12 Resident Evil Games With The Best Multiplayer, Ranked

While the release of Resident Evil 4 Remake marked the return of Leon Kennedy and viciously delightful knife kills in the remaking of gaming’s best escort mission, fans of both classic Resident Evil and modern Resident Evil may feel frustrated that the RE4 Remake also takes the singleplayer-only mantra of its original version. Just like Leon’s first foray in his mission to save Ashley Graham, RE4 Remake doesn’t have a co-op mode that would let players enjoy taking down zombies with their friends.

Thankfully, other Resident Evil games allow players to team up and break up heads in the most action-packed ways the franchise can offer. Aside from staple partnerships in mainline titles as well as more competitive game modes, some Resident Evil games are outright multiplayer on the get-go and even feature unique mechanics.

Updated on March 3, 2024, by Rhenn Taguiam: With news that Capcom won’t likely release any Remake titles this 2024, fans of the Resident Evil franchise may want to revisit the series’ older titles to immerse themselves in classic gaming nostalgia or see the evolution of perhaps the world’s most popular survival horror franchise. However, fans who want to enjoy this experience with friends may want to consider playing some of these games in cooperative experiences or even multiplayer versions. Interestingly enough, some Resident Evil titles offer gameplay modes or entire gameplay segments available for multiplayer, paving the way for players to enjoy the game with their friends. Unfortunately, the poor reception or even the outdated hardware of some multiplayer-compatible entries may have made it close to impossible to enjoy certain entries in today’s era of digital gaming.

This is a historical piece and contains
Resident Evil
titles that have had some form of cooperative experience. Some of these games might not have an active multiplayer component anymore, which will be noted under each entry.

12 Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009)

Metascore: 75

Lovers of the Resident Evil franchise looking for more character development instead of a hardline Resident Evil story may enjoy the anthology of stories offered in Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. While the game offers a new perspective of Jack Krauser and Leon Kennedy’s relationship in a mission to uncover more secrets of the T-Virus, The Darkside Chronicles also re-explores some iconic moments in previous games.

Such scenarios include a retelling of Claire Redfield and Leon’s journey in protecting Sherry against the monstrous “G” in Raccoon City, Steve Burnside and Claire’s attempt to escape Rockfort Island, and a deeper look into Krauser’s mindset as he accompanied Leon in the main game’s mission. Being a rail shooter, The Darkside Chronicles is a more linear action experience, with its co-op being available at the onset.

The Darkside Chronicles: How Did It Fare In Co-Op?

Being a rail shooter with an active co-op component, The Darkside Chronicles plays like a traditional arcade shooter. All chapters are available for multiplayer from the get-go, allowing two players to tackle missions more efficiently to get into story segments much faster. Sadly, the game doesn’t offer much replayability after going through all the chapters with a friend, especially with the limited mechanics that rail shooters offer.

Status Of Multiplayer In Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (2009)

Unlike other multiplayer Resident Evil experiences, The Darkside Chronicles is exclusively a two-person co-op experience. It doesn’t support online co-op or LAN-based experiences, and instead only facilitates playing locally. This means players who own the game can grab a second controller and have another person act as Player-2 to their Player-1, where both of them will share a screen in the light rail shooter.

11 Resident Evil: Revelations (2012)

Metascore: 82

After Leon S. Kennedy saves Ashley Graham from the clutches of the Los Iluminados in Resident Evil 4, OG protagonists Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield investigate the Queen Zenobia submarine for remnants of a bio-terrorist organization in Resident Evil: Revelations. Playing like a typical Resident Evil experience, players need to outlast countless zombies with limited ammunition and more calculated gameplay.

However, Revelations offers a more constrained experience, given the limited space of a submarine. Where Revelations shines as a multiplayer experience is its more action-paced Raid Mode, where up to two players try to overcome hordes of upgraded opponents in various modified single-player scenarios.

Revelations: How Did It Fare In Co-Op?

