10 Best Games Like Resident Evil for PC & Consoles

Resident Evil has been running for almost 3 decades now, and it seems it’s not stopping anytime soon. The recent remakes have only fueled the fanbase for more Resident Evil games, and Capcom has answered their calls by dropping a teaser of the upcoming Resident Evil 8.

Hence, I took the time to do my usual job and that is to discover similar games to the Resident Evil franchise. Some of these games are similar to the old trilogy on the original PlayStation, and some are similar to Resident Evil 4.

The Evil Within 2014

About
	Release Date October 13, 2014
	Developer Tango Gameworks
	Publisher Bethesda Softworks
	Genre Survival Horror
	Perspective Third-Person
	Concept Sci-Fi
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Japan

Available On

By the mastermind Shinji Mikami, the one who brought you the original Resident Evil, as well as, Dino Crisis. The Evil Within is a survival horror that is often looked at as a combination of Silent Hill with Resident Evil. However, many agree that it carries certain elements that make it pretty identical to the aforementioned.

The Evil Within’s story puts you in the shoes of Sebastian Castellanos, a detective who was entrusted with investigating an abnormal incident only to get pulled into a distorted world full of nightmarish places and terrifying creatures. Sebastian will have to experience a journey to hell before solving the mystery that sucked him into that nightmare.

The gameplay is pretty much identical to Resident Evil in pretty much every way with few unique changes. Instead of fighting zombies like in the previous Resident Evil games, Sabastian will battle disfigured nightmare-like enemies including bosses as well. An interesting thing about the game is the stealth mechanic. This latter will aid the player to save up ammo that will pretty much be needed against fearsome bosses. One thing to note is that the game offers challenges over the never-ending shooting, so make sure not to waste your ammo against regular enemies.

If you enjoy survival horror games and you are ready for a challenge, make sure to pick this one whenever you’re ready. Don’t forget to put a blanket in case you want to hide in fear.

Cold Fear™ 2005

About
	Release Date March 15, 2005
	Developer Darkworks
	Publisher Ubisoft
	Genre Survival Horror
	Concept Zombie
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin France

Available On

This is pretty much Resident Evil but with no zombies. Only you, and a gun on a ship filled with dreadful enemies waiting to eat you for dinner. In case you didn’t know, this was Ubisoft’s first attempt to indulge in the horror realm, and DarkWorks second game after Alone in The Dark: The New Nightmare which was published on the original PlayStation back in 2001.

The story follows Tom Hansen, a member of the United States Coast Guard, who is entrusted with saving a Russian Whaler in the Bering Strait only to discover that a mysterious parasite has turned the crew into zombie-like creatures. Hansen’s job will be to make sure that the parasites don’t reach land and cause any more havoc.

Just like every survival horror game out there, the aforementioned puts an emphasis on terror and evil that lurks in the shadows. The gameplay mechanics might frustrate some players in the beginning due to how clunky it can get at times, but it only takes a couple of hours to get used to. The main enemies are Russian mercenaries and zombie-like creatures known as ” Exos” which are infected by a parasitic organism known as an ” Exocel”. The enemies you’ll encounter add to the overall challenge, and sadly, they’re not joking around.

If you are looking to have a scary night alone or with a friend, you should definitely pick this one whenever you like to.

Obscure: The Aftermath 2007

About
	Release Date September 07, 2007
	Developer Mighty Rocket Studio
	Publisher Ignition Entertainment
	Franchise ObsCure
	Genre Survival Horror
	Graphics 3D
	Perspective Third-Person
	Interaction Real-Time
	Concept Atmospheric
	Players Co-Op, Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin France

Available On

School has always been a boring place, but who would have thought that it would turn from a place in which people sought knowledge to survive the night? because in this game that’s what you are going to do, survive. Frankly, this game is pretty impressive since it’s Hydravision Entertainment’s first franchise and their first game as a whole. Unfortunately, the latter has changed into Mighty Rocket Studio, and any hope for a proper third game from the series remains obscure.

