Capcom released three television commercials in Japan that mimicked the anime series World Masterpiece Theater, created in partnership with Nippon Animation, the studio that produced the animation. A collector's edition was available for console versions, including a Leon figurine, a hardcover artbook, a village map poster, and a digital soundtrack. Lily Gao, who voiced Ada Wong, faced online harassment from players who were not satisfied with her performance.
On April 7, 2023, The Mercenaries, a minigame from the original game where players must kill enemies within a time limit, was released as free downloadable content. On the same day, Capcom introduced microtransactions to allow players to spend extra money to upgrade weapons faster.
On September 14, 2023, during a PlayStation State of Play presentation, Separate Ways, a side story from the original game featuring Ada Wong, Luis, and Albert Wesker, was announced as paid DLC along with a title update for The Mercenaries. Both were released on September 21, 2023. Capcom showcased Separate Ways at Tokyo Game Show 2023.
On December 8, 2023, Capcom released a VR mode as free downloadable content.
Reception
Resident Evil 4 received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to Metacritic, a website that collects reviews. The site noted that the game updated its graphics, controls, and story while keeping many elements that made the original a classic survival horror game. On OpenCritic, 98% of 193 critic reviews recommended the game. Shinji Mikami, the director of the original Resident Evil 4, said on Twitter that he enjoyed the remake. He praised the team for improving the story and making it more detailed than the original, which he wrote quickly.
Many critics gave the game a perfect score. VG247 highlighted improvements in gameplay, such as better weapon handling and changes to missions involving Ashley. The Guardian noted better camera controls and more options for using weapons. Shacknews praised the remake’s boss fight with Krauser, which replaced quick-time events with a fully controlled knife battle. The Daily Telegraph said the redesigned Regenerators were scarier while keeping the original’s balance between action and puzzles. PCMag appreciated added horror elements and improved combat. GamesRadar+ mentioned that some bosses were still easy to beat.
Critics praised the game’s visuals, which used the RE Engine. VG247 noted a more mature story with less focus on action and more on horror. IGN’s Tristan Ogilvie said the remake had many improvements, both large and small. GameSpot’s Kurt Indovina said the characters, especially Leon, acted more realistically. GameRevolution highlighted better character development for Ashley, who was previously the weakest part of the story. Game Informer said the remake made all characters more likable, especially Ashley, who was less sexualized. Push Square liked the redesigned Ganados, who felt creepier. Giant Bomb noted that Leon still made jokes and used powerful moves. Destructoid’s Zoey Handley criticized the remake for not fixing some weaker parts of the original and said the game’s tone remained inconsistent.
The Separate Ways DLC received "generally favorable" reviews, with 96% of 57 critic reviews recommending it.
Resident Evil 4 sold more than 3 million copies in its first two days and 4 million copies in the first two weeks, making it one of the fastest-selling Resident Evil games. By July 2023, it had sold over 5 million copies. By December 2023, it had sold 6.48 million copies, becoming the fastest-selling Resident Evil game until surpassed by Resident Evil Requiem in 2026. By March 2024, it had sold 7 million copies. By October 2024, it had sold over 8 million copies, and by December 2024, over 9 million copies. 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. By April 2025, it had sold 10 million copies. It was the 13th best-selling video game in the US in 2023. By January 2026, it had sold 12.255 million copies.