Unlike other recent Resident Evil games with partners as protagonists, Revelations doesn’t support co-op in its campaign mode. Much of its multiplayer experience is encountered in the arcade-esque Raid Mode. The end of each level rewards players with loot based on their performance, with Raid Mode itself ending once players get too overwhelmed in the stage they’re in. While technically replayable, Raid Mode may end up being too repetitive for players to enjoy in the long term.

Status Of Multiplayer In Resident Evil: Revelations (2012)

Unfortunately for Resident Evil: Revelations, its campaign mode doesn’t support co-op play, nor does it support couch co-op and even LAN play. However, its arcade-inspired Raid Mode lets players use Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, and the elusive HUNK across stages inspired by the story mode’s levels where they are awarded based on their Performance.

10 Resident Evil: Resistance (2020)

Metascore: 64

Released alongside Resident Evil 3 Remake as an online gameplay experience, Resident Evil: Resistance takes the cooperative nature of Left 4 Dead and Evolve and adds a unique Resident Evil feel to it. In essence, the game plays like a dungeon simulator, wherein a player mastermind summons enemies and sets up traps for another player team to traverse. Story-wise, the game took place just before the Raccoon City Destruction Incident, where the Umbrella Intelligence Division abducted groups of civilians to test their resilience against the many test experiments of the T-Virus project.

In turn, options for both Survivors and Masterminds in the game take the form of various characters that have some form of relation to Raccoon City and Umbrella Corporation, adding a bit of depth to the franchise’s overall lore. While the gameplay loop of players being able to contend in a wide variety of custom scenarios, the game’s lack of dedicated servers and instead mediocre matchmaking forced Capcom to close support for the system in 2020. Either way, players with a copy of the game willing to grab some friends or deal with the game’s potentially faulty servers may have a blast with this game – especially when they get a match.

Resistance: How Did It Fare In Co-Op?

There’s potential in the 4v1 gameplay of Resistance, but its relentless reliance on time-based rounds can’t give players enough opportunity to appreciate the game’s wealth of unique mechanics. The Mastermind has the unique privilege of laying down traps, summoning monsters, and even locking doors to delay Survivors as much as possible, giving Resident Evil a unique dungeon-building flair. Meanwhile, Survivors having unique skills on top of being able to kill zombies gives the closest Resident Evil got to being an RPG.

Status Of Multiplayer In Resident Evil: Resistance (2020)

While available as a DLC for Resident Evil 3 Remake, Capcom has currently unlisted Resistance from Steam, and the game won’t be available on search unless redirected from search engine results. The game remains accessible as a multiplayer game mode, although players frequently complain about its online matchmaking. However, players can engage in five-man experiences via a custom game, provided they all have copies of RE3 Remake.

9 Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps (2016)

Metascore: 38

It’s Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps that takes a major departure from the Resident Evil formula but leans heavily on the action side instead of the more survival horror focus that RE7 took. Whereas most other games try to tie to the overall bioterrorism angle of the core series, Umbrella Corps is heavily tied to the multiplayer experience. The premise is set in two (2) periods, the single-player “The Experiment,” where Operative 3A-7 is sent to various bioterrorism locations to test an underground Umbrella Corporation’s new anti-zombie weapons from 2012 to 2013. The multiplayer segment, meanwhile, focuses on 2016, when various smaller bioterror organizations began sending their operatives to retrieve Umbrella’s lost research.

Sadly, the game’s rather mediocre gameplay and inconsistent approach to style made it quite a letdown for many of the players who appreciated the series’ focus on lore. However, players looking for the most multiplayer-leaning entry in the franchise may want to try their hands at the closest Resident Evil has to a co-op shooter. Mechanics-wise, the game introduces a myriad of “anti-zombie” weapons that add a bit of flair to the series, as these are gadgets that offer new ways of killing zombies in the otherwise “shoot the head” gameplay model of the previous titles.

Umbrella Corps: How Did It Fare In Co-Op?

