Resident Evil 6 is a 2012 third-person shooter video game made and sold by Capcom. It is the sixth main game in the Resident Evil series. The game was first released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2012, and for Windows in March 2013. It was later released again with extra content for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in March 2016, and for Nintendo Switch in October 2019. In the game, players control four characters—Chris Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy, Jake Muller, and Ada Wong—as they work together to stop a global bio-terrorist attack. The story follows four connected storylines, and each storyline has its own unique style and gameplay.
Resident Evil 6 was planned in 2009 and started being developed the next year under Hiroyuki Kobayashi, who worked on Resident Evil 4. Over 600 people were involved in making the game, which was the largest project Capcom had ever created. Critics gave the game mixed reviews, saying the graphics, artificial intelligence, and controls were good, but they criticized how the storylines were connected and how the game moved away from the survival horror style of earlier games to focus more on action. Despite these criticisms, the game sold 15.2 million copies by September 2025. In 2017, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was released. This game used a first-person perspective and returned to the survival horror genre.
Gameplay
Resident Evil 6 lets players choose from four connected storylines involving characters such as BSAA Captain Chris Redfield, DSO agent Leon S. Kennedy, mercenary Jake Muller, and spy Ada Wong. In the Leon, Chris, and Jake storylines, players can control either the main character or their partner: Secret Service agent Helena Harper, BSAA sniper Piers Nivans, or DSO agent Sherry Birkin. The character not chosen by the player is controlled by AI or another player through local or online multiplayer. Ada’s storyline can be played alone or with a partner, and a second player can control a non-canonical character named Agent. Each storyline has a different play style, such as some characters being more vulnerable to attacks or more resilient. Each main character has unique abilities, like faster reload times or carrying more ammunition. New gameplay features include rolling in any direction, running while shooting, and sliding. The game also includes a four-player co-operative mode. In single-player mode, another player can join online at any time. During certain actions, quick time events may occur, requiring players to press buttons or move joysticks quickly.
A new feature is the use of tablets, which players can use to restore health. More tablets can be made by mixing herbs. If a player loses all health, they have a short time to defend themselves while their partners try to revive them. If a non-AI player is killed, gameplay restarts at the last checkpoint. The game includes enemies like zombies and J'avo, a new type of enemy. Unlike zombies, J'avo can work together, use weapons, and heal themselves. Some J'avo can mutate, increasing their strength in battle, with mutations depending on where they are injured. There are 15 different mutations in the game. Some enemies drop skill points when defeated, which players can use to improve weapons or ammunition. Campaigns include a "Lone Wolf" ability, allowing players to remove their AI companion. Players can choose three upgrades that apply to all campaigns. The game also has a stamina bar that decreases when using melee attacks or a "quickshot," which involves instantly headshooting a zombie. Resident Evil 6 is twice as long as Resident Evil 5.
The game includes two new modes. "Mercenaries" challenges players to survive against large groups of enemies. The PC version adds a "No Mercy" sub-mode, where players fight against 300 enemies from Left 4 Dead 2 on a timer. "Agent Hunt" lets players control random enemies in others’ online sessions, but this mode unlocks only after completing the three main campaigns. The longer a player stays in an online session, the more points they earn.
Plot
On December 24, 2012, Jake Muller (voiced by Troy Baker / Daisuke Namikawa), the son of the late bio-terrorist Albert Wesker, runs away from local officials during a bio-terrorist attack in Edonia. He teams up with Sherry Birkin (voiced by Eden Riegel / Maaya Sakamoto), a Division of Security Operations (DSO) agent and survivor of Raccoon City. Sherry explains that she is helping Jake leave the country to develop a vaccine for the newly discovered C-virus. However, they are constantly chased by Ustanak, a large bio-weapon. At the same time, a Bio-terrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA) team led by Chris Redfield (voiced by Roger Craig Smith / Hiroki Tōchi) and Piers Nivans (voiced by Christopher Emerson / Shuhei Sakaguchi) is sent to eliminate infected people in the area. The team is attacked by the leader of Neo-Umbrella, who claims to be Ada Wong (voiced by Courtenay Taylor / Junko Minagawa). Ada kills most of the team, except Chris and Piers, using a device that injects them with the C-virus, turning them into monsters. Chris goes into hiding and loses his memory due to trauma. Meanwhile, Sherry and Jake’s escape is blocked, forcing them to crash in the mountains, where they are captured by "Ada" for six months.
On June 29, 2013, U.S. President Adam Benford (voiced by Michael Donovan / Katsuhiko Sasaki) plans to reveal the truth about the 1998 Raccoon City incident and the government’s ties to Umbrella to stop future bio-terrorism. However, an attack at the event in the town of Tall Oaks infects the president. The only survivors, DSO agent Leon S. Kennedy (voiced by Matthew Mercer / Toshiyuki Morikawa) and Secret Service agent Helena Harper (voiced by Laura Bailey / Mayumi Sako), are forced to kill the president. Leon and Helena meet the real Ada Wong and learn that National Security Advisor Derek Simmons (voiced by David Lodge / Takayuki Sugō) is linked to Neo-Umbrella and planned the attack. Leon and Helena fake their deaths and travel to Lanshiang, China, where Jake and Sherry escape from their captors.
