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Resident Evil 4 key art: a close-up of Leon Kennedy's face beside a dark foggy forest with a figure standing by wooden crosses

Survival horrorResident Evil

Resident Evil 4

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Leon walks into a hostile village to find the president's daughter, and almost everyone wants him dead.

Platforms
PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Mac, iPhone, VR
Price
Paid
Rated
Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam (97% of 281,067 reviews)
Length
about 15 to 20 hours
Players
1
Made by
CAPCOM
Released
2023

What frightens Leon Kennedy walks into an isolated European village where the locals are hostile and wrong, driven by a parasite. They swarm, surround and overwhelm you, ammo is scarce, and grotesque mutations and sudden ambushes keep you off balance.

Content: gore, violence, jumpscares.

Resident Evil 4 is Capcom's remake of its 2005 survival horror. You play Leon Kennedy, sent to a remote European village to rescue the president's kidnapped daughter, and find the locals twisted by a parasite. You fight, scavenge and manage scarce ammo and healing items over an afternoon-to-night journey through village, castle and island.

About Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 is a 2023 remake by CAPCOM of the 2005 game that reshaped the series. It keeps the over-the-shoulder camera and the story of Leon S. Kennedy, now a government agent, sent to a secluded part of rural Europe to find Ashley, the president's kidnapped daughter. Six years after the Raccoon City outbreak, Leon finds a village whose people have been changed by a parasite called Las Plagas.

The game plays as third-person action survival horror. You explore and fight through a village, a castle and an island, managing an attache case where every weapon, herb and shell takes up space. Ammunition and healing are scarce, a merchant sells and upgrades gear, and a knife that can block and parry now wears down with use, so every choice about when to fight and when to run matters.

The horror comes from pressure rather than quiet dread. Enemies do not shamble; they sprint, throw weapons, dodge and surround you, and a bell can call a whole crowd at once. Boss encounters bring large mutations, and the parasite can burst from an enemy you thought was dead. The remake rebuilds the village and castle with modern lighting and adds stealth, a reworked knife and new set pieces.

Resident Evil 4 runs on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X and S, and on Mac, iPhone and iPad through the App Store, with an optional PlayStation VR2 mode on PS5. It suits players who want survival horror with more combat and tempo than the slower haunted-house entries, and it is a strong starting point for the series.

How to play Resident Evil 4

  1. Play as Leon and move through the village, exploring rooms and picking up ammo, herbs and treasure.
  2. Manage your attache case: arrange weapons and items, combine herbs, and sell or upgrade gear at the merchant.
  3. Fight or evade the parasite-controlled locals; aim for the legs or head to stagger them, then follow up, and watch for a parasite bursting from a felled enemy.
  4. Save your progress at typewriters, and keep enough ammo and healing before you push into a new area or a boss fight.

Screenshots

Resident Evil 4 screenshot: Leon seen from behind on a misty forest path facing a large wooden cross hung with cloth
Resident Evil 4 screenshot: Leon grabbed at close range by a bloodied, deformed villager while holding a pistol
Resident Evil 4 screenshot: a foggy run-down village with a stone clock tower, a bonfire and tiled-roof houses

Tips

  • Shoot a Ganado in the knee to stagger it, then close in for a melee kick to save ammo.
  • Keep your knife for parries and finishers, but carry a spare, because it breaks with use.
  • Spend early on the handgun and a shotgun rather than spreading money across every weapon.
  • Deal with Ashley's safety first in escort sections; tell her to wait or follow to keep her out of grabs.

Questions

Is Resident Evil 4 (2023) a remake?

Yes. It is Capcom's full remake of the 2005 game, rebuilt with new visuals, a reworked knife and parry system, stealth and redesigned areas.

How long is Resident Evil 4?

A first playthrough runs about 15 to 20 hours, with more for side content and higher difficulties.

Can you play Resident Evil 4 on iPhone or Mac?

Yes. It is on the App Store as a universal purchase for Mac, iPhone 15 Pro and newer, and recent iPads, alongside PC and consoles.

  • third person
  • over the shoulder
  • action horror
  • gore
  • boss fights
  • resident evil

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Resident Evil 4 is played on store.steampowered.com and its makers' stores; this page links to them and is not part of it. Pictures are from the game's own pages and remain its owner's. Terms and pictures.

Sources: store.steampowered.com, store.steampowered.com, playstation.com, xbox.com, apps.apple.com