The 10 BEST Resident Evil Spin Off Games

10 Best Resident Evil Spin-Off Games

Welcome to MojoPlays and as much as we love the mainline games starring our favorite zombie survivors, we can’t forget there’s a number of spin-off titles in the “Resident Evil” universe just as deserving of your time, even if not all of them are considered canon to the overall series.

“Resident Evil Gaiden” (2002)

Given this title’s obscurity on the GameBoy Color, “Resident Evil Gaiden” has been almost completely forgotten even by the series’ most dedicated fans. Translating the classic “Resident Evil" gameplay style to an isometric perspective works surprisingly well and manages to capture the spirit of the classic games in its tiny portable form. The switch to first-person during combat and nailing the timing on the damage reticle takes some practice but can still leave you panicking as the zombies shuffle towards you, just as much as the old school RE games. Plus, in Gaiden, we get the team up of Leon S. Kennedy and Barry Burton, two characters who have never joined forces in the canonical timeline. It might be difficult to find a way to play this classic these days but it more than deserves your attention for a fun zombie killing time on the go.

“Resident Evil: Resistance” (2020)

Capcom has yet to find the perfect multiplayer experience for “Resident Evil”, and while there have been abysmal attempts such as “Re-Verse", “Resistance’s” take on the asymmetrical multiplayer genre was a decent time. Combining classic elements of the genre such as 4v1, “Resistance” ups the stakes by letting the mastermind not only lay traps for the four survivors but also take direct control of the main mutations in the RE universe, ranging from basic zombies all the way up to Nemesis. Given this was Capcom’s first big attempt at this type of game, there were naturally some balancing issues, but the potential is there and if you get a good group of friends together, you can still have a pretty good time before moving onto something with better performance.

“Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D” (2011)

Taking the fan favorite “Mercenaries” Mode and selling it as a standalone title sounds like a great idea and it was, if only it wasn’t exclusive to Nintendo’s handheld. Dropping players into scenarios lifted directly from “Resident Evil 4” and 5, “Mercenaries” remains a showcase title for the power of the 3DS, even if the “3D” effect added little to the overall experience. The addition of extra objectives beyond the time mode’s usual time limit gave players a deeper experience, and the on-the-go nature of the mode was perfect for the handheld. The premium price tag definitely put off a lot of would-be players at launch, but what other “Resident Evil” game lets you play as everyone from Claire to Chris, Jill, Hunk, Albert Wesker and even Rebecca Chambers with full co-op? Exactly.

“Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles” (2007)

The days of light gun shooters like “Time Crisis" might have died out back in the early 2000s, but for “The Umbrella Chronicles”, Capcom managed to revive the gameplay style and create one of the best uses of the mechanic in years. Chronicling a retelling of the events of RE 0, the original “Resident Evil” and “RE3: Nemesis”, narrated by the series ultimate baddy Albert Wesker, he recounts the timeline that led to fall of the Umbrella Corporation at the hands of a few dedicated S.T.A.R.S. members. The Wii motion controls were impeccably accurate for the on-rails style gameplay and the new reframing of classic RE campaigns gave longtime fans a fresh perspective on their favorite moments from the series. The entire experience might be on the shorter side, but obtaining the coveted “S” rank to unlock bonus content keeps replayability high.

“Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City” (2012)

Long before Capcom had perfected the “Resident Evil” formula with RE7 onwards and their remakes, the developer got very experimental with the franchise in the mid-2000s. One of the better offerings during this time was “Operation Raccoon City”. Another co-op focused offering, although single player is also an option, “Operation Raccoon City” featured two campaigns in which players either clean up Umbrella’s mess or track down the source of the outbreak. With both campaigns taking place during the events of RE 2 and 3 and depending on their playthrough can either assist or execute the series’ main characters. The gameplay was your standard third person cover shooter of the time but was more than serviceable and offered a fresh perspective on the events leading up to the destruction of Raccoon City, even if none of it ended up being canon.

