Fans of horror games are almost certainly familiar with the Resident Evil series. While the focus of each game might shift between puzzle-solving and combat, its themes stay the same; biological weapons and undead monstrosities threatening to tear the world apart. Having lasted for over 25 years, the series found massive success throughout its lifespan - in no small part due to its sales.
This article will take a look at the best Resident Evil games ranked by how many copies they sold.
Remakes will be considered different from the original, while re-releases and cross-generation titles will have their total sales tallied together.
All numbers were taken from Capcom’s official sales data.
Let’s get right into it!
10 Best Resident Evil Games Ranked by Sales
- 10. Resident Evil 0
- 9. Resident Evil Remake
- 8. Resident Evil 3 Remake
- 7. Resident Evil Village
- 6. Resident Evil 2
- 5. Resident Evil 2 Remake
- 4. Resident Evil 7
- 3. Resident Evil 6
- 2. Resident Evil 4
- 1. Resident Evil 5
10. Resident Evil 0 - Total 4.35 Million Copies Sold
Set before the first game in the series, Resident Evil 0 gave players a new perspective on Raccoon City and its zombie outbreak origins. Players control two characters in order to solve puzzles and battle enemies, allowing them to discover the creator and source of the deadly t-Virus. Between its original and HD releases, this title actually beats out the original Resident Evil 3 in terms of sales.
9. Resident Evil (Remake) - Total 4.55 Million Copies Sold
The first-ever Resident Evil game left a lasting impact on history. Its eventual remake only made that impact greater by taking the familiar story and giving it an overhaul. Players explore a mansion and battle against undead monsters, all while trying to find missing allies and discover a traitor’s identity. The updated graphics and improved acting helped to make Resident Evil even more compelling, and additional areas gave returning players further reason to explore.
8. Resident Evil 3 (Remake) - 4.60 Million Copies Sold
Following the second game’s largely successful remake, Resident Evil 3 brings players back to Raccoon City to face off against the Umbrella Corporation and the deadly Nemesis. This remake is notable for changing a lot of content from the original title, including the removal of some areas like the Clock Tower and Graveyard. Its alterations weren’t as universally praised, but the new graphics and improved combat still managed to draw some satisfaction from long-time fans.
7. Resident Evil Village - 4.80 Million Copies Sold
The latest title in the Resident Evil series, Resident Evil Village, provides an experience few other titles can manage. Players are trapped in the titular village, fighting against paranormal foes and facing some of the most horrifying mutants of the series. The game has reached impressive sales numbers despite being the most recent release, showing how far Resident Evil has come.
6. Resident Evil 2 - 4.96 Million Copies Sold
Resident Evil 2 improved upon the first game, and managed to reach greater heights because of it. Multiple branching paths and new enemies made for a robust experience, garnering widespread acclaim from players and critics alike. But this was hardly the limit of Resident Evil 2’s success…
5. Resident Evil 2 (Remake) - 8.90 Million Copies Sold
20 years after the original Resident Evil 2, a remake of the game was produced. This remake overhauled the game entirely, improving the AI and graphics to an incredible extent. Resident Evil 2’s remake holds overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, and may very well go down in history as one of the best Resident Evil games of all time. If this article was about Resident Evil games ranked by popularity, this game would almost certainly take the top spot.
4. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - 10.20 Million Copies Sold
After the previous, more controversial entries, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard gave fans a more familiar experience. In the game, players control Ethan Winters as he attempts to escape the house of a maddened family. The title focused more on horror and puzzles rather than high-stakes combat, allowing many fans to enjoy the heart-pounding fear that the older games were known for.
3. Resident Evil 6 - 10.30 Million Copies Sold
Resident Evil 6, built upon foundations laid out by Resident Evil 5, foregoes its horror routes in favor of action-packed gameplay. Players have greater freedom of movement and can even play online with friends. Though it might be more akin to a generic shooter, Resident Evil 6 contains a plethora of content to keep fans entertained.
2. Resident Evil 4 - 11.20 Million Copies Sold
Perhaps one of the most widely-released games of all time, Resident Evil 4 was a turning point for the franchise. It was the first title to feature an over-the-shoulder view, letting players get close to the action as they fight mutated villagers. This title was released on pretty much every platform since the GameCube, even getting a VR port that won Best VR game at The Game Awards 2021.
1. Resident Evil 5 - 12.60 Million Copies Sold
Resident Evil 5 is one of the best-selling Capcom games ever, for better or worse. This game was the first in the series to take a more radical departure from survival horror. It was also the first to introduce cooperative play, which allowed it to earn a spot in HackerNoon’s top 5 best co-op horror games. Despite reservations by fans, Resident Evil 5 was able to pull more newcomers to the franchise, leading to it being the best-selling Resident Evil title so far.
The Resident Evil franchise has gone through many different iterations. Though the more action-oriented titles garnered the most sales, recent games focused more on the horror aspects while still maintaining great popularity. It’s likely that the series will continue down this path, perhaps to greater success than previous entries could even dream of.