Many video game franchises left their marks on the industry, but Resident Evil elevated itself to one of the most popular series of all time. The survival horror genre started in a very niche place, and its slow acceptance into the mainstream had a lot to do with Resident Evil’s success.

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The franchise has gone beyond its B-movie routes and tense zombie-slaying action, delivering some of the most cinematic and terrifying games on the market. Not every game in the franchise has kept gamers on the edge of their seats, but the Resident Evil series boasts plenty of titles with their share of scares.

10 Resident Evil Zero Comes With A Fresh Dose Of Leech-Based Unpleasantness

Rebecca Chambers and Billy Coen fighting leeches in GameCube's Resident Evil Zero

Resident Evil Zero doesn’t receive as much love compared to other entries in the series, but it’s an incredibly effective prequel that shifts focus back to Rebecca Chambers. Resident Evil Zero contains some drastic gameplay changes, like its on-the-fly “zap” system for switching between partners.

Resident Evil Zero isn’t the best game in the franchise, but it introduces a heavy focus on leech-based enemies that are truly disturbing. Other creatures, like the frog-style Lurkers that can swallow the player whole, are pure nightmare fuel.

9 Resident Evil: Revelations 2's Environmental Design Indulges In Horror

Claire Redfield being attacked in Resident Evil Revelations 2

Resident Evil slowly headed in a direction that prioritized action gameplay over the survival horror genre. Off-shoot entries like Revelations felt like course corrections to bring the series back to its terrifying roots.

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Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is set between Resident Evil 5 and 6 and doesn't just feature the return of Claire Redfield, but Barry Burton as a playable character too. Revelations 2 excels at presenting claustrophobic and unnerving environments, as well as bold new mutations of classic franchise enemies the player must face down.

8 Resident Evil 3 Makes The Player Feel Helpless And Hunted

Nemesis attacks Jill Valentine in Resident Evil 3 remake.

Resident Evil 3 marked a major shift in the series at the time due to its introduction of a “multiple choice” style progression system and a truly intimidating antagonist that never gives the player a chance to rest and feel safe. Resident Evil 3 is an excellent entry in the series that’s full of well-constructed frights. The presence of Nemesis alone makes it one of the scariest Resident Evil experiences.

There are significant changes between the original Resident Evil 3 and its modern remake, including turning Nemesis into more of a recurring threat than a persistent menace throughout the game. Nonetheless, the remake captures the same desperate feeling of the player fighting for their life.

7 Resident Evil Code: Veronica Opts For Psychological Horror

Albert Wesker strangling Chris Redfield in Resident Evil Code: Veronica

Resident Evil Code: Veronica is a spin-off game that was initially planned to be the mainline sequel to Resident Evil 2. As such, it has the high level of quality expected from a game in the main series. It finally reunites siblings Chris and Claire Redfield, having them fight alongside each other months after the events of Resident Evil 2.

Code: Veronica is full of terrifying enemies and boss battles, but the story itself makes it one of the series' most frightening games. It delves into psychologically disturbing territory as it shines a light on the fractured Ashford family. Code: Veronica makes no secret of drawing influence from the film Psycho, and it more than pays off.

6 Resident Evil 4's Action Doesn't Stop Its Scares

Los Illuminados attacking Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil 4 remaster

Resident Evil 4 marks a clear turning point in the series and in the survival horror genre as a whole, effortlessly mixing action and horror in a way other horror games struggle to accomplish. They blend perfectly in Resident Evil 4, creating a terrifying experience that isn't dulled by Leon's new action hero capabilities.

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Resident Evil 4 is significantly larger than its predecessors and pits Leon Kennedy against giant ogres, lake monsters, and a castle’s worth of evil disciples. The game’s scope and the terrifying Las Plagas parasite represent some of the series’ scariest elements. Beginning with the infamous chainsaw attacks in the game's opening moments, the game never lets the player feel safe.

5 Resident Evil: Revelations Strands The Player On An Unsettling Ghost Ship

Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield fighting a creature in Resident Evil Revelations

Initially released as an exclusive for the Nintendo 3DS that took advantage of the terrors possible in a 3D survival horror game, Resident Evil: Revelations was such a success that it later received an HD remaster for home consoles. Set after the events of Resident Evil 4, it starred Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield.

Revelations was the experience audiences were looking for in Resident Evil 5 and 6, and the game's ghost ship environment became one of its strongest selling points. Escape felt impossible, and the game took glee in throwing aquatic monstrosities at the player.

4 Resident Evil 2's Excellent Scares And Enemies Make It A Classic

A licker jumping through the mirror in Resident Evil 2's most famous jumpscare

Resident Evil 2 effectively captured an under-attack police department and a ruined Raccoon City. Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy proved compelling protagonists that audiences wanted to see survive. Lickers, giant alligators, and William Birkin’s G-Virus mutation caused panic, but Resident Evil 2 put special care into crafting clever jump scares that further shook up the player.

Resident Evil 2 was a triumph of effective horror design. Photorealistic graphics bolstered its remake and increased its horror, but the 1998 original was more than capable of scaring players with its effective art design, gameplay choices and conceptual unpleasantness.

3 Resident Evil's Remake Improves On The Original In Horrifying Ways

Jill Valentine confronting Lisa Trevor in the Resident Evil remake

The original Resident Evil remains a classic, and responsible for establishing much of the series' iconic gameplay, story, and design elements. Although a tour de force at the time, the horror of the 1996 original is held back by its clunky controls and its very dated graphics.

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Instead, the remake of the original Resident Evil is the one that's continued to haunt players for years. Aside from delivering a smoother gameplay experience with better graphics, it builds on the original in ways designed to scare players. The inclusion of threats like Lisa Trevor or the Crimson Head zombies make the previously unsettling game a white-knuckle experience.

2 Resident Evil Village Pits The Player Against Brand-New, Radically Different Horrors

Game Resident Evil 8 Beneviento Doll

The most recent mainline Resident Evil game builds on the fresh horror established in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and does its level best to up the ante. It continues using a first-person camera to give the game an intimate, threatening feeling, and it pushes its concepts farther than ever before.

The player controls Ethan Winters, going up against the Four Lords and Mother Miranda to rescue his infant daughter. Each of the Four Lords indulges in a different horror, with different thematic influences and different gameplay focuses between them. The result is an experience that can unsettle nearly any player, regardless of their sensibilities.

1 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Is A Return To Horrifying Form And A Series Best

Battle against Eveline in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

After a slump in the franchise's levels of horror during Resident Evil 5 and 6, Resident Evil 7 is a deliberate return to basics. The game features an inexperienced protagonist thrown into an impossible situation, with Ethan Winters forced to rely on his wits and anything he can scavenge to survive the Baker family and the monstrous Molded.

The game combines the classical horror tropes of older games with modern horror elements. After two games of mowing down zombies with high-powered weaponry, Ethan spends more of his time running from eerily human monsters who can't be killed. The game is responsible for reviving the series' prestige and terrifying plenty of people to boot.

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