Resident Evil Games Ranked By How Long They Take To Beat

Highlights

• Resident Evil
  games range in completion time, from 3 to 21 hours, providing various levels of horror and suspense for players.
• Spin-off titles like
  Dead Aim
  ,
  Gaiden
  , and
  Raccoon City
  offer unique gameplay experiences in shorter, more fast-paced campaigns for fans.
• Main entries like
  Resident Evil 7
  ,
  Village,
  and
  Code: Veronica
  provide longer playtimes with immersive storylines and distinct settings.

Resident Evil has long reigned supreme in the realm of survival horror and zombie action, establishing its dominance in the genre since its initial release in 1996. With each passing year, the franchise continues to captivate fans with fresh narratives and horrifying encounters against iconic foes.

The duration required to complete a full playthrough of a Resident Evil game often varies, whether that involves a simple, linear campaign or multiple character scenarios. While some experiences may be relatively brief, others immerse players in prolonged bouts of terror.

Updated April 5th, 2024, by Mara Cowley: Resident Evil is one of the most popular game series of all time, spawning countless numbered titles as well as spin-off games, expanding the ever-growing library of Resident Evil games, with more remakes and new numbered titles looming on the horizon. They owe their popularity to their fun, frightening gameplay, incredible monster designs, the hall of heroes that regularly rotate through the games, and the fact that the games never outstay their welcome. Despite this, there are certainly some titles longer than the others, with one rising as the longest Resident Evil game.

21 Resident Evil: Dead Aim

3 Hours

• Platforms: PS2
• Release Date: June 17th, 2003
• Developer: Cavia
• Genre: Light gun shooter

Dead Aim is a wholly unique entry in the Resident Evil library, ditching fixed cameras, third or first-person POV smothered with a tight atmosphere, and instead being a light-shooter game. Set 4 years after Resident Evil 2, an ocean liner has become the latest breeding ground for the T-virus. A few unlucky people are sent to the ship in order to put a stop to the outbreak.

As a spin-off game and a light-shooter, Dead Aim was never going to be a long experience, clocking in with an average completion time of just three hours. But, those who want to achieve 100% completion will see their time upped by at least another additional hour and a half.

20 Resident Evil Gaiden

4 Hours

This one particular RE game was released for the Game Boy Color back in the early 2000s, favoring a top-down perspective that switches to first-person for combat, making it unique from most of the other RE titles. The game is considered non-canon, depicting series protagonists Leon Kennedy and Barry Burton onboard a passenger ship that is the site of a viral outbreak.

As a handheld game not considered part of the canon storyline, it is not as lengthy as the games, with an approximate 4-hour-long campaign. But every player’s mileage may vary, depending on how slow they like to take their games and their levels of exploration.

19 Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

6 Hours

This squad-based shooter game took place during the Raccoon City outbreak, featuring a total of twelve playable characters split into two separate sides: the Umbrella Security Team and the United States Special Ops team, with various changes to the campaign depending on whom the player chooses to play. There is even a multiplayer element, allowing four players to play through a cooperative mod against the Special Ops or Security Team.

As Operation Raccoon City is mostly a fun gun game without a strict story like the other RE games, it has a relatively shorter completion time of approximately 6 hours, which feels like the perfect length for this kind of game.

18 Resident Evil 3 (2020)

6 Hours

The Resident Evil 3 Remake is one of the shortest games in the Resident Evil series, and has proved to be quite disappointing among fans – quite a bit of content was cut that resulted in the game having a rather underwhelming runtime.

The game’s story only takes 6 hours to complete, which left fans feeling like the game was cut short. Various locations and boss fights were cut from the original game, making the remake’s story incredibly concise.

17 Resident Evil 2 (1998)

6 Hours

One of the shorter games in the Resident Evil franchise, Resident Evil 2, is set two months after the original game and follows Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield as they fight their way out of the Raccoon City outbreak.

Both characters have their own storyline where they explore the abandoned streets of Raccoon City and the mysterious corridors of the Raccoon City Police Department. The game received plenty of praise from critics for its gameplay, story and environments, and even got its very own remake in 2019.

16 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis

7 Hours

The original Resident Evil 3 clocked in a longer runtime than its remake, with an extra half an hour of content. This game introduced the iconic Resident Evil villain, Nemesis, to the franchise, and popularized the use of stalker-like enemies in the Resident Evil franchise.

The game follows Jill Valentine as she is pursued by the relentless villain through Raccoon City, at the same time as the events of Resident Evil 2. The game provided a different perspective on the tragedy and brought Jill back to the franchise once more.

15 Resident Evil (1996)

7 hours

The original Resident Evil is the game that started it all, and clocks in a pretty reasonable runtime of 7 hours. For modern gamers, the runtime may seem a little underwhelming, but at the time of release, the game was considered to be packed with content.

This is the game that allowed the Resident Evil franchise to establish itself as an iconic face in the survival horror world and introduced gamers to some of the most important characters in the series, such as Albert Wesker, Jill Valentine, and Chris Redfield.

14 Resident Evil: Outbreak

8 Hours

This Resident Evil title serves as a spin-off game to the main over-arching timeline, splitting the game into episodes set during the Raccoon City incidents that is the predominant backdrop to Resident Evil 2 and 3.

