The Highest-Selling Resident Evil Games Ranked (& How Much They Sold)
Resident Evil is 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 called Sweet Home, which was used as the main inspiration.
The first game, Resident Evil, contained many elements from Sweet 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 Evil games together sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and below are the ten best-selling.
10 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis - 3.5 Million Copies
First on the list is Resident Evil 3: Nemesis with 3.5 million copies sold worldwide. The sales were achieved thanks to a marketing campaign that cost several million dollars and included television and print advertisements.
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.
9 Resident Evil 0 - 3.9 Million Copies
With 3.9 million copies sold, Resident Evil 0 is 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.
Thought 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.
8 Resident Evil - 4.7 Million Copies
Resident Evil is 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 as one of the best entries in the series.
Resident Evil received critical acclaim and sold 4.7 million copies, less than the company anticipated, and failed to surpass the sales of the original Resident Evil game, which eventually led to more action-themed Resident Evil games.
7 Resident Evil 2 - 5.1 Million Copies
Resident Evil 2 is a sequel of the original game and follows a rookie police officer Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, sister of the 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 and sold 5.1 million copies. Which was achieved thanks to a 5 million dollars advertising campaign by Capcom.
6 Resident 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 game Sweet Home, the rights to the game eventually expired leading Capcom to create a game with new settings, story, and characters who still contained many of the elements present in the Sweet Home.
Resident Evil sold 5.3 million copies and is considered as 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.
5 Resident Evil 2 - 7.2 Million Copies
Resident Evil 2 is a remake of the original game of the same name and was published in 2019 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game features pretty much the same plot as the original, with the addition of gameplay where the player is able to control a supporting companion at one part of the game, as well as modern graphics and the ability to play the game in the second run, with adds new content.
The game managed to sell 3 million copies in the first week of launch, and sales later totaled to 7.2 million, making Resident Evil 2 the fifth best-selling game in the series.
4 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - 7.9 Million
After action-oriented Resident Evil 5 and 6 games, Capcom decided to go back to its roots with a new survival horror game — the result is Resident Evil 7: Biohazard in which the main protagonist Ethan Winters is searching for his wife in a derelict plantation. It serves as the ninth major installment in the series an the first one to feature a first-person view.
The game sold 2.5 million copies in a few days of its release, totaling 7.9 million to this day. Later, Capcom gave a forecast, that the lifetime sales of the game will reach 10 million due to good reviews, marketing, and downloadable content.
3 Resident Evil 4 - 10.3 Million Copies
Resident Evil 4 is the sixth major installment in the series and is oriented more on action than the previous Resident Evil games. It also features an over-the-shoulder third-person view which became a standard in future third-person games. It received critical acclaim and won many "game of the year" awards.
Resident Evil 4 sold 10.3 million copies, a feat achieved thanks to being so long on the market and for having to be ported on so many different platforms. The game also entered the Guinness World Book of Records as the Best-Selling Survival Horror Game.
2 Resident Evil 6 - 11.2 Million
Published in 2012 third-person shooter, with a story that features four interwoven campaigns with a different tone and gameplay. The game had a development staff of 600 people making it Capcom's largest production.
Resident Evil 6 received mixed critical reception, and on basis of that, the studio didn't have high expectations for commercial performance. However, the game sold 4.5 million copies in days after the release, setting a new record for the Capcom. It eventually sold 11.2 million copies becoming the second bestselling Resident Evil game.
1 Resident Evil 5 - 13 Million Copies
Resident Evil 5 is the best-selling Resident Evil game with 13 million copies sold. The studio believed that the market for a survival horror game is too small and wanted a make a game that will appeal to wider audiences — the result is Resident Evil 5, an action blockbuster.
The game abandoned the survival horror genre seen in previous installments and focused solely on action, which in turn proved to be highly successful and it definitely paid of. The game lacks zombies but still has lickers and enemies seen through the game will be mind-controlled natives infected by Las Plagas parasites.
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