Being able to control a trained mercenary and duking it out against other soldiers is a fantasy fulfilled in Umbrella Corps gameplay, giving players more weapons to use in cramped spaces that emphasize fast-paced mayhem. Despite replayable chaotic matches with various objectives, however, the game’s overall clunky gameplay loop can ruin its multiplayer potential. For instance, its decent shooter mechanics are hindered by a rather inconsistent cover system as well as other unreasonably powerful gadgets.

Status Of Multiplayer In Resident Evil: Umbrella Corps (2016)

Unfortunately for Umbrella Corps, its thematic faithfulness to Resident Evil’s aesthetics can’t make up for a lackluster PvPvE experience. Its poor matchmaking on release had resulted in players quickly dropping the game, with very few players remaining in multiplayer lobbies to facilitate matches in recent times.

8 Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (2011)

Metascore: 65

Since the release of The Mercenaries mini-game in both Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5, which emphasized hardcore action versus story, fans are given a taste of what a Resident Evil game would look like from the perspective of pure gunplay. Owners of the Nintendo 3DS can experience a full version of the gameplay mode in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, essentially a blending of both RE4 and RE5’s missions of the same mode. The Nintendo 3DS brings a lot of technical appeal to the title, with the lower screen providing players with an interactive inventory on top of a rather flexible Skill Point system that customizes their character’s abilities.

While the game’s initial release was met with criticisms for its limited and repetitive content, hardcore fans of Resident Evil can spend hours of their time constantly one-upping each other as their favorite protagonists whack zombies out of existence. In today’s time, where the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck have dominated portable gaming, a blast from the past with a co-op Nintendo 3DS game can be worth the while for retro lovers.

The Mercenaries 3D: How Did It Fare In Co-Op?

While the lack of comms can make The Mercenaries 3D quite a drag in multiplayer, the game’s straightforward arcade shooter mechanic makes for a fun experience to play with friends in one’s spare time. Being able to navigate small environments while blasting and dodging zombies can make for a challenging experience when done with a friend, especially with the game incentivizing friendly competition between players.

Status Of Multiplayer In Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (2011)

Considering its status as a Nintendo 3DS title, The Mercenaries 3D only supports multiplayer for gamers who also possess the console and the game. The game doesn’t have local and online co-op, but it does support the Nintendo 3DS’s system link functionality. In turn, The Mercenaries 3D players can system link with other Nintendo 3DS owners with the game to attempt to clear the title’s increasingly difficult stages.

7 Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007)

Metascore: 75

While most Nintendo Wii games have received general scrutiny for a rather unsatisfactory approach to its Wii remote gameplay, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles sets itself apart by offering a compelling story anthology. The premise of the game follows antagonist Albert Wesker narrating the events that led to the downfall of the Umbrella Corporation post-Resident Evil 3, with the game taking players to various scenarios and “untold” events that happened across Resident Evil 0, RE1 Remake, as well as RE3.

The gameplay of The Umbrella Chronicles is akin to the on-rails shooter, where players can point and shoot at targets and pick up various upgrades and items along the way. The game’s multi-option features provide a bit of versatility to players, with cutscenes containing quick-time events to spice up gameplay. The co-op mode for the game will only appear after finishing HUNK’s “4th Survivor” mission which shows how he survived a perilous mission just hours before the destruction of Raccoon City. What makes The Umbrella Chronicles such a compelling co-op Resident Evil experience is its emphasis on action and storytelling, with friends being able to stay glued to their seats without the frights that often take time to digest.

The Umbrella Chronicles: How Did It Fare In Co-Op?

As with other light gun games, The Umbrella Chronicles offers a decent Resident Evil-flavored arcade experience fitting for players who want to explore the franchise without the stresses of the main games. Despite lacking in-depth mechanics, the value of each scenario’s story can compensate, especially with the new perspectives they offer in the events of some of the franchise’s major stories. Sadly, this does mean The Umbrella Chronicles isn’t a replayable experience for more hardcore players.

