The Best Games Like Resident Evil

The Resident Evil franchise is an interesting study of how to break into the gaming industry with your IP, get to crazy heights, lose yourself a bit, and then get back to what you were known for. Many have tried to mimic them over the years, and others have simply tried to take its ‘best elements’ and create something different. So with that in mind, allow me to show you some of the best games like Resident Evil in no particular order.

#20 Silent Hill Series 

I’m going to start with the obvious one. The Silent Hill franchise might not have gotten to the popularity and quality of Resident Evil, but it was something that delved deeper into the horror aspects by focusing more on psychological horror than being overwhelmed by monsters.

To prove that point, Silent Hill 2 is considered one of the greatest video games ever and arguably the greatest horror video game ever made.

#19 Alone in the Dark (2024)

The Alone in the Dark franchise was one that kickstarted the 3D horror genre in a meaningful way, and Capcom took its success and used it to make Resident Evil. It’s true, look it up! Fast forward to 2024, and the franchise underwent a second reboot.

You’ll play as two unique characters who must go through the Decreto Manor, the original game’s iconic location, to figure out the truth behind a disappearance within. A deep and branching psychological horror title awaits you if you play.

#18 Dino Crisis Series

Okay, I admit, the Dino Crisis series isn’t a true “lookalike” to the Resident Evil saga for obvious reasons. But if you dive into what makes the games special, you’ll see plenty of similarities.

For example, instead of being in “closed areas” with mutants and zombies, you’re constantly being attacked by dinosaurs! Plus, Capcom made both series, which means that there are plenty of gameplay elements, like the shooting style and camera perspective, that are pretty similar.

#17 Parasite Eve Series

Believe it or not, Parasite Eve was a video game based on a popular novel from Japan. The themes of the series are similar to Resident Evil via this being about a monster who tries to wipe out the human race in fantastical fashion, and a police officer is the only one who can stop her.

Sure, Aya is no Leon S. Kennedy, but who is? The two games have you fighting all sorts of monsters and attempting to stop dangerous plots while also unlocking some interesting powers.

#16 Siren

If you don’t remember this one, it’s fine. Siren was from 2003 and was written by the man who wrote the original Silent Hill title. The title is more of a stealth horror game than a full-on action gameplay experience, but there are plenty of scares to be had here.

In the title, you will be one of many people who are brought to a town that is filled with monsters. The catch? You’re not all from the same place or time period. So how did you get there? What is this siren that is lurking around? And can you get out alive? You’ll have to play to find out.

#15 Tormented Souls

The impact of Resident Evil cannot be overstated, as it influences to this day. The proof of this can be found with the Tormented Souls games. There are two out currently, and they have been defined as a “love letter” to various horror game franchises.

In the titles, you’ll play Caroline Walker, an investigator who continually gets wrapped up in supernatural events that could truly end her life. She’ll have to learn the horrifying truth if she hopes to make it out alive…because she definitely won’t make it out in one piece.

#14 Signalis

Here’s another psychological horror experience, but with a futuristic dystopian twist. Signalis puts you in the role of an android who awakens on a crashed station with no clue as to how they got into that position.

As they explore, they’ll find monsters lurking around every corner and have to piece together what happened to the ones who were onboard the station and why there are horrors around every corner.

#13 Alien Isolation 

The beauty of the Resident Evil franchise was that there were times when you knew someone or something was coming for you, and you almost never knew when it would arrive next to haunt your every waking moment. Alien Isolation took that fear and cranked it up to the next level for players to enjoy and cower from.

You play the daughter of Ellen Ripley, who goes to a space station to get info on her mother only to find there’s a Xenomorph on board. Now, it’s a desperate dash to get out alive and hide whenever the Xenomorph appears.

#12 Daymare: 1998

One of Resident Evil’s main plots is that a virus can turn people into violent and terrifying monsters. That’s exactly what happens with Daymare: 1998, just on a slightly smaller scale.

You’ll play three different people attached to a small town. There’s a research facility there that, surprisingly, has an outbreak of a virus that turns everyone into monsters. Through these three people’s perspectives, you’ll have to work your way through multiple battles and solve puzzles to see if anything can be done to save everyone.

#11 Crow Country

If you’re looking for something that kind of looks and feels like the original Resident Evil titles, Crow Country might be a good match. It has an old-school look that blends with horror elements quite well to give you a thrilling and chilling time.

