Survival horror Resident Evil Zombie PS1 horror Fixed camera horror

Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999)

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The 1999 original, now on PC, PS4 and PS5: escape Raccoon City with Nemesis on your trail.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation
Stores: Steam, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (89% of 2,639); 4.6/5 on GOG (1,580); 4.7/5 on PlayStation Store (11,720 ratings); Metascore 91 for the 1999 PS version
Length: about 6 hours
Players: 1
Controls: Tank-style controls from fixed camera angles; keyboard or controller (DualShock and DualSense supported on Steam). On PC, press F1 to rebind keys.
Made by: Capcom; PC re-release co-developed by GOG.com
Released: 1999

No. 15 of the city horror games · No. 15 of the stalker horror games · No. 7 of the mutant horror games

What frightens Jill Valentine tries to get out of Raccoon City as it falls: zombie-filled streets, mutated dogs and creatures, enemies that rise again, and Nemesis, a towering bio-weapon that stalks her across the city and can appear at almost any moment.
Content: gore, violence, jumpscares, strong language, drug references.

Resident Evil 3 Nemesis is the original 1999 survival horror game, re-released for Windows by GOG with Capcom and for PS4 and PS5 on the PlayStation Store. Jill Valentine tries to escape a Raccoon City overrun by zombies, hours before the events of Resident Evil 2, while Nemesis, a relentless bio-weapon, hunts her through the streets. A first run takes about 6 hours.

About Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999)

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis first came out on the PlayStation in 1999. There are two ways to play it today. On PC, it is the original game restored for modern Windows by GOG.com with Capcom, sold on GOG and, since April 2026, on Steam, with six languages, the Mercenaries mode and a new renderer with windowed mode, vertical sync, gamma correction and integer scaling. On PS4 and PS5, the PlayStation Store sells the PS1 version with up-rendering, rewind, quick save and video filters, and it is also part of PlayStation Plus Premium. Both are separate from the 2020 remake.

Jill Valentine, who survived the Spencer mansion and has resigned from S.T.A.R.S., is trying to leave Raccoon City as the outbreak overruns it. The story picks up just before Resident Evil 2 and runs past it. You move through streets, a police station, a newspaper office and other buildings, picking up keys and items, solving puzzles and fighting zombies, crows, dogs and worse.

The game added things to the series: a dodge move, the ability to use objects in the background against enemies, live choices at key moments, and Nemesis, a towering pursuer who can break into a room and keep hunting you, whom you can fight for rewards or run from. Ammunition is limited, saving uses ink ribbons at typewriters, and item boxes carry your things between safe rooms. After the story, the Mercenaries mode sets a soldier loose in the city against the clock.

HowLongToBeat, as shown on GOG, puts the main story at about 6 hours, 7.5 hours with side content and 20 hours to see everything. On release it scored 91 on Metacritic from 19 critics, and today it is rated Very Positive on Steam and 4.6 out of 5 on GOG.

Its fixed cameras and pre-rendered backgrounds are the real thing, not a homage. It suits players who want to see the classic Resident Evil as it was, or who played the 2020 remake and want the fuller original.

How to play Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999)

Explore Raccoon City from fixed camera angles, picking up keys, ammunition, herbs and items.
Store what you don't need in item boxes and save at typewriters with ink ribbons.
Fight or avoid zombies and creatures, using the dodge and the explosive objects in the background.
When Nemesis appears, decide whether to fight him for a reward or run.
Make the live choices when the screen flashes; they change the scenes that follow.

Screenshots

Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999) screenshot: Nemesis in a long dark coat lifts Jill off her feet by the throat on a balcony with stained-glass windows

Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999) screenshot: Jill with a shotgun among the gravestones of a rain-soaked cemetery at night

Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999) screenshot: Jill Valentine in a dark brick alley as two bloodied zombies close in on her

Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999) screenshot: Jill on a ruined street at night as a skinless zombie dog approaches past broken glass

Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999) screenshot: Jill walks a littered Raccoon City street of traffic cones, a police car and closed shops

Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999) screenshot: Jill on an ornate balcony with arched stained-glass windows as giant striped spiders crawl around her

Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999) screenshot: Jill on a metal walkway as a clawed, skinless creature crouches over a bloody corpse

Tips

Mix herbs before using them; combined herbs heal far more.
Use the gunpowder mixer to make the ammunition you need most.
Explosive barrels and other background objects can clear groups of zombies.
On the PC version, press F1 and open the Keyboard or Controls settings to rebind keys.
On PS4 and PS5, the rewind and quick save features let you undo a bad encounter, if you want an easier run.

Questions

Is this the original Resident Evil 3 or the remake?

This is the original 1999 game, restored by GOG with Capcom. The 2020 remake is a separate game.

Does Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999) have tank controls?

Yes, it plays as it did in 1999, with fixed camera angles and tank-style controls.

How long is Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999)?

About 6 hours for the main story, according to the HowLongToBeat figures shown on GOG; about 7.5 hours with side content and 20 hours to complete everything.

Which platforms is Resident Evil 3 Nemesis (1999) on?

Windows PC through Steam and GOG, and PS4 and PS5 through the PlayStation Store, where it is also included with PlayStation Plus Premium.

Is there a Mercenaries mode?

Yes. The Steam and GOG release includes the Mercenaries mode alongside the main story.