Status Of Multiplayer In Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles (2007)

Being a Wii experience, The Umbrella Chronicles doesn’t support online co-op and LAN play. However, Wii owners may be able to invite a friend over and play the game via couch co-op, where another controller can become Player 2 of the Nintendo title. Thanks to the game’s light gun-esque mechanics, The Umbrella Chronicles can simulate arcade box experiences such as House of the Dead, where two players work in tandem to defeat hordes of zombies littering the stage.

6 Resident Evil 5 (2009)

Metascore: 83

While there were other co-op Resident Evil games prior to 2009, it’s Resident Evil 5 that truly provided a co-op experience in a main title. Set years after RE4, Chris Redfield – now an operative of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Service (BSAA) – is sent to investigate a terrorist threat in the fictional African region of Kijuju. Accompanied by Sheva Alomar, Chris is confronted with new bioterror threats as well as a resurfacing of old enemies and former friends.

What makes Resident Evil 5 such an entertaining co-op is how it’s built to be played as such on the get-go. Players with no teammates can still rely on somewhat clunky AI to control Sheva, forcing a new level of tactical depth when fighting zombies. When accompanied by another player, teams of two (2) can get a riveting and action-packed Resident Evil experience that can make a series of co-op playthroughs rather satisfying. Chris and Sheva being able to aid each other with gameplay options the game specifically provides for pairs of players can make for an extremely riveting two-person experience, with the game giving players a feeling that they are actually operatives investigating an incident.

RE5: How Did It Fare In Co-Op?

Being able to control both Chris and Sheva throughout Resident Evil 5’s campaign can make for a decent cooperative experience, especially with RE5 offering action-oriented mechanics more suitable for playing with a partner. Sheva being AI-controlled by default makes for a seamless transition should a player’s companion quit at any time.

Status Of Multiplayer In Resident Evil 5 (2009)

Given the nature of Resident Evil 5’s story revolving around the Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar duo, it’s easy to transition between an AI-Sheva and an allied Sheva helping players in their anti-bioterrorism efforts. With the removal of Games for Windows Live, joining Resident Evil 5 sessions is much easier with friends. Games simply need to request to join another player’s experience via Steam, after which the other player has to be in the Start Menu or restart their current chapter in the recent checkpoint. Doing so can have the new player become a part of the experience.

5 Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015)

Metascore: 75

Since the release of the rather action-packed Resident Evil 6, the negative reception towards the gunplay-heavy series has had Capcom begin reimagining the overall direction of the series. This is where Resident Evil: Revelations 2 shines as a game that tries to return to the horror beginnings of the game. The entry marks the return of Claire Redfield as a protagonist, with Barry Burton returning as a minor character. The story begins between RE5 and RE6 when a TerraSave party attended by Claire, Barry, and his daughter Moira ends up becoming quite a perilous endeavor.

Compared to previous major co-op titles, Revelations 2 is a partially grounded take on the action-heavy series pre-RE7. Moreover, the more personal interactions between Claire and Moira, and even Barry, can make the multiplayer format of the game more enthralling for teams. Players who plan on going for a co-op Resident Evil experience that doesn’t demand much attention to the main series games will appreciate Revelations 2 for its decent multiplayer mechanics without forcing players to focus too much on the storyline due to its nature as a spinoff.

Revelations 2: How Did It Fare In Co-Op?

Revelations 2 only offers local co-op and for good reason. Unlike other co-op Resident Evil experiences, Rev 2 gives players access to combat-heavy Claire and support-heavy Moira, forcing each character to focus on different tasks to ensure their survival. This role-based experience ensures every player has something to focus on without the other hogging all the fun, especially since even Moira has the capability of hindering enemies to make them easier for Claire to kill.

