Summary
June 29, 2025, marks the 15th anniversary ofResident Evil 5in North America and Europe, one of the most unique and underappreciated titles in developer Capcom’s acclaimed survival horror series. Released at a time when the gaming landscape was shifting away from tradition, the title faced the monumental task of following up Capcom’s groundbreaking hit,Resident Evil 4. Rather than follow in its predecessor’s footsteps,Resident Evil 5veered the series in a bold and then-revolutionary direction, featuring heavy action themes and innovative cooperative gameplay.TheResident Evilfranchiseis as popular as ever, thanks to highly successful modern titles and incredibly effective remakes of its best titles. WhileResident Evil 5is remembered by many as one of the classic series' most divisive outliers, 15 years later its impact on the modern series proves it has more than earned its place in the franchise.
Resident Evil 5was released 15 years ago today for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles, with a September release on PC happening after. The title featured the continued adventures of veteran protagonist Chris Redfield, as he investigated a mysterious outbreak in Kijuju, an area of West Africa. Aiding him on his journey was newcomer Sheva Alomar, a local BSAA Agent, whom a second player could control for the full duration of the title’s campaign. WhileResident Evil 5featured many recurring elements from its predecessors, including characters, plot points, and lore, its overall tone was a major departure, leading to a divisive initial reception.
Resident Evil 5’s Unique Elements Divided Fans in 2009
Resident Evil 5was emblematic of 2009’s gaming landscape, as titles across most major genres injected their worlds with gritty, action-heavy set pieces. Ironically, this was its predecessor’s greatest strength, asResident Evil 4delivered a masterful balancebetween campy action and gruesome horror.Resident Evil 5took everything to the next level, handing players ample ammo and tasking them with overcoming wave upon wave of hostile enemies across Kijuju’s villages, facilities, and secret labs. While this provided a new and unique experience forResident Evilfans, the dive into action-adventure, of a particularly campy variety, left some unsatisfied.
Still,Resident Evil 5excelled in creating a new and unique take on the classic survival horror formula. Its cooperative gameplay opened the door to unique combat scenarios and quick-time set pieces beyond what the series had previously seen. These elements paved the way for new and unique enemy types, which tasked players with exploiting specific weaknesses while managing hordes of infected civilians that threatened to overrunChris and Shevaat every turn. Lastly, the title’s tonal shift created some of the series' most memorable and audacious moments, including the now-legendary showdown between Chris and Albert Wesker inside a volcano, during which the former unloads his full might on an obstructive boulder.
Taken alone,Resident Evil 5was a strong, albeit strange, stand-alone entry to the franchise. However,the release ofResident Evil 6, which diverged even further into action-adventure, led many at the time to viewResident Evil 5as the first step in an overall decline for the series - a decline that threatened to stop the series dead in its tracks. However, the franchise’s resurgence following the release ofResident Evil 7has given fans the space to assessResident Evil 5more fairly. Today, many fans viewResident Evil 5as a bold and undervalued gem of its era.
Resident Evil 5’s Legacy Shaped The Series’ Modern Comeback
Resident Evil 5imbued the series, its characters, and mythology with a new sense of scope. FollowingResident Evil 4’s introduction of Valdalobos,Resident Evil 5introduced a narrative in which outbreaks are occurring across the planet. At the heart of these events was a nowsuperhuman Albert Wesker, with a brainwashed Jill Valentine in tow. To overcome the massive burst in scope,Resident Evil 5’s players were teamed up, handed plenty of ammo, and thrown into the fire.
Additionally,Resident Evil 5reinvented the character of Chris Redfield, who was now a formidably large and capable army of one. This transformation allowed the title to tangent into action-adventure spectacle, while maintaining an overarching survival horror narrative. Today,Resident Evil 5stands as the first mainline entry in which Capcom attempted to create a modern blockbuster narrative. While it ultimately led the series in the wrong direction, its impact on the franchise’s modern resurgence is undeniable.
In January 2017, theResident Evilfranchise re-emerged at the top ofthe survival horror genrewith the first-person megahitResident Evil 7.Unlike its predecessor, Resident Evil 7doubled down on the franchise’s survival horror aesthetic, introducing a new protagonist, Ethan Winters, trapped on a strange family’s estate. While ammo and saves were once again limited, the massive action set-pieces perfected inResident Evil 5returned, as players faced and ultimately defeated each family member while uncovering the truth behind the estate’s twisted horrors. Eventually, the plot was intricately connected to the franchise’s classic legacy, featuring B.O.W’s, Umbrella, and a new contagion, the Mold. Most significantly, the title’s final moments reintroducedResident Evil 5’s Chris Redfield as the Alpha Leader of an elite BSAA squad. The character was further fleshed out in his ownRE7DLC,Not a Hero.
Resident Evil 7’s releasepropelled the franchise back into the mainstream, and it has since released another acclaimed mainline entry,Resident Evil Village, which heavily features Chris Redfield as a mysterious anti-hero. While Chris appears at various points throughout the Village, the final act allows fans to play as Chris, in a sequence that heavily mirrors the combat scenarios ofResident Evil 5.As players mow down hordes of enemies, they slowly make their way to the heart of the Village to end the infection. Providing a near-perfect balance of survival horror and thrilling action,Resident Evil 7andResident Evil Villagehave re-established the franchise as the pinnacle of survival horror, and much of that is thanks to the ideas pioneered byResident Evil 5.
15 years following its release,Resident Evil 5has more than earned its place in the franchise’s lasting legacy. While its bold new take on the series was hard for some to accept in 2009, the title’s experimental elements and attempts to balance horror and action provided the foundation on which the modern iteration is built. Today,Resident Evil 5is once again in the headlines, as a modern remake is rumored to be announced very soon. With its essential role within the larger franchise now established,theResident Evil 5remakecan draw fresh attention to the original’s strengths and re-establish the surrounding narrative for one of Capcom’s most unique games.
Resident Evil 5
WHERE TO PLAY
The Umbrella Corporation and its crop of lethal viruses have been destroyed and contained. But a new, more dangerous threat has emerged. Years after surviving the events in Raccoon City, Chris Redfield has been fighting the scourge of bio-organic weapons all over the world. Now a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), Chris is sent to Africa to investigate a biological agent that is transforming the populace into aggressive and disturbing creatures. Joined by another local BSAA agent, Sheva Alomar, the two must work together to solve the truth behind the disturbing turn of events.
