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Resident Evil: Requiem, the latest game in the series, launches next year, which will celebrate 30 years since the series debuted. Although it’s marked as the ninth game in the mainline games, there have been several spin-off titles, movies, and more that have made Resident Evil an iconic franchise that has influenced several others. However, the original three games are classics in their own right. They established the tropes that made Resident Evil so good, but it’s a challenge to play them in 2025. Developer Capcom would prefer you to play the remakes instead, but to do that would ignore the charm of Resident Evil 1-3. With this in mind, we’re putting the case for why they should return. The Escapist recaps Resident Evil debuted in 1996 for the Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and PC. Developed by Capcom, it spawned several sequels, spin-off titles, and more. Resident Evil 2 arrived in 1998 for the Sony PlayStation, followed by many other ports. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, originally a spin-off, was released in 1999 for the Sony PlayStation. Roughly 170 million copies of the series have been sold so far. Resident Evil: Requiem, the latest game in the series, arrives on February 27, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Back to the Clocktower Going against the grain, I regard Resident Evil 3: Nemesis to be one of the best entries in the mainline series. I remember renting it in the fall of 1999, and after reaching Raccoon City’s Police Station, being faced with Nemesis, as well as a choice. Do I fight, or run to the police station? It felt different and fresh, something I hadn’t seen in a game before. Other locations, like the City Mayor area, the restaurant, and the Clocktower featuring the monstrous spiders, were all fun to go through. Then, once the game’s completed, you gain access to Mercenaries, an arcade-like mode that lets players choose a character, and you roam around the city, racking up points to see if you can buy a secret weapon. So imagine my disappointment in 2021 when the Resident Evil 3 remake came out, containing none of this. Instead, you’d face Nemesis at pre-determined points, with no choices to select. Gone was the Clocktower, just a blink and you’ll miss it moment in one scene, as well as Mercenaries mode. It was a huge shame, and to me, it’s a great example of what not to do with a remake of an existing classic. It’s why my PlayStation 3 sits alongside my PS5 Pro in the front room – to play the classic Resident Evil titles, as well as Metal Gear Solid 4. This way, I can play the original games thanks to being able to play my original PlayStation discs. But there comes a point where you want to play these classic titles on your modern consoles, like the Switch 2. The Tomb Raider: Remastered compilations are great examples, having been rebuilt from the source code to work on these systems, but giving players the option to play with updated graphics. To me, Capcom should look to this for inspiration. Creepy crawlies in 4K The first three Resident Evil games have a charm that today’s titles in the series don’t have. From the tank controls to the slow opening of every door you go through, each of them is still a fun time in 2025, and it’s a big shame that Capcom is not interested in bringing them back. Instead, they want to focus on the Resident Evil remakes instead, erasing what came before. Capcom’s reluctance to bring the original games to the DRM-free storefront, GOG, does not give me hope that they’ll change their minds anytime soon. But being able to play the PC ports of these games on my Windows 11 laptop with no issues is refreshing. It’s a testament to GOG’s effort that I can play them with my PS5 DualSense controller with no issues. I’d love to see the same effort made as a collection on Switch 2. For instance, have all three Resident Evil games feature quick-save support, a better control scheme, and perhaps a leaderboard for Resident Evil 3’s Mercenaries mode to see how your friends fare. It feels like an easy win here, and it’s baffling that Capcom simply refuses to see it. As Resident Evil 9, releases next year, which celebrates the 30th anniversary of the series, what better way to celebrate the origins of the franchise than to make the very first three games available on modern platforms? If Requiem is the future, Capcom should honor the past with the games that made the franchise iconic, especially by showing players Leon’s very first appearance. Ask The Escapist When we launched Resident Evil on GOG, the reception was absolutely phenomenal (The Game Business) Resident Evil Bundle (GOG)