Status Of Multiplayer In Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (2015)

Thankfully for co-op fans, Revelations 2 improves upon its predecessor by improving its slate of multiplayer features. On top of the Raid Mode supporting both couch co-op and online co-op, the game’s main story also facilitates split-screen couch co-op. Moreover, owners of Revelations 2 with PlayStation Plus can use Share Play to extend the “couch co-op” privileges with a party member, allowing two friends from afar to play Revelations 2 provided they have a decent enough internet connection.

4 Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (2012)

Metascore: 52

Essentially an “alternate history” of the Raccoon City Destruction Incident, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City has two (2) separate teams enter the zombie-filled city with different agendas. Six-man Umbrella Security Service was tasked to accompany HUNK in a special delivery service, whereas Echo Six plans on investigating the outbreak. While the game majorly featured a single-player campaign that told an interesting third-party take on the Raccoon City Outbreak, it’s the multiplayer mode where the game shines.

At its core, Operation Raccoon City allows a four-player co-op Raccoon Mode that had the USS and Echo Six fight each other, with Heroes Mode being an alternate multiplayer mode that features popular characters as well as the possibility of a player-controlled Nemesis to essentially tell the other team to “get rekt.” Although the game’s flawed gameplay is highly criticized, hardcore fans of Resident Evil can rely on Operation Raccoon City for a rather “personalized” co-op experience, especially when the game features a lot of relatively “unknown” characters. And for visual aficionados, the “virus-punk” or “biopunk” take on costumes can make the game extremely appealing.

Operation Raccoon City: How Did It Fare In Co-Op?

Despite a lackluster single-player mode, the thrill of becoming reasonably skilled soldiers in a zombie-filled multiplayer mode can make for an addictive experience. Various gameplay modes enable players to maximize the unique kits of each Spec Ops or USS member. The Heroes Mode also makes for a thrilling legacy experience as players duke it out as iconic Resident Evil characters. While Operation Raccoon City may not be the best title in the franchise, its replayable and straightforward slate of co-op opportunities make for a potentially addictive experience.

Status Of Multiplayer In Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (2012)

Despite the potential of Operation Raccoon City as a multiplayer experience, the shutdown of Games for Windows Live made it more difficult to play the game in multiplayer. As it stands, the only ways to play Operation Raccoon City via traditional online multiplayer would be: to own an original copy of the game as well as any of the platforms where it can be played, or play with friends who also have copies from PlayStation Plus and Xbox Store.

3 Resident Evil 6 (2012)

Metascore: 67

Perhaps the last game in the Resident Evil series prior to the “return to horror roots” that was RE7, it was Resident Evil 6 that practically showed the combined efforts of most franchise protagonists to stop a virus from “going global.” The game retains the partner-based gameplay of RE5, but this time around, featuring three (3) different campaigns with three (3) different sets of protagonists. On one end, a pair needs to create a vaccine for a new virus, a BSAA operative is sent to deal with a growing outbreak, and agents have to deal with the US President himself becoming a zombie.

Despite poor reviews in both story and action-packed gameplay, Resident Evil 6 shines in the multiplayer department courtesy of the fact that it’s thrice the experience for gamers. After all, the game features a heavy emphasis on gunplay and more zombies, allowing a pair of players to shoot with the game’s assortment of weapons to their heart’s content. Not to mention, unique traits of characters return as standout features – Leon’s knifeplay, Chris’s military precision, Jake’s genetically enhanced strength, and even Ada’s alluring set of finishers. Fans do need to consider that the saturation in content does have the game suffer in terms of quality – something that hardcore multiplayer enjoyers may be able to bypass.

RE6: How Did It Fare In Co-Op?

While RE6 resembles RE5 in terms of partnered gameplay, the multiple storylines of the game make for better variety. After all, its story from three perspectives offers a player and their friend the opportunity to play any chapter, which in turn lets them take the role of any of the game’s characters in those scenarios. Being able to use different weapons and each of those characters’ exclusive skills can add flavor to otherwise predictable multiplayer experiences.

