Thanks to its beginnings as a PlayStation exclusive before primarily featuring on the GameCube in the 6th console generation, Xbox consoles would not receive a Resident Evil game until well into the Xbox 360’s lifespan. The first game in the series to arrive on a Microsoft console would be Resident Evil 5, and afterward, it would take years for the series to have the same kind of presence on Xbox as it does on PlayStation and PC. Now, however, the Resident Evil series has parity across all modern consoles and PC, simultaneously releasing its latest entries on a single date and concurrently launching as multi-platform titles.
Though it took some time to catch up to other platforms, the Xbox Series X/S now has one of the most impressive Resident Evil libraries thanks to backward compatibility with both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Some of the games that would launch on the Xbox via the 360 would later receive updates and new launch dates for their Xbox One versions, but for these scenarios this list maintains these games’ original launch dates. Interestingly, Xbox and PlayStation consoles are now the only place where players can experience the fan-favorite Code: Veronica, with the game still being unavailable on PC or Nintendo Switch.
Resident Evil 5 (3/13/2009)
Following in the footsteps of its immediate predecessor, Resident Evil 5 continues the series’ foray into action with a bombastic campaign completely playable in co-op. Players once again step into the shoes of recurring series hero Chris Redfield, or his partner Sheva Alomar as player 2, as they investigate reports of a terrorist group having access to a deadly bio-organic weapon (BOW). Chris and Sheva eventually discover that none other than Albert Wesker is pulling the strings, seemingly back from the dead and hoping to throw the modern world into chaos.
As the first Resident Evil game to release for an Xbox console, Resident Evil 5 would prove to be a huge hit and fare well on the Xbox 360 thanks to its local and online co-op. Thanks to its campaign being completely playable with a friend through split-screen or online play, Resident Evil 5 would be one of the best-selling titles on the system in the year of its initial release. The title is still available today on the Xbox Series X/S thanks to backwards compatibility, though it is harder to find co-op partners using matchmaking.
Resident Evil 4 (9/20/2011)
Resident Evil 4 completely reinvents both the Resident Evil franchise and third-person action games as a whole, bringing the series away from its original setting of Raccoon City and into the forests and castles of the Iberian peninsula. Along with the change in scenery, RE4 takes a bold step into action game territory, shifting the camera to a behind-the-shoulder perspective and featuring a greater emphasis on shooting and combat over the traditional survival horror the series helped to popularize. These gambles on the series formula would prove to be successful, resulting in Resident Evil 4 being one of the best-selling games in the series.
Resident Evil 4‘s arrival on an Xbox console wouldn’t come about until 6 years after the game’s original release on GameCube, though that in no way would diminish its eventual impact. To date, the Xbox 360 and Xbox One re-release of Resident Evil 4 have sold a combined total of nearly 4 million units, proving the lasting appeal of the game even when comparing it to modern action or survival-horror titles.
Resident Evil – Code: Veronica (9/27/2011)
Code: Veronica‘s arrival on the Dreamcast would come as a surprise to many fans who had expected the series to continue as a PlayStation exclusive, though it wouldn’t take long for the title to arrive on the PS2 as Code: Veronica X. It is this version of the game that would eventually receive ports to other consoles and is essentially the same as the original, albeit with some additional content. Players take on the role of Claire Redfield as she heads to Europe in search of her brother Chris, eventually winding up on the mysterious Rockfort Island facility and, later, Antarctica.
Resident Evil – Code: Veronica‘s release on the Xbox 360 in 2011 would see it break free from its prior PS2 and Dreamcast exclusivity, though the title would only receive a physical release in Japan and Asia regions. The title remains playable on modern Xbox consoles thanks to backward compatibility and a digital version still available through the Xbox Marketplace.