Chris returns to the BSAA with Piers and a new team in Lanshiang, where they are under attack. He regains his memory and pursues "Ada," causing harm to his team. Chris and Piers track "Ada" until Leon stops them. Leon tells Chris and Piers about "Ada," and they confront her on an aircraft carrier, destroying cruise missiles filled with the C-virus. Meanwhile, Leon, Helena, Sherry, and Jake confront Simmons about his role in the outbreaks. Sherry secretly gives Leon Jake’s medical records in case they are captured. Simmons, infected by a J’avo, admits to killing the president to protect national security. Leon and Helena defeat the mutated Simmons, but Sherry and Jake are captured again. After a C-virus explosion causes an outbreak in the city, Leon tells Chris about Jake’s true identity and sends him to rescue Jake and Sherry on a remote oil platform. With Ada’s help, Leon and Helena kill the further mutated Simmons.
Chris and Piers enter an underwater facility under the oil platform, where they rescue Jake and Sherry before fighting a massive bio-weapon called Haos. Piers is severely injured and injects himself with the C-virus to help defeat Haos. Knowing he will mutate, Piers sacrifices himself by pushing Chris into an escape pod and destroying the facility with his powers. Jake and Sherry also escape and kill Ustanak as they leave the facility using a rocket-powered lift.
The fake Ada is revealed to be Carla Radames, a scientist forced by Simmons to become an Ada clone. Though believed dead after being shot by Simmons’ soldiers, Carla attacks Ada after injecting herself with a strong dose of the C-virus but is killed. Ada helps Leon and Helena fight Simmons and later destroys the lab where Carla was created before taking a new mission. Leon and Helena are cleared to return to duty. Chris continues working with the BSAA, leading a new team after overcoming his guilt. Sherry remains a DSO agent, and Jake starts a new life fighting bioterrorism in a developing country, with his identity hidden by the BSAA.
Development and release
Resident Evil 6 was created because fans wanted classic zombies, which were not included in earlier games like Resident Evil 4 and 5. Developers listened to player feedback and added zombies to this game.
Resident Evil 6 was planned shortly after Resident Evil 5 was released and began development in 2009. Jun Takeuchi, a producer, considered a new system for the game but did not work on it. In March 2009, Masachika Kawata, a co-producer, said the game was not yet decided but estimated it could take four to eight years to make. He also said the game would be very different from earlier titles. Eiichiro Sasaki directed the game, also leading the Resident Evil Outbreak series. Early in development, producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi wanted the game to focus on "ultimate horror entertainment," as the team saw Resident Evil 6 as a key title in the horror genre. In 2012, Hirabayashi said the team worked to include all aspects fans loved about the series, focusing on horror themes. Each of the four storylines used different horror styles: Leon’s story had classic, gothic horror; Chris’ story focused on battlefield horror; Jake’s story involved fear of being followed; and Ada’s story was similar to earlier Resident Evil games. In March 2012, Capcom said the survival-horror market was too small and decided to focus more on action gameplay.
Hiroyuki Kobayashi led the game’s development, aiming to create the most impressive Resident Evil title ever in terms of quality and scope. Capcom wanted to "evolve" the series. The game was set in a fictional country with an Eastern European theme, though not based on any real country. Kobayashi decided to bring back Leon as a central character. Jake Muller was designed to be relatable to younger players. Over 600 people worked on the game, making it Capcom’s largest project. Kobayashi also decided to include zombies because fans requested them. By the end of development, the game changed significantly due to new ideas. Resident Evil 6 was completed on August 21, 2012, and launched its online service the same day.
An official trailer was released on January 19, 2012. At E3 2012, a gameplay demo showed Leon and Helena fighting zombies in China. A playable demo was planned for September 5, 2012, but was later released on September 18, 2012. Early access to the demo was included with the game Dragon’s Dogma. After criticism of the first demo, Capcom changed parts of it for the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con. The game’s release date was moved from November 20, 2012, to October 2, 2012. Before launch, some copies were stolen and sold in Poland.
Resident Evil 6 was included in the Biohazard Anniversary Package, a special edition released in Japan on March 22, 2013, for the 17th anniversary of the series. It was later re-released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016 with improved graphics and all downloadable content. The game was also released on Nintendo Switch in 2019.
In response to complaints about on-disc content being labeled as downloadable content (DLC), Capcom released a free patch in December 2012. The patch added new camera controls, a "No Hope" difficulty mode, the ability to play Ada’s story without completing others, and an online co-op partner named "Agent" for Ada’s campaign. Agent cannot interact with doors or treasure chests and disappears during cutscenes.
