Resident Evil 4

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, which needs a device with an A17 Pro chip or later, or an iPad with an M-series chip. On Nintendo Switch 2 it is sold as the Gold Edition, released in October 2026. PS5 owners can play an optional PlayStation VR2 mode, seated or standing. Capcom added The Mercenaries mode as a free update in April 2023, and Separate Ways, a side story played as Ada Wong, came as paid extra content in September 2023 and is included in the Gold Edition. 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.

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