The Resident Evil evil series just celebrated it's 25th anniversary earlier this year, with over two decades of celebrated action horror games on the market. Whether it was the original PS1 games reinventing survival horror experiences or Resident Evil 4's brilliant sense of suspense, the series knows how to deliver a terrifyingly good time. The most recent release, Resident Evil: Village, indicates that Capcom shows no sign of slowing down in the coming years, with plenty more Resident Evil games on the way.
However, with new projects in development and numerous already available, it may be daunting for players to choose which titles to invest time into. In a perfect world, the answer would be to dive into the whole series, as each installment offers something fresh that another does not. Whether a seasoned Resident Evil fan is looking to revisit a classic, or a brand new player wants to experience the terror for the first time, this article breaks down just how much time players should expect to set aside for each game in the franchise.
Main Series Resident Evil Games
- Resident Evil (1996): 6-15 Hours
- Resident Evil 2 (1998): 6-15.5 Hours
- Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999): 6.5-12.5 Hours
- Resident Evil 4 (2005): 16-30.5 Hours
- Resident Evil 5 (2009): 12-34 Hours
- Resident Evil 6 (2012): 21.5-57 Hours
- Resident Evil 7 (2017): 9-23 Hours
- Resident Evil Village (2021): 9.5-36 Hours
For newer players seeing all the hype surrounding Resident Evil Village and wanting to play catch up before playing the newest release, the guide above should provide a solid breakdown of what to expect. While the series does have an overarching narrative, it isn't absolutely imperative to play every single installment if one is tight on available free time. Each game does enough to bring players up to speed on past events while also remaining mostly focused on the actions in the present game.
The original Resident Evil games on PS1 shouldn't take more than 6 hours each to dash through the main campaign, though doing optional side objectives naturally boosts that total play time. Of the newer games, Resident Evil 7 is also refreshingly straightforward in that regard, usually taking 9 hours to experience the whole story. For those really wanting a lengthy horror thrill ride, Resident Evil 6 clearly takes the cake, as those looking to complete the main game and side objectives will end up with a whopping 57 hour total playtime.
Spin-Off Resident Evil Games
- Resident Evil: Revelations (2012) : 8.5-34.5 Hours
- Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015): 10.5-36.5 Hours
- Resident Evil: Code Veronica (2000): 11.5-15 Hours
- Resident Evil: Dead Aim (2003): 3-4 Hours
- Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (2012): 6-17 Hours
- Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007): 8-16.5 Hours
- Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009): 7-21 Hours
- Resident Evil Outbreak (2003): 8.5-22 Hours
- Resident Evil Zero (2002): 11.5-13.5 Hours
For those who plow through the main series and just can't get enough creepy goodness, the Resident Evil series luckily has multiple spin-offs to dive into. Titles like Resident Evil: Dead Aim, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles are all linear light gun games, and can be breezed through in a matter of hours. This is perfect for players short on time but wanting a quick rush of excitement, something which the mindless shoot'em up action of Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City also compliments.
Gamers wanting something a bit more significant that adds o their overall understanding of the lore in the Resident Evil series would do well to focus with some of the other examples listed above. Resident Evil: Revelations and its sequel in particular have plot threads that tie directly into the larger series and make fun callbacks to prior events. Both games, if just played for the main story, clock in at around 10 hours or less, making them a breeze to get through in a few sittings.
Resident Evil Remakes
- Resident Evil (2002) : 11-20 Hours
- Resident Evil 2 (2019): 8.5-33.5 Hours
- Resident Evil 3 (2020): 6-20.5 Hours
Video game remakes are becoming increasingly abundant, and the Resident Evil franchise has had its fair share over the years. For gamers that aren't purists and would prefer to experience some of the older games with beefed up visuals and improvements to the gameplay, then the remakes are the way to go. The original Resident Evil was remade on the GameCube with stunning visuals and some differences to the original, taking slightly longer to complete in this version at a total of 11 hours.
Meanwhile, the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remake are completely revamped from the ground up, borrowing the "over the shoulder" view that Resident Evil 4 helped popularize. These new interpretations also significantly alter key moments and set pieces from the original titles, with high production values and some of the most impressive visuals of the past gaming generation. Both are solid alternatives for players who may have a hard time coming to grips with the tank controls of the originals, and neither take that long to complete, falling in the 6-8 hour range (excluding side content).
The Total Amount of Hours in Resident Evil Games
All in all, if truly determined players want to conquer all the horrors there are to see in Resident Evil games, then they should be prepared to set aside a hefty amount of time. Just making a beeline through the main campaigns of the main series, spin-offs and remakes will take roughly 186.5 hours in total. For the hardcore gamers that cannot rest until every last trinket is found and every optional challenge is completed, they had better strap in for approximately 477.5 hours of relentless scares while they work through the Resident Evil franchise.
Source: HLTB