Every Resident Evil Game Ranked by Survivability

“Resident Evil” (1996)

On the surface, a location like Spencer Mansion would seem overwhelming to most people. After all, this is an isolated area that has zombies stalking corridors, hellhounds crashing through windows, and even a room containing a killer plant. But Spencer Mansion is really just one big puzzle. Just about every zombie can be avoided by running past them. Dogs might require more fight from you. So long as your stamina is decent, you’d have a harder time backtracking and solving puzzles than surviving Spencer Mansion’s hostile hordes.

“Resident Evil 0” (2002)

Suppose you’ve found yourself in a situation like Rebecca did in “Resident Evil 0”. So, you have this trainwreck that is not only infested with zombies, but some giant insects here and there as well. Obviously, the easily squeamish will have a harder time surviving than most folks would. Well, them and those who might be claustrophobic in places like train cars. Even so, if you were put in Rebecca’s shoes, you’re at least working with another human. So, your chances of survival have doubled in this case. That said, RE0 could be just as easy to survive as Spencer Mansion.

“Resident Evil 2” (1998)

As with any sequel, RE2 really ups the stakes by trapping you not within a mansion that doubles as a labyrinth, but a police station with some dark secrets underneath it. Literally. Yes, there are zombies and hellhounds to watch out for just like in the previous game. However, you have bigger threats to worry about. Mr. X is wandering around RPD and searching for you while Birkin is rampaging underground. Yeah, these two big lugs make your chances of survival much harder than RE1 did, and you’d have an even tougher time if you manage to make it to the end to fight Mr. X in his ultimate Tyrant form.

“Resident Evil 3: Nemesis” (1999)

Of course, out of all of the Tyrants, there is no threat more fearsome than Nemesis. At least with Mr. X, you can use some weapons and tools to potentially stun him. Plus, the hallways of RPD give you plenty of leeway to avoid his attacks. Going against Nemesis in RE3, though, you’d be on guard the entire time. Nemesis can ambush you at any given point, and he hits hard! Adding to that is the fact that he is way harder to kill than Mr. X! Yes, the heart is his weak point, but when ammo is as scarce as it can be in RE3, you’re going to have to rely more on running away and trying to lose Nemesis. And God have mercy on you if he catches you with his wrist tentacle.

“Resident Evil: Revelations 2” (2015)

Ideally, “Revelations 2” would probably meet the same high level of survivability as RE0 due to how every character is paired up with another. You got another set of eyes and hands to divy up the enemy’s numbers. However, there’s one reason why “Revelations 2” surpasses the others - it takes place on a deserted island in the middle of the Baltic Sea! Unless you manage to find some way to communicate with someone on the mainland, your chances of survival in this situation have decreased dramatically compared to the previous entries. Your only saving grace is that depending on where the island would be, it may not take as much effort establishing communication with some base in Sweden, Finland, Poland, or any of the other countries bordering the Baltic Sea.

“Resident Evil: Code - Veronica” (2000)

“Code - Veronica” is easily way less survivable on account of the game taking place in freakin’ Antarctica! Look, not that we’d trust them under any circumstance, but even a company as malicious as Umbrella Corps likely has enough food and supplies to last their staff several weeks or months should something occur. Even so, no living thing should be trying to withstand sub-zero temperatures unless you’re a polar bear, seal, walrus, or penguin. Plus, Umbrella Corps’s supplies are only going to last you so long before you run out. That said, it’d be in your best interest to get out of there ASAP.

“Resident Evil: Revelations” (2011)

You know what’s more frightening than being stuck on a deserted island or a base in Antarctica? How about an underwater lab in the middle of the ocean that is infested with biomutants!? Just think - you could drown at any moment should you find yourself in Jill’s situation. The biomutants aren’t much to stress about, but should one creature be strong enough to break a wall or crack a window, the pressure is going to build up and put you in a more lethal situation. Again, this is all if you’re in Jill’s situation. If you’re in Chris’s situation, you’re just on a cold mountain. Sucks, but better than an underwater grave.

“Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” (2017)

Really, you don’t have many enemies to worry about in RE7. Your main focuses should be on the Bakers Jack, Marguerite, and Lucas. Grandma, too, maybe. With these four, you would think RE7 would be at the very bottom of the list in this case. The thing is that the Bakers are all made up of mold, fungus, and insects, and they all have different ways to play with their victims. Lucas is hillbilly Jigsaw, so his traps could possibly kill you. Marguerite will devour you with her bugs, or you’ll die from vomiting and wretching at the sight of her. Jack is basically a redneck Terminator. And Grandma? Grandma probably hasn’t bathed in fifty years. So, her smell could probably kill you. So long as you’re at their house, everything can kill you.

“Resident Evil 4” (2005)

Doesn’t matter if you’re playing the original or even the remake. Both are on the same level of threat here, and RE4 establishes this in the first few minutes. As Leon, you are by yourself, taking on Spanish villagers wielding pitchforks, torches, maces, swords, daggers, and chainsaws. Doesn’t matter if you try to be friendly - they want your head on a pike! And once you start encountering the likes of Verdugo, Ramon, and Osmond, what hope do you have? Leon can roundhouse kick with grace, but can any of us? Doubt it!

“Resident Evil 5” (2009)

While Leon is taking on a Spanish village and castle, imagine yourself in Chris and Sheva’s situation in RE5. You are fighting zombies in the middle of northwestern Africa. Have you ever been to that area of Africa? It is hot as hell over there, and in what few watery areas there are, it is about as humid as south Florida. On top of that, your journey ends up taking you to temple ruins and even onboard massive ships. And do you honestly think you could take on Wesker if you had the chance, even with an RPG launcher? The chances of survival here are incredibly slim, and this is only Number Three.

“Resident Evil 6” (2012)

So, you’re going through RE6, which sees several characters fighting zombies and mutants across China. We don’t even need to point out the colossal monsters RE6 throws at you. Imagine if the outbreak was to get worse if you were in RE6. What would make the whole situation more terrifying is when you take into account China’s population. In 2012, China’s population was sitting at close to 1.3 billion people. With so many people in one region of the world, RE6 could have (and logically, maybe should have) been way worse than what the game depicted. Yet somehow, you have a way better chance of survival than our final entry.

“Resident Evil: Village” (2021)

Now, on the surface, “Village” would give you roughly the same level of survivability as RE4, maybe a little more. You’re not going against an entire climate or country. It’s a village. However, this village is plagued by werewolves. Not only that, you have a castle that houses four vampires with their own army of zombified maidens, a decrepit house containing a mutated fetus perched on the side of a waterfall, a river covered in mold and pus, and a factory that produces killer cyborgs and is ruled by a guy who can control metal with his mind. No amount of magic salve water is going to save any of us, and if you played “Village”, you’ll understand how Ethan is the only person who could have ever survived all of that.

Which “Resident Evil” game do you think you would survive best in? Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!