“Resident Evil: Dead Aim” (2003)

Long before “Resident Evil 7”, Capcom was already experimenting with a first-person style in the “Resident Evil” universe. While “Survivor” played more like a more traditional Resident Evil game just from a first-person perspective, “Dead Aim” was already leaning into the campy nature that would become a staple of the series after “Resident Evil 4”, alongside the more traditional over-the-shoulder perspective. “Dead Aim" would still snap to a lightgun style first person view during combat but was much easier to control and aim than its predecessor. Beyond the bizarre combat style, “Dead Aim” featured all the hallmarks of the classic RE formula, big boss fights against mutated monstrosities, obscure puzzles to solve and over-the-top villains. Compared to Capcom’s later first-person offerings, “Dead Aim" isn't nearly as polished, but the overall gameplay experience and graphics still hold up surprisingly well two decades later.

“Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles” (2009)

Much like its previous on rails iteration, “The Darkside Chronicles” recounts the events of games in the series lineage, in this case “Resident Evil 2” and “Code Veronica”, and puts players directly in the action with on rails lightgun style gameplay. However, this time, everything from the graphics to the controls had been vastly improved over its predecessor, even adding a dodge mechanic to avoid incoming attacks. Additionally, “The Darkside Chronicles” added an extra chapter starring Leon and his former mentor Jack Krauser in a prequel scenario that takes place before the events of “Resident Evil 4" and details the falling out between Leon and Jack. Overall, even for die-hard fans of those games who know them backwards and forwards, “Darkside Chronicles” offers not only a fresh way to experience those classics, but even more content to dive into for their favorite characters.

“Resident Evil Outbreak” Series (2004-05)

Given Capcom’s attempts at multiplayer centric titles, it’s shocking they haven’t revisited their first and arguably their best co-op offerings. Released in the early days of online gaming, “Outbreak” and “Outbreak: File #2” allowed up to four friends to survive the apocalyptic fall of Raccoon City together with a band of strangers each with their own unique abilities as well as buffs and debuffs. Working together is the key to survival and even with the limited communication options of the early online days, players could only communicate with gestures and emotes, Capcom managed to refine what made the “Resident Evil" formula so successful and broaden it to a group of players. The fixed camera, obtuse puzzles and limited inventory along with the increasingly dangerous infected and BOWs, made these multiplayer offerings some of the best in the entire franchise. Here’s hoping these titles get a remake somewhere down the line.

“Resident Evil Revelations” Series (2012-15)

The “Revelations” games don’t get nearly the attention they deserve. During a time when Capcom was leaning more heavily into the action-oriented side of survival horror, the “Revelations” games maintained the true terror of the classic but modernized “Resident Evil" experience. Although not connected to the main timeline of events, or even each other for that matter, “Revelations” 1 and 2 were a return to the classic style of survival horror that “Resident Evil” helped pioneer and saw the return of fan favorite characters, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield and even Barry Burton, all characters the mainline game seem to have forgotten about. While “Revelations 2” might be the more grounded of the two games -Jill’s adventure in “Revelations” 1 is wild even by RE standards- both titles are worth playing and re-experiencing the old school feel of Resident Evil games used to be.

“Resident Evil – Code: Veronica” (2000)

Even though “Code Veronica" is still considered canon within the “Resident Evil” timeline, taking place during “RE3” and leading into “RE4”, Capcom seems to have largely forgotten this title’s place in the overall narrative of “Resident Evil”. “Code Veronica” is the last real entry in the RE series to continue the series legacy and formula, right down to the fixed camera angles. With bigger environments than any other entry in the series at the time, and Claire standing on her own as a badass protagonist alongside the likes of Jill Valentine, the only real downside to “Code Veronica" is how overlooked the title became in the years after its release. Well, that and Steve Burnside. Plus, this is the only entry in the entire series that sees the brother and sister Redfields reunited. “Code Veronica” has no shortage of fans, who have been extremely vocal about the title receiving one of Capcom’s coveted remakes.

What’s your favorite “Resident Evil" game and how important is it to the canonical timeline? Share your favorites in the comments.