Quick! What did you think was the best-selling Resident Evil game in the franchise before you read the headline above? I assumed it was 2005’s Resident Evil 4, I mean, I’ve bought that game enough times at this point. But it actually was 2017’s Resident Evil 7—until just recently, when Resident Evil 2’s remake overtook it.
Released in 2019, Resident Evil 2’s remake is a fantastic modern spin on the beloved survival horror game originally released in 1998. The remake not only looks great, but plays wonderfully, reminding me of Resident Evil 4 and even the (underappreciated) RE Revelations games. And it seems I’m not alone in how much I liked the RE2 remake.
As spotted by Gamespot, after posting its latest financial results on July 26, Capcom updated its Platinum Games list. This is a list of Capcom-published games that have sold over 1 million units, and as the list reveals, Resident Evil 2’s 2019 remake has now become the best-selling game in the horror franchise.
As of July 2023, Resident Evil 2 remake has sold 12.60 million copies, just beating out Resident Evil 7 which currently sits at 12.40 million units. According to Capcom’s latest financial results, the Resident Evil franchise as a whole has now sold over 146 million units worldwide.
Top five best-selling Resident Evil games
If you’re wondering how other Resident Evil games compare, here’s the top five based on Capcom’s list.
- Resident Evil 2 – 12.60 million
- Resident Evil 7 – 12.40 million
- Resident Evil 5 – 8.80 million
- Resident Evil 6 – 8.80 million
- Resident Evil Village – 8.30 million
Meanwhile, the most recently released Resident Evil game, the RE4 remake, has already sold an impressive 4.9 million copies since it launched earlier this year. It has a way to go before it overtakes any of the top-selling games in the franchise, but I won’t be too shocked to see it eventually overtake Village and 6 in the coming years.
As for Capcom’s best-selling game overall, that remains Monster Hunter: World which is now sitting at 19 million copies sold around the world. That’s a lot of dead monsters!