Capcom is killing it lately with the Resident Evil games. With Biohazard and Village, they have ushered in a new era of the classic horror franchise, while with the remakes they have done a fantastic job of bringing first-timers up to speed. One by one, Capcom is nailing all of the earlier entries in the series, and with the RE4 Remake now behind us, remaking Resident Evil 5 seems inevitable.
The Resident Evil 5 Remake hasn’t officially been confirmed by Capcom, but at this point, there’s no need for them to spell it out loud. If you’re a big fan of the series, you can rest easy knowing the RE5 Remake will happen unlike Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid 6 which remains in limbo.
However, if you’re also expecting it to drop soon, that may be a bit of a stretch since many rumors hint at Resident Evil 9 releasing before the next remake. To what extent these rumors are true, we can’t say for sure, albeit if you’d like to know more about the remake and when it could launch, then read on below.
Is a Resident Evil 5 Remake Inevitable from Capcom?
To put it simply, yes, Capcom will develop a Resident Evil 5 Remake. Capcom has been thriving off the latest Resident Evil remakes, and to cease them now would be to miss out on massive profit and popularity for the series, so there’s no way they are going to call it quits with them just yet.
The entire Resident Evil series combined has sold over 146 million units as of 2023. That’s greater than the 54 million sales of Street Fighter and the 30 million sales of Devil May Cry for Capcom.
In fact, the 146 million sales make it Capcom’s best-selling franchise to date. There’s no question that Capcom will milk the franchise until there’s nothing left, especially the remakes, so rest easy knowing that another one is all but confirmed.
Resident Evil 9 Release Predictions: Could it Delay the Resident Evil 5 Remake?
All of the remakes are commercial successes for Capcom, and there’s no doubt they’ll try to get the most out of the series. And it’s not just the remakes that will continue though. Multiple rumors have already hinted that the highly anticipated sequel, Resident Evil 9, is also nearing its completion, and based on the reports, RE9 should be on top of us sooner than the Resident Evil 5 Remake.
Things won’t just stop at the Resident Evil 5 Remake. A Resident Evil 6 Remake and perhaps even a Resident Evil: Code Veronica Remake will be released sometime soon as well. As per the original release timeline, the RE: Code Veronica Remake should have been released before the RE4 Remake, but since the base game wasn’t as successful commercially as the mainline Resi games back in the day, it figures Capcom would skip ahead to the critically acclaimed fourth installment. Having said that, now’s a time as good as any for them to prove us wrong.
Resident Evil 9 Trailer
Exploring Theories About the Resident Evil 5 Remake Release Date Following RE9
The Resident Evil 5 Remake does not have a release date right now. However, if guesses are welcomed, then you should expect it to launch in Q4 2025 at the earliest.
The fifth installment will eventually be rebuilt from the ground up. The only concern about the Resident Evil 5 Remake is that it may be a little further out than most of us originally assumed. It’s surely going to happen, but the only thing a little worrisome about it is the release date.
The current rumors floating around about Resident Evil 9 give the impression that before we get to see any more remakes, the story will likely be moving ahead in the present timeline.
There’s also the curious case of Code Veronica. The original game was universally praised, but for some reason, it didn’t sell well. It’s actually the poorest-selling title in the franchise, so it’s understandable why Capcom is hesitant to remake it. Be that as it may, the gaming industry has grown far bigger than it was back then. A second shot at a RE: CV could perform exceptionally now since the franchise is at its peak.
Expected Platforms for the Anticipated Resident Evil 5 Remake Release
The Resident Evil 5 Remake will be released on the Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC – probably. The RE4 Remake feels like the last time a flagship Resi title will grace last-gen consoles.
If you look at most of Capcom’s recent games, they have indeed started dropping support for the Xbox One and PS4. However, the PS4 has over 120 million users, and even though the hardware is severely outdated, Capcom’s budget would take a giant hit by not releasing its newest titles on the platform. That’s pretty much why they released Street Fighter 6 on the PS4 and not the Xbox One.
Keeping what we discussed above in mind, the next Resident Evil game to come out, whether that’s Resident Evil 9 or the Resident Evil 5 Remake, could potentially launch on last-gen hardware. But in case it doesn’t, that’ll be a sign that you should shift house to a newer console if you haven’t done so already.
Key Considerations: What Needs to Change in the Resident Evil 5 Remake?
Many people consider Resident Evil 5 to mark the decline of the franchise. The original game upon release was reviewed well, but there was a lot of criticism surrounding its story, specifically the action-heavy approach. It felt akin to an action game rather than survival horror as Resident Evil 4 before it. It was a clear departure from the terrifying roots of the Resident Evil franchise.
And if that wasn’t enough, accusations of the plot being somewhat racist created unforeseeable controversy. When the Resident Evil 5 Remake does launch, here are a few things Capcom should rectify.
Addressing Diversity Concerns in the Upcoming Resident Evil 5 Remake
In Resident Evil 5, the premise was of Chris and a new protagonist, Sheva Alomar, investigating a string of terrorist attacks in Africa. All that seemed cool on paper, but when the game came out, many people called Chris’ portrayal “a white man killing black enemies in a small African village” – oof.
The game being so action-focused on top of that didn’t do it any favors either. Numerous outlets looked to bury the title over this, but in the end, things turned out for the better for Capcom since Resi 5 became the best-selling title in the franchise.
That said, while the racism allegations were laid to rest back then, in the current era a situation like that is going to be unimaginably harder to control considering how triggered some people get these days over the smallest things. Hopefully, Capcom doesn’t back down from a Resident Evil 5 Remake because of this and instead adds diverse NPCs to be on the safe side.
Striking a Balance: Ensuring the Resident Evil 5 Remake Aligns with Franchise Expectations
Besides complaints of racism, the other problem gamers had with Resident Evil 5 was the sudden shift of gameplay direction. The game was very fast-paced and kept pushing you in a forward direction. You were constantly going in guns blazing, doing car flips, seeing Helicopter explosions, and being chased by biker enemies everywhere you go.
RE5 seemed more like a Call of Duty campaign than a meaningful successor to RE4, despite being enjoyable. It was a full-on action blockbuster with extremely linear story progression. You couldn’t even backtrack to places.
It was a solid arcade shooter on its own, but with the pretext of Resident Evil, it was like a case of a horror gone wrong. The recent remakes have been perfect at setting the right tone between stealth and action, especially RE4. The nature of the Resident Evil 5 Remake at its core will still be action because of how the original played out, but one can hope Capcom shapes gameplay after its recent hits. If that indeed is implemented, you can bet that the RE5 Remake will be looked at as the best in the franchise.