Status Of Multiplayer In Resident Evil 6 (2012)

While Resident Evil 6 is an older title, the Resident Evil game provides multiple options for players to enjoy its multiplayer offerings. When starting a session, players can enable couch co-op by setting up the screen mode as “Split” when configuring gameplay via chapter select. Likewise, the same mode can be set to “Worldwide” so players can search for any open session and vice versa. Its Mercenaries Mode supports 2-person co-op, while its Onslaught, Predators, and Survivors Modes can support up to 6-player matches.

2 Resident Evil Outbreak (2003)

Metascore: 71

Fans of the Resident Evil franchise know that Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, and Jill Valentine (and HUNK, unbeknownst to them) are the rare few who survived the destruction of Raccoon City. However, eight (8) more individuals actually make an attempt to escape the city, with their stories chronicled in Resident Evil Outbreak. Set in a bar, the lives of these individuals become intertwined as they end up together during the beginning of the outbreak.

Similar to other Resident Evil games, Outbreak generally has the same mechanics as classic titles, with more emphasis on puzzles due to the lack of weapons against zombies. What makes this a more exciting experience is when up to four (4) players can use the characters in the game, giving Outbreak a true cooperative feel in that players actually work together to survive. Thanks to the time-limiting Virus Gauge, Outbreak becomes a rather gamified form of the “escape room” concept, with players pressured into moving around instead of simply roaming aimlessly.

Outbreak: How Did It Fare In Co-Op?

Despite official servers being shut down in 2007, players can still play Outbreak with others today via private servers in Obsrv. Among the classic titles, Outbreak offering up to four players the opportunity to work for their survival can make for a true cooperative experience. Unlike other action-packed multiplayer titles in the Resident Evil series, Outbreak is the closest the series has gotten to a true survival horror co-op experience.

Status Of Multiplayer In Resident Evil Outbreak (2003)

Due to the age of both Outbreak games, playing them via multiplayer nowadays is available to people who own either of the two entries and their consoles of release. However, dedicated fan servers still exist online that support multiplayer sessions of both Resident Evil games provided fans do a bit of tinkering with emulators. Unfortunately, there aren’t any official outlets to play the multiplayer mode of this classic experience outside its original consoles.

1 Resident Evil Re:Verse (2022)

Steam: 5/10

The most recent title so far in Resident Evil’s slate of multiplayer games is Resident Evil Re:Verse, a 2022 release that celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the series. Created as a third-person shooter, Re:Verse features quite a wide range of Resident Evil characters that are then pitted together in deathmatch-style battles. Unlike other games in the franchise, where characters more or less get access to almost any kind of weapon, the characters in Re:Verse have their own loadout and skills. The inclusion of personalized kits per character transforms each of them into their own “archetype.”

However, the more impressive feature of the game is a biohazard mode, where virus capsules in the game allow players to “transform” into a bioweapon after their death, wherein it’s only after killing this form that said player revives as a human. This gimmick transforms Re:Verse into quite an exciting experience, and the game having short five-minute matches means gameplay loops are easy to achieve for players who want brief but engaging experiences.

Re:Verse: How Did It Fare In Co-Op?

Being touted as a multiplayer title, Re:Verse attempts to show promise with its team-based combat that not only lets players perform as iconic Resident Evil protagonists but also as zombies when they die. However, instead of opting for RE6’s more fast-paced action mechanics, Re:Verse uses the slower gameplay loop of the modern remakes, adding a layer of difficulty to otherwise speedy matches. Despite the lack of variety making for a repetitive experience, the game being built as a multiplayer title from the ground up makes it the most accurate representation of a modern co-op entry in the franchise so far.

Status Of Multiplayer In Resident Evil Re:Verse (2022)

Despite the accessibility of Resident Evil Re:Verse as an accompanying DLC to Resident Evil Village, it’s underwhelming performance and balance issues as a battle royale have turned off much of the player base from participating in the game mode. While the game has a playable tutorial segment, the game’s lukewarm reception has resulted in long queue times, preventing a lot of players from having consistent gaming sessions with the title.