On December 18, 2012, a new multiplayer DLC was released with three modes: "Predator," "Survivors," and "Onslaught." In "Predator," players take turns as the Ustanak, scoring points by attacking others. "Survivors" is a deathmatch mode for 2 to 6 players. "Onslaught" is a two-player mode where players clear waves of enemies, and completing a combo sends enemies to the opponent’s screen.
On April 4, 2013, a crossover DLC was released for the PC version of Resident Evil 6, adding characters and monsters from Left 4 Dead 2 to the The Mercenaries: No Mercy mode. Weapons, characters, and monsters from Resident Evil 6 were also added as optional skins for the PC version of Left 4 Dead 2.
Reception
According to the review aggregator website Metacritic, Resident Evil 6 received "mixed or average" reviews. The website described the game as "the first game in the main series that failed to receive a positive reception from game critics" and reported that critics "complained about bloat and inconsistency," and felt that "RE6 was more generic shooter than distinctive survival horror game."
Critics praised the graphics, AI, and controls. A reviewer from Game Informer stated that the game did not "hold back" the decadent experience from being an "unhinged flaming rollercoaster ride." A reviewer from the Official Xbox Magazine concluded that the game was an accomplished shooter and a fittingly "thunderous" send-off for Resident Evil, while also praising the length and variety of the game. GameTrailers noted the shift away from the style and tone of past games in the series, yet still praised the overall direction, stating that despite the "old identity stripped away," the game presented itself as a "massive" action game. Richard George of IGN was favorable toward the technical and artistic design of the game, stating that the game was among Capcom's greatest successes with an "incredibly strong" world, lighting, and creature designs. Ryan McCaffrey of IGN also noted the new enemies as "some of the best" designs and concepts in the history of the franchise. Hollander Cooper of GamesRadar praised the improvements to the controls over its predecessor, stating that the game had an emphasis placed on fluidity and movement, although noted that the cover system "never seems to work right." The Escapist also praised the improved AI companion that "does a decent job of backing you up and taking the fight to the enemy rather than just standing by," while disliking the cover system, calling it "the most forgettable new feature of the game." Jose Otero of 1Up.com also praised the improvements to the game's controls but stated: "While building on that game's (Resident Evil 4's) masterful formula of stop-and-pop gunplay is a smart approach, RE6 serves as proof that too many compromises and too much empowerment can ultimately erode what makes Resident Evil, at its core, work."
The game's four campaigns received criticism from reviewers. Simon Parkin from Eurogamer was divided over the campaigns, citing Leon's campaign as the strongest and "the closest we get to the series' survival horror roots," along with Ada's as having "diverse flavor." However, Parkin criticized the other two campaigns, stating that Jake's campaign "rarely delights" while citing that Chris's was a "second-rate third-person sprint" with "idiotic" cutscene dialogue. A reviewer from Edge also felt that the campaigns noticeably contrasted in quality more than others. Similarly, Kevin VanOrd from GameSpot concluded that the game's campaigns were the ultimate test of patience for "even the most dedicated," while Destructoid cited Resident Evil 6 as not only a "step back" for the series due to the game's new and unconventional features, but a "step back for commonplace, unassuming action-shooters."
In an interview with the Official PlayStation Blog, Resident Evil 6 executive producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi responded to fan criticism shortly after release, noting the creative differences with fans. He stated, "the fans and us as creators are the two parents […] and just like real parents, you're not always going to agree on what is best for raising that child," going on to say, "we want to make sure that what we do pleases them but the initial reaction might not always be positive. We do listen to the fans but we can't be beholden to them at every turn or I don't think we'll ever make progress in terms of the series' development."
While Capcom dubbed the game a "dramatic horror," several critics noted its departure from the survival horror genre compared to previous installments, and listed the genre simply as an action shooter. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, released in 2017, switched to a first-person perspective and returned to the series' survival horror roots.
In May 2012, Capcom announced they expected the game to sell 7 million copies by the end of the 2012 fiscal year; however, the company lowered their expectations to 6 million due to the game's mixed reception. Capcom announced that it had shipped 4.5 million copies worldwide, setting a new record for the company. In October 2012, the game sold 806,000 copies in the United States. According to Capcom, sales weakened following the strong start, with the company admitting that the game would not meet their goals, and consequently lowered their financial projections for the fiscal year.
In February 2013, Capcom said in a statement that the game suffered from poor sales due to various development challenges and "inadequate organisational collaboration" across the company.
Resident Evil 6 had sold 4.9 million units by March 2013. By October 2013, the game had sold 5.2 million units worldwide, becoming one of Capcom's best-selling games. Resident Evil 6 became Capcom's seventh-best-selling game by September 2025, selling 9.9 million units on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 with its original release. PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions had sold 4.2 million units by September 2025. Nintendo Switch version has sold 1.1 million units by June 2025. Total sales are 15.2 million units as of September 2025.
Resident Evil 6 was one of the recipients of the Award for Excellence at the Japan Game Awards 2013. It won the Best Sound Editing: Computer Interactive Entertainment at the 2013 Golden Reel Awards. The game was also nominated for Best Original Score – Video Game at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards.