Resident Evilis Capcom’s best-selling video game franchise and one of the best-selling in the world.Aside from the games, the franchise also includes live-action films, animated films, comic books, and novels. The franchise was created by Shinji Mikami and Tokuro Fujiwara on the basis of Capcom’s previous game calledSweet Home, which was used as the main inspiration.
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The first game,Resident Evil, contained many elements fromSweet Home, and the game itself became a major critical and commercial success. It was also the first game ever to be dubbed “survival horror.“Resident Evilgames together sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and below are the ten best-selling.
Updated on May 24th, 2021 by Ritwik Mitra:Resident Evil is one of the most enduring and longest-running franchises of all time. While the series might’ve seen a bit of a slump after both Resident Evil 5 and 6 dropped the ball when it came to what made the series special, the franchise ended up earning a second wind of sorts after the breakthrough success of Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, one of the best-selling Resident Evil games of all time. With Resident Evil Village making waves in the gaming landscape right now, there’s no better time to look at the impressive sales of the Resident Evil series.
15Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City - 2.7 Million Copies
It’s a testament to the massive drawing power ofResident Evilas a series that one of the worst games in the entire series still managed to sell around 3 million copies.
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon Cityis a rather abysmal title that features a bevy of glitches, poor game design across the board, and a horrid AI that makes everyone around the player appear subpar. It’s honestly surprising how this game managed to sell anywhere close to this gargantuan amount in the first place!
14Resident Evil – Code: Veronica - 2.9 Million Copies
One of the greatest games in theResident Evilseries,Code: Veronicais an absolute must-play for anyone who wishes to experience the magic of classicResident Evilfor themselves.
The biggest selling point ofCode: Veronicais easily its atmosphere, featuring a somber and immersive setting that will keep fans hooked all the way to the very end of this enthralling adventure.
13Resident Evil Revelations - 2.9 Million Copies
Released around a time whenResident Evilwas leaning more heavily towards action-oriented gameplay,Resident Evil Revelationswas a breath of fresh air for fans who were tired of the direction thatResident Evil 5and6had taken the series towards.
Survival horror fans will feel right at home with this title, which features enough chills and nerve-wracking gameplay to keep fans on the edge of their seats as they scramble to survive each and every encounter by the skin of their teeth.
12Resident Evil Village - 3 Million Copies
The latest game in theResident Evilseries is already selling like gangbusters, and the fact thatResident Evil Villagehas already managed to break into this list within a few weeks of release just goes to show that it’s only a matter of time before this number escalates even further.
Resident Evil Villagemight be somewhat of a disappointment for fans who wanted more of what the seventh game had to offer, but players who don’t mind a more action-heavy approach will feel right at home with this excellent title that pulls no punches when it comes to all the action and horror that it has to display.
11Resident Evil 3: Nemesis - 3.5 Million Copies
Published in 1999 for PlayStation, and later ported to GameCube, Dreamcast, and Windows, the game was designed to be more action-oriented than its two predecessors. Aside from the action, the game features a creature from the title called Nemesis, which is the most iconic antagonist in the Resident Evil series. The game received a remake, which was published in 2020.
10Resident Evil 3 - 4 Million Copies
The remake ofResident Evil 3wasn’t as well-received as the other two games that game before it — namely,Resident Evil VII: BiohazardandResident Evil 2’s remake — but one has to admit that this title is still quite a blast to play through regardless.
While it might not do much to elevate the experience of the original — aside from the improved graphics and combat, of course —Resident Evil 3is still a fun game that is just a bit too short for the liking of most fans, even after considering that mostResident Eviltitles don’t really last all that long anyway.
9Resident Evil 0 - 4.2 Million Copies
With 3.9 million copies sold,Resident Evil 0is second on the list. The game serves as a prequel to the original game, therefore that’s is meaning of “0” in the title. It was originally published for GameCube, before being ported to the other platforms.
Though the previous game on the list and this one are published just in a span of 3 years, the difference in graphics is drastic, and that can be seen while playing it. The game introduced some new elements not seen before or after in any of the installments in the series like the absence of item storage boxes and a unique partner zapping system.
8Resident Evil - 5.3 Million Copies
The original game started the, what is now, one of the best gaming franchises. Originally envisioned as the remake of the studio’s previous gameSweet Home, the rights to the game eventually expired leading Capcom to create a game with new a setting, story, and characters that still contained many of the elements present in theSweet Home.
Resident Evilsold 5.3 million copiesand is considered to be one of the best and most influential games of all time. The game’s producer, Tokuro Fujiwara, later said that he didn’t expect the game to become a success, and expected that it will sell only 200,000 copies.
7Resident Evil - 5.4 Million Copies
Resident Evilis a remake of the original game published in 1996 and was a part of an exclusive deal between Nintendo and Capcom. Also, the game’s director Shinji Mikami decided to make a remake because he believed that the graphics in the game did not age well. The game is often considered to be one of the best entries in the series.
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Resident Evilreceived critical acclaim andsold 4.7 million copies, less than the company anticipated, and failed to surpass the sales of the originalResident Evilgame, which eventually led to more action-themedResident Evilgames.
6Resident Evil 2 - 6.1 Million Copies
Resident Evil 2is a sequel of the original game and follows a rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, sister of Chris — a protagonist of the original game. As in the original game, it features exploration, puzzles, and combat with limited ammunition. It was originally published for PlayStation in 1998 and was later ported to Nintendo 64, Windows, Dreamcast, and GameCube.
The game received critical acclaim andsold 5.1 million copies. Which was achieved thanks to a 5 million dollars advertising campaign by Capcom.
