Resident Evil is a franchise as ubiquitous as sliced bread. Needless to say, it's one of the most successful media properties about zombies and other horrors (for the video game medium, at least). That kind of spotlight and privilege in the video game world has made Resident Evil a piece of powerful advertising machinery or platform. Even a simple reference is enough to boost another game, film, or show's popularity.
Some have even gone as far as welcoming crossovers. There, the protagonists and many other elements of Resident Evil keep butting their heads into other unrelated titles like a certain kind of virus. Some crossovers are certainly bigger than others, and even go out of their way to break their own lore just to accommodate Resident Evil heroes.
7 Fortnite (2021)
This one's already a given — perhaps even low-hanging fruit for both franchises. But one can't deny that it's still one of the biggest crossovers for Resident Evil. Fortnite has already matched Resident Evil when it comes to cultural relevance (like it or not), so one could even say that this crossover was only a matter of time.
Just how big is Resident Evil's presence in Fortnite? It mostly takes place in the form of skins for both Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, two of the most notable protagonists in the Resident Evil games. It's worth noting that this crossover also came at the height of the popularity of the older games' remakes.
6 Dead by Daylight (2021)
This time around, Resident Evil characters actually crossed over to another game franchise where they fit right in. Dead by Daylight is a horror multiplayer game in which a group of players assumes the role of hapless survivors while a few of them will be a killer or monster, hunting down the former.
In this crossover's case, three prominent characters are featured. Dead by Daylight brought in Nemesis as a Killer, while Leon Kennedy and Jill Valentine are imported in as the Survivors. Don't expect them to be as capable or as elite as they were in their own franchises, though; they're not here to save the world.
5 The Division 2 (2021)
In The Division 2, the Resident Evil crossover is a little more conservative, which for some, is a wasted opportunity since characters from STARS could easily fit right in. In any case, the crossover takes place in the form of costumes and weapons straight out of the Resident Evil inventory.
This includes Jill's iconic blue beret and Leon's rookie duds back in Resident Evil 2. There are other costumes that represent other characters as well. Meanwhile, weapons like the iconic handguns and revolvers from Resident Evil games also make guest appearances in this anniversary crossover.
4 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2019)
The Super Smash Bros. franchise is no stranger to crossovers; in fact, they even popularized it heavily in their earlier titles. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Resident Evil gets a spotlight in the form of a Spirit Board event that features spirits from the Resident Evil games.
The event doesn't directly feature the characters as playable 3D models, but rather, as spirits that affect enemy difficulty. Defeating them will reward players with additional SP. These spirits have also bound themselves to specific characters in the Smash roster. It may not be quite as explicit as the other crossovers, but it's still a grand display nonetheless.
3 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Mobile (2019)
PUBG is no stranger to crossovers and collaborations as well, at least for the mobile version. On PUBG Mobile, one of their biggest crossover events was a collaboration with Resident Evil 2 Remake. The game dumped a dizzying amount of Resident Evil costumes, weapon skins, and game modes into PUBG.
Truth be told, it was quite overwhelming given PUBG Mobile's user interface. The biggest temporary addition was a zombie survival mode with special zombie enemies from Resident Evil 2. Players get a chance to grab skins from Leon, Ada, Claire, Marvin, and more along with the weapon.
2 Dead Rising Games (starting 2014)
Resident Evil characters, both serious and joke ones, appeared not just in one, but three Dead Rising games. It's only natural for them to squeeze themselves into this franchise since likewise, it also deals with a zombie apocalypse. In the original Dead Rising alone, there were several references for Resident Evil, namely in the game's stores. Establishments like "Jill's Sandwiches" and "Chris' Fine Foods" are solid homages.
Meanwhile, the succeeding franchise offshoots such as Super Ultra Dead Rising 3' Arcade Remix Hyper Edition Ex Plus Alpha included the joke character Tofu along with weapons from Resident Evil. Come Dead Rising 4, players will be able to spot Resident Evil art books in the game. Finally, a Dead Rising 4 update prominently features a Jill Valentine costume for players. If anything, Dead Rising seems like Resident Evil's biggest fan.
1 Left 4 Dead 2 (2013)
In this crossover, fans from both franchises get to see a certain seamless reciprocity done with care. Characters in Left 4 Dead 2 are made playable in a DLC for Resident Evil 6. Those would be Coach, Nick, Ellis, and Rochelle in The Mercenaries: No Mercy game mode. Thankfully, that quartet is no stranger to killing zombies.
Seemingly in return, Left 4 Dead featured enemies from Resident Evil 6 in its special horror zombie roster, so as not to break too much of the Left 4 Dead lore. They're mostly skins that replace the Tank, Charger, and Boomer enemies, but a welcome crossover nonetheless; the two share a similar zombie apocalypse story, after all.