Resident Evil 6 (10/2/2012)
Just like its predecessor, Resident Evil 6 would launch simultaneously as a multi-platform title in the fall of 2012. However, unlike the two mainline games before it, the sixth game in the series would arguably take the series further into action territory than most fans appreciate, resulting in a definitively mixed critical and commercial reception. Thanks to its three separate campaigns each featuring different groups of dual protagonists, RE6 feels needlessly bloated and tonally inconsistent. The game would end up being a massive critical disappointment despite commercial success, resulting in Capcom soft-rebooting the franchise.
For all of its flaws, Resident Evil 6 would actually perform fairly well upon its initial release. However, the same cannot be said of its later Xbox One port, which would only sell just north of a million copies in comparison to the Xbox 360 version’s greater success. After the release of Resident Evil 6 and the port of Revelations that would arrive soon after, it would be two years before another game in the franchise would come to an Xbox console.
Resident Evil: Revelations (5/21/2013)
After initially releasing in 2012 on the Nintendo 3DS and then later coming to the Wii U that same year, 2013 would see Resident Evil: Revelations receive a port to the Xbox 360 and PS3. Revelations takes the series back to its survival-horror roots with both its gameplay and its characters, placing players back into the role of controlling both Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield. Thanks to its claustrophobic setting, harrowing enemy encounters, clever puzzles, and limited resources, Revelations would prove to be much more popular among longtime fans than Resident Evil 6 despite selling significantly less.
Revelations‘ Xbox 360 port in 2013 would later be followed up by an Xbox One port in 2017, the same year that the title would see release on the new Nintendo Switch. Though the game did not sell incredibly well in comparison to other series titles on Xbox platforms, Microsoft recently made the game playable again on the Xbox Series X/S as one of its newer additions to the backwards compatible library of Xbox 360 games.
Resident Evil (1/20/2015)
The Resident Evil HD Remaster is the port of the remake of the first game in the series to modern consoles. It takes the PlayStation original and completely revamps the visuals and presentation while also incorporating new content cut from the game back in 1996. The result is an excellent remake that both retains the core gameplay that the series is famous for while bringing the graphics and audio into the modern era. The HD Remaster would eventually go on to serve as a foundation of sorts for the style and atmosphere of the modern Resident Evil remakes.
Originally a Nintendo GameCube exclusive, Capcom would bring the title to PS3 and then later to the PS4 and Xbox One. The release of the remake on the Xbox One would mark the first time that the original game in the series was available on a Microsoft platform, resulting in the title selling well via the Xbox Marketplace. The success of the HD Remaster would later prompt Capcom to bring Resident Evil Zero to the console as well.
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (3/18/2015)
Revelations 2 takes the old-school Resident Evil approach of its predecessor and introduces a novel concept in making the game episodic. Though it is now available as a full, standalone release, the original launch of Resident Evil: Revelations 2 was broken up into 4 separate episodes, with each of them switching back and forth between series heroes Barry Burton and Claire Redfield. Unlike the original Revelations, though, the sequel introduces co-op gameplay, albeit in a unique fashion where player 2 has a limited set of abilities and can only provide support to player 1.
The release of Revelations 2‘s four episodes would mark the first time since Resident Evil 6 that a new game in the series would launch as a multi-platform title, with each episode launching concurrently on PS4, PC, and Xbox One. Revelations 2 would also outsell its predecessor by just over a million copies, justifying its multi-platform launch and leading to a later port to the Nintendo Switch.
Resident Evil Zero (1/19/2016)
Along with the remake of the original game in the series, Resident Evil Zero is the second of three formerly GameCube exclusive titles in the series. Players take on the role of S.T.A.R.S. rookie Rebecca Chambers and get to experience the events leading to the disappearance of Bravo Team and the eventual dispatch of Alpha Team and the beginning of the original Resident Evil. After coming across a crashed prison convoy, Bravo Team splits up to investigate, and Rebecca finds herself needing to cooperate with the escaped convict to survive a multitude of BOWs.