Your main goal is to investigate the mysterious events that are going on in an amusement park. That might sound simple, but there are terrors here waiting to be unleashed, and you’ll be going back and forth through this park to try and understand what is going on.

#10 Haunting Ground

Meet Fiona. She’s a woman who was in a car accident and somehow ended up in a mysterious castle. The good news is that she’s not just alive; she’s not alone. She meets a dog named Hewie, and the two work together to try and escape this castle and the terrors within.

Cooperation between Fiona and Hewie is essential, as their fates are tied to one another. Multiple endings highlight that fact, and some of them get really twisted. So just be nice to the dog, okay?

#9 ObsCure

Have you ever wanted to visit your school at night to see what happens within? In ObsCure, that’s what you’re going to do, whether you like it or not.

At Leafmore High School, strange things have been happening for years, including people disappearing without a trace.

Desperate for answers, five students get locked into the high school and will soon learn that they might have been better leaving this mystery unsolved.

#8 Days Gone 

In some ways, Days Gone is what it would be like if Resident Evil showed you a game where the world was almost fully encompassed with a zombie-like virus. 

You play Deacon St. John, who acts as a bounty hunter in this world gone mad. With threats everywhere and little point in living, he’s always searching for something to keep him tied to the world.

The world changes as you move through it, so see what it’s like and if there is true meaning left to find.

#7 Nightmare of Decay

The earlier entries in the Resident Evil series made it difficult to beat because you only had certain resources at your disposal. Nightmare of Decay invokes that same feeling, ensuring that survival isn’t a guarantee, no matter how good you are.

You’ll be trapped in a manor, and you’re not alone, far from it. There are zombies, monsters, cultists, and other horrors waiting for you to show up. So be smart with how you defeat them so that you can always have something left in case of another unexpected horror.

#6 Fobia – St. Dinfna Hotel

It’s not unusual for places like a hotel to be home to “paranormal activity,” which explains why it’s a setting for Fobia – St. Dinfna Hotel. However, finding out that through a camera, you can see alternate timelines and all sorts of horrifying things that have happened in that hotel? Yeah, that’s something else entirely.

You’ll play a journalist who starts on a quest for answers and soon finds themselves doing everything they can to get the heck out of that hotel.

#5 Cry of Fear

Cry of Fear was actually a Half-Life mod before it got developed into a full-on game. That goes to show the potential that it had in the developer’s eyes.

The title focuses on a teen who was in an auto accident and now finds themselves switching between the real world and a “nightmare world.”

The game has a deep narrative and a set of twist endings that will truly make your eyes go wide depending on which you get.

#4 Onimusha Series

Is talking about the Onimusha series a stretch for this list? Perhaps. However, given all the horrors I’ve already shown you, it’s good to have a game where you can slash monsters to bits without having to think about it too much.

You will play Samurai who have to go up against hordes of demons and other supernatural threats. Luckily, the more you kill, the more enemy souls you can absorb to get stronger! Fans have shared their beloved memories with some of these titles and it’s often compared to being a Samurai version of a Resident Evil game.

#3 The Evil Within Series

This one hurts to talk about because Tango Gameworks, the team behind The Evil Within, were recently shut down by Microsoft. However, that just means you can pay tribute to them by playing these two titles.

You play a detective who is drawn into a supernatural world full of horrors and has to find a way out while trying to understand how they are affecting the real world. This is a set of games meant to scare you. So if you’re queasy, you might want to avoid them.

#2 Dead Space

If Resident Evil was set in the stars above, I believe it would be something like Dead Space. The whole franchise is worth talking about, but the first game, especially in its remastered form, is the best.

You play as Isaac Clarke, who must search through a wrecked spaceship to find his girlfriend and seek out what happened to the rest of the crew. As you likely know, numerous monsters will come out to kill you, and you’ll have to use what you have on you to survive.

#1 The Last of Us

You might not have expected The Last of Us to be on my list, but if you really think about it, Naughty Dog definitely took influence from the best Resident Evil games and just cranked up the emotional storytelling.

Think about it: it’s a 3rd-person shooter featuring someone taking down both monsters and people while trying to ensure a cure for mankind. You have to be mindful of resources, expect danger around every corner, etc.

See? Very similar.