The game is less like the other main titles and more like an arcade shooter, with players choosing the difficulty and character before diving into each episode and special objectives that will rake up more points. As such, most players’ mileage will vary for this game, but on average, players can expect to spend 8 hours completing the main game.

13 Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

8 Hours

For fans who enjoyed Resident Evil 2 and Code: Veronica, Darkside Chronicles is the game for them, as it allows them to experience a creative retelling of these titles. It brings back the fan-favorite characters from these games: Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Sherry Birken, and Steve Burnside.

The game plays as a rail shooter, challenging the player to use the Wii motion controls to aim with precision and gun down the enemies on the screen. Despite being an arcade-style shooter among the likes of House of the Dead, the game features a surprisingly lengthy campaign of around 8 hours.

12 Resident Evil 2 (2019)

9 hours

Resident Evil 2 stands as one of the most iconic video games made, and the remake in 2019 certainly managed to do it justice. The remake takes everything the original did well and adds even more to it.

Supporting characters have a bigger chance to shine, there are even more collectibles to find, and the game is just so much more immersive and frightening. The graphical improvements look incredible, and the improved voice acting provides gamers with a much more believable experience.

11 Resident Evil: Revelations

8 hours

The events of Resident Evil: Revelations occur shortly after where Resident Evil 4 leaves off. The game is focused on the counter-terrorism agents Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine on their mission to find answers about a bioterrorist organization that plans to infect all the Earth’s oceans with a dangerous virus.

Resident Evil: Revelations is one of the shorter games in the franchise, with 8 hours of story. However, the game provides some great storytelling and does attempt to return to the series’ more survival horror roots.

10 Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

10 hours

Resident Evil 7 marked a significant shift in the Resident Evil series, almost serving as a reboot. The game was the series’ first attempt at first-person horror, and it certainly worked out – the immersion has made it one of the most terrifying games in the series.

Resident Evil 7 puts players through 10 horrifying hours of gameplay that will certainly keep them on the edge of their seats, and introduced fans to the new protagonist, Ethan Winters, for the first time.

9 Resident Evil Village

10 hours

Resident Evil Village saw the return of Ethan Winters three years after the events of Resident Evil 7, with his wife, Mia Winters, and their baby, Rose. The game follows Ethan as he tries to save Rose after she is kidnapped by the game’s villain, Mother Miranda.

Resident Evil Village is extremely reminiscent of Resident Evil 4, as Ethan fights his way through various themed areas in a European village. The game features a cast of eccentric and memorable characters and clocks in at a decent 10 hours worth of story.

8 Resident Evil: Revelations 2

10 hours

Resident Evil: Revelations 2 features the return of fan-favorite Raccoon City survivor Claire Redfield, as well as Barry Burton’s daughter, Moira Burton. The game follows the pair after they find themselves in an abandoned detention facility on a monster-infested island.

The game packs in a decent amount of content, resulting in 10 hours of playtime. Players have the option to either play offline co-op with the two characters or switch between them if they’re playing solo.

7 Resident Evil (2002)

11.5 Hours

The remake of the 1996 classic featured some important changes that significantly improved the original game. The Resident Evil remake featured some higher-resolution backgrounds and much more detailed character models, making the experience much more immersive.

Additionally, some new enemy types were added to mix up the gameplay, and the Spencer Mansion itself was expanded. All of this helped the game significantly increase the playtime of the original game.

6 Resident Evil Code: Veronica

12 Hours

Resident Evil Code: Veronica takes place three months after the Raccoon City incident in Resident Evil 2. As they attempt to survive yet another virus outbreak on a prison island off the Southern Ocean, Claire Redfield and her brother, Chris Redfield, a regular in the series, are followed throughout the game.

Following the success of the remakes of Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4, fans are incredibly eager for Code: Veronica to receive the same treatment. It already packs in 12 hours of content, but a remake could potentially fit in even more.

5 Resident Evil Zero

12 Hours

Resident Evil Zero takes place directly before the events of the original game, Resident Evil. The story follows S.T.A.R.S. officer Rebecca Chambers as she faces hordes of zombies and introduces players to Billy Coen, an escaped criminal.

The game allows players to control the two characters throughout the story and explores some of the events and characters of the first game in more depth, building up an 12 hour runtime.

4 Resident Evil 5

12 Hours

Resident Evil 5 follows the series’ regular Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance agent, Chris Redfield, and newcomer Sheva Alomar in the fictional African region of Kijuju, on a mission to investigate a terrorist threat.

Resident Evil 5 heavily encourages co-op gameplay, and whilst it received some criticism for moving away from the series’ horror roots, it still stands as a fun co-op experience.

3 Resident Evil 4 (2005)

16 Hours

Resident Evil 4 sees the return of Leon S. Kennedy. When Ashley Graham, the daughter of the US president, is abducted by a religious cult in rural Spain, special agent Leon S. Kennedy is sent on a mission to save her.

The game features deadly infected enemies and various themed areas and chapters to complete, resulting in the game clocking in an impressive 16 hours of runtime.

2 Resident Evil 4 (2023)

16 Hours

Resident Evil 4’s remake has proved to have one of the longest runtimes in the franchise, clocking in at 16 hours for an average playthrough. The game has 16 different chapters, with varying lengths, for players to work their way through.

Players may also find themselves heading back to their closest typewriter quite frequently to save their progress or returning to the merchant for some upgrades, increasing the time spent in their playthrough.