Thanks to the success of the launch of the HD Remaster of the first game in the series, Capcom brought Resident Evil Zero to the Xbox One at the beginning of 2016. The port of the game to modern consoles would go on to be nearly as commercially successful as the other GameCube RE titles, establishing that the Xbox player base is eager for more Resident Evil games on the platform.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (1/24/2017)
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard marks a new chapter in the Resident Evil franchise and the beginning of a new release strategy for publisher and developer Capcom. Rather than feature a recurring hero from the series’ past, players control new protagonist Ethan Winters as he searches for his missing wife in a Louisiana bayou. After contending with the diabolical Baker family, Ethan discovers the connections that exist between this patch of remote US countryside and the now-defunct Umbrella Corporation, kicking off a new saga within the Resident Evil timeline.
Biohazard‘s release on PS4, Xbox One, and PC would prove to be the shot in the arm that the series so desperately needed, reinvigorating interest in the Resident Evil franchise and helping to justify Capcom’s eventual release strategy for the series. To date, Biohazard has sold just over 20 million units across all platforms, making it one of the most successful relaunches of a franchise.
Resident Evil 2 (1/25/2019)
Following the critical and commercial success of Biohazard, Capcom would make good on a decade-old promise by revealing a remake of Resident Evil 2. With the series now multi-platform and not subject to any exclusivity agreements, Resident Evil 2 would launch simultaneously on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The title currently stands as one of the best-selling single games in the history of the franchise and is a favorite among fans. Though it borrows the tone and style of the Resident Evil HD Remaster, the remake of Resident Evil 2 utilizes the over-the-shoulder camera that the original Resident Evil 4 made popular nearly 20 years ago. Additionally, the reimagined version of the classic sequel introduces several unique twists, including featuring Mr. X as a persistent threat.
Resident Evil 3 (4/3/2020)
Resident Evil 3 would launch for all modern consoles and PC just over a year after the release of Resident Evil 2, using the same style and establishing the new release model for the franchise. Announced concurrently with the reveal of Resident Evil Village, Capcom now follows a pattern of alternating releases in the series between remakes of classic games and the next numbered mainline entry. After originally being planned as a DLC for Resident Evil 2, RE3 was released as a standalone title and received some backlash from players due to its brevity. Despite this, the title would go on to sell incredibly well and influence a remake of the now-legendary Resident Evil 4.
Resident Evil VIllage (5/7/2021)
Village picks up just a short amount of time after the events of Biohazard to see Ethan and his wife attempt to rebuild their lives. Now parents, Ethan is pulled into harm’s way once again when Chris Redfield makes a surprise visit to kill his wife and kidnap his infant daughter. Gameplay once again takes place from a first-person perspective like Resident Evil 7, though a later update would add-in a new third-person mode. In addition to some surprising story revelations that connect the plots of RE7 and Village to the older games, the title marks the end of Ethan Winters’ saga.
Resident Evil Re:Verse (10/28/2022)
Re:Verse is the online PvP third-person shooter where players get to control various heroes and villains from throughout the Resident Evil universe. Releasing as the online component for Resident Evil Village, the game is free-to-play and available on all platforms that Village is currently on (with the exception of Nintendo Switch). However, thanks to some lackluster gameplay and an uninspired use of the license, the online community for Re:Verse is practically non-existent, rendering the game effectively dead.
Resident Evil 4 (3/24/2023)
Both the latest game in the series and one of the most successful titles across the whole franchise, Resident Evil 4 is a complete remake of the original RE4 done in Capcom’s modern remake style used in RE2 and RE3. Players once again take on the role of Leon S. Kennedy as he simultaneously tracks down the US President’s daughter and investigates reports of bio-terrorism, but the remake also introduces several new elements over the original. Leon now has access to a parry move using the Combat Knife to compliment his close-quarters melee abilities, changing the knife to a must-have accessory rather than simply a tool for smashing boxes. The remake also brings back the classic Mercenaries mode, which allows players to survive Horde challenges across several maps, attempting to kill as many enemies as possible and rack up a top score.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Gameplay screenshot.