6 Best Resident Evil Spin-off Games, Ranked

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The Resident Evil series has been popular for decades, with a strong history of excellent core games. Beyond those main titles, there are over a dozen spin-off games that expand the series’ story. While some are better than others (and their place in the official story is debated), a few stand out as truly exceptional. Some of these spin-offs are so good, they could almost be considered part of the main Resident Evil series due to the significant contributions they make to the overall narrative.

Here are the six best Resident Evil spin-offs.

6) Resident Evil: Resistance

I could be biased, but this 4-versus-1 game is fantastic, especially because it introduced Martin Sandwich, a character fans adore. The way the game made him feel unprepared actually helped players team up and overcome the powerful enemies trying to eliminate them.

The experiment of releasing Resistance alongside Resident Evil 3 didn’t go as well as Capcom planned. The game, which featured asymmetrical horror gameplay, didn’t attract a large player base, likely due to the lack of dedicated servers and some imbalances. However, it’s worth acknowledging Capcom’s effort, and when it functioned properly, Resistance offered a unique and enjoyable twist on the Resident Evil formula.

5) Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles

The Wii was incredibly popular in the mid-2000s. Its unique motion controls appealed to everyone from serious gamers to families and even senior centers. Because of this popularity, companies like Capcom wanted to create games for the system. Luckily, Capcom had experience with similar technology, making it fairly simple to adapt one of their light-gun shooters for the Wii.

The Umbrella Chronicles was the first game in a two-part series, and it’s uniquely narrated by the iconic Resident Evil villain, Albert Wesker. The game retells the stories of classic Resident Evil titles, letting you play as beloved characters like Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Billy Chambers, and Richard Aiken. By experiencing these events from different viewpoints, you’ll uncover new information and gain a deeper understanding of the characters and storyline – making it a great game for dedicated fans.

4) Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

The Darkside Chronicles expands on the Resident Evil story, letting you experience the events surrounding Leon S. Kennedy and Jack Krauser as they investigate the origins of the deadly T-virus. If you’re interested in learning more about Leon’s past before Resident Evil 2, this game is essential.

Plus, it’s a really fun light gun shooter. The camera work can be a bit unsteady, but overall the game is excellent. With good graphics, engaging gameplay, and plenty to do, The Darkside Chronicles is a great value. However, the HD collection originally released on PlayStation 3 is hard to find since it was only available digitally.

3) Resident Evil Revelations 2

For many fans, revisiting Claire Redfield in this new game felt wonderfully familiar. Revelations 2 also includes the characters Barry Burton and his daughter, Moira, which is a nice treat for longtime players. It’s a shame, though, that we mostly only see Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy featured in recent installments, considering how many other great characters the series has.

Resident Evil: Revelations 2 is another enjoyable episodic game, just like the first, and it’s fun to play by yourself or with a friend. You’ll switch between playing as Claire and Barry throughout the four episodes, giving you a good amount of gameplay with each character. The popular Raid Mode returns with 200 new, quick-action missions. There’s a lot to do in this game, offering hours of content. However, it doesn’t quite reach its full potential due to a lack of truly frightening moments and some repetitive backtracking.

2) Resident Evil Outbreak

As a Resident Evil fan, I always thought Outbreak was really interesting. It was the first game to try letting you play with friends online, which was super ambitious for 2004! Looking back, it felt way ahead of its time. The internet just wasn’t really ready for a smooth online co-op horror experience, especially back then on consoles. It had so much potential!

If Outbreak, with its series of separate Resident Evil scenarios, had been released more recently, it probably would have been much more popular. It was successful enough to warrant a sequel – which is also excellent – but the developers haven’t revisited this style of game since. Hopefully they will in the future. The core idea is strong, but it didn’t quite resonate with players when online gaming on consoles was still new.

1) Resident Evil Revelations

A true follow-up to Revelations would be a great addition to the main Resident Evil series, and fans really deserve to play as Jill Valentine again. She’s arguably Capcom’s best character, even better than Chris and Leon, but hasn’t been featured enough lately. It’s frustrating that you’re stuck playing as Chris for a significant portion of the game, as he’s simply not as compelling a character.

Look, it’s not just about Jill Valentine, but Revelations really nailed the atmosphere for me. The whole game takes place on this creepy, abandoned cruise ship, and it’s just a perfect setting for a horror game. You’re constantly feeling uneasy because you can’t see what’s around the next corner, and honestly, it ramped up the scares in a way the series hadn’t done in ages. Okay, yeah, it originally came out on the 3DS, which meant the graphics weren’t amazing, but honestly? It doesn’t even matter. Revelations is seriously one of the best Resident Evil games ever made, and I think it’s time we started recognizing it as such.

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2026-02-27 01:42