Which Resident Evil Game Deserves the Remake Treatment Next?

Since the release of Resident Evil 7 in January of 2017, Capcom has been on a role. After the less-than-stellar reception of both Resident Evil 5 and 6, the developers behind the long-running survival horror series went back to the drawing board to bring the series back to its roots for Resident Evil 7 and 8. As if those games weren’t enough, Capcom has also delivered three remakes of older RE games that arguably outpace the newer sequels in the quality department. So with two of the best original RE games and three best-in-class remakes over the past six years, it is very safe to say that we are in the midst of a golden age of Resident Evil, leaving everyone wondering which game will be next. 

RE 2 and RE 3 were a bonded pair when they were originally developed for the PlayStation 1 so it was natural that RE 3 would get the remake treatment after RE 2 kicked off the parade in 2019. After 2 and 3 were both remade players everywhere both hoped and assumed that RE 4 would be the next entry in the series to be remade and they were correct. With the recent release of Resident Evil 4 remake being an overnight critical and commercial sensation having sold more than three million copies in the first two days after release, it’s only natural to assume that more Resident Evil remakes are coming, but what isn’t so natural is which game will be next. 

What made Resident Evil 7 so successful in pulling the entire franchise back on track was the commitment to returning to the series’ survival horror roots. Since that strategy seems to have been a recipe for success in sequels, the obvious answer to which game to remake next is to utilize that same strategy and return to the original mansion. Remaking Resident Evil 1 would be optimal for many reasons and would easily provide the biggest boost to the series moving forward. 

Of the classic Resident Evil games left to choose from that could potentially get the remake treatment, RE 1 is by far the most popular, and for good reason. Not only would revisiting the original Spencer Mansion give the older audience the opportunity to reexperience the original horror house setting but it would provide the newer audience context as to the foundational design of the series as a whole. The Spencer Mansion was the first of the massive creepy areas filled with jump scares around every corner that has become so iconic in the series. The opportunity to explore the mansion in a full-on remake to the same degree that the other games have been remade would be an absolute treat for gamers young and old alike. RE 1 demonstrated that a Metroidvania lite format lends itself fantastically to the survival horror genre.

Remaking the original game would also give Capcom the opportunity to continue to revisit and refine the series to make all the games match tonally and stylistically. Over the now 27-year history of the Resident Evil series, the tone and style of the games have changed radically as they were both empowered by new technology and influenced by changing trends. But now that games as a medium have matured quite a bit, the series seems to have settled into a very specific and well-realized tone and aesthetic that fit the series well. Not only does remaking these games continue to reintroduce them to newer audiences, but they are also preserving the series for future generations of gamers. And from a preservation standpoint, no other game in the series would benefit from a remake quite as much as the original.

The overarching story of Resident Evil is something that the remakes haven’t gotten heavily involved in until just recently, with the return of Albert Wesker in the Resident Evil 4 remake. Considering Wesker’s narrative significance, remaking Resident Evil 1 would also make the most logical sense as it could function as a type of flashback for the newer audience that jumped on board with the newer games. Then after teasing what’s to come for the character in RE4 and providing the background context in RE1, Capcom could springboard into remaking RE 0 and Code Veronica then eventually take another whack at 5 and 6. RE 2, RE 3, and now RE 4 have set the stage for an RE 1 remake to bust the story wide open, making for massive potential for future games. 

Nobody realized it at the time, but RE 7 was the start of a new cycle of Resident Evil games. RE 7 was a new game in 2017, the series took 2018 off, had a remake in 2019, and another remake in 2020. After the remake of RE 3 the cycle started over with a new game in 2021, taking a year off in 2022, and now a remake in 2023 that happens to perfectly set the stage for another remake next year. This four-year cycle of Resident Evil being a new game, year off, remake, and remake allows adequate time for the development of original entries in the series and the updating of older entries through remakes. On a larger scale, finishing the current cycle with RE 1 and then following up with another cycle that consists of RE 9, 0 remake, and Code Veronica remake also allows for enough additional time to pass to give RE 5 and 6 another shot.

The newfound four-year Resident Evil cycle has positioned the franchise for years of success to come and Capcom finds itself at a pivotal point in solidifying that cycle. Remaking RE 1 is the final push necessary to make this new style of Resident Evil a household name and create enough mainstream success that a significantly wider audience will find themselves not only accepting of but thirsting for remakes of the less popular games like 0 and Code Veronica and even eventually redeeming 5 and 6. As strange as it may seem, in 2023, Resident Evil 1 could be the key to the franchise’s future success.