The story is a bit generic compared to nowadays standards, but it was something for its time. A group of young teenagers are trapped and menaced in their own school by an unknown evil. They’ll unite their strength to survive the night together. Some of them will die, and some will survive to discover the scary truth that awaits them in the everlasting night.

Obscure II and the prequel are pretty much similar to Eternal Darkness in terms of gameplay mechanics. However, you’ll find yourself relying on teamwork in order to get past puzzles, enemies, and other challenges. Enemies don’t possess such threats, but taking them easily will cost you a ” game over ”. Oh, and you won’t find items scattered in front of you, so make sure to use them wisely.

If you enjoyed Eternal Darkness or the classic RE games, then you’ll enjoy this one for sure.

Shadows of The Damned 2011 シャドウ オブ ザ ダムド (Shadō obu za Damudo)

About
	Release Date June 21, 2011
	Developer Grasshopper Manufacture
	Publisher Electronic Arts
	Genre Horror
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Japan

Available On

Another game by the mastermind Shinji Mikami, but this time in a collaboration with Goichi Suda (often stylized Suda51). It’s not a scary game, but you’ll find yourself enjoying killing hordes of foes while special effects sparkle on the screen. Hopefully, this game might make a comeback on current-gen consoles and PC, so that we might witness a sequel anytime soon.

Play as a demon hunter called Garcia Hotspur who must dive deep into a re-imagining of hell where he must rescue the love of his life by defeating the armies of darkness with the power of light. The story may seem generic, but with its comedic tune, it will surely convince you to sit down until you beat the game.

The gameplay is pretty identical to any previous game by Shinji Mikami, but that doesn’t mean it’s a rip-off or a clone of some sort. Goichi Suda’s magical touch is noticeable in this game from the get-go even the blind can see it. The best thing that you’ll enjoy about the game is to transform your weapon into an array of vicious weapons that will aid Garcia to take on a myriad of fierce demons.

If you are a fan of both Suda 51 and Shinji Mikami games, you definitely should give this a go.

Dead Space 2008

About
	Release Date October 13, 2008
	Developer Visceral Games
	Publisher Electronic Arts
	Franchise Dead Space
	Genre Survival Horror
	Graphics 3D
	Perspective Third-Person
	Concept Sci-Fi
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin United States

Remakes
Dead Space (2008 Original Release)
Dead Space (2023 Remake)

Developed by the team behind System Shock. This was meant to be a sequel to the latter but was heavily changed after the release of survival horror’s juggernaut, Resident Evil 4. The aforementioned pushed the developers to entirely reconsider their decisions. Luckily, this resulted in the making of Dead Space. A Resident Evil in Space, but instead with dreadful aliens that takes a few shots to kill.

Dead Space’s story follows Isaac Clark, a miner on a spaceship, as he navigates the Ishimura ship and fights dreadful enemies called ” Necromrphs”. These infested aliens aren’t joking around, and they will do the impossible to cut you to pieces and eat you for souper.

In the game, you’ll have to navigate Ishimura’s ship and try to survive against frightful alien types ranging from small to gigantic. While the gameplay may seem like a Resident Evil 4 clone to some, Dead Space’s gameplay has some unique features. For example, enemies cannot be killed after aiming at their heads, instead, players will have to cut their limbs. One feature that you’ll enjoy is the ability to use the limbs against your enemies. This, in particular, will help you save some ammo in case you stumble across a boss or an angry enemy.

If you haven’t played this game, what are you waiting for? Go play it right now!

Deep Fear 1998 ディープフィアー (Dīpu Fiā)

About
	Release Date June 30, 1998
	Developer SEGA
	Publisher SEGA
	Genre Horror
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Japan

Not so many people talk about this one. Maybe because it was released on a console such as the Sega Saturn? Maybe because horror wasn’t a big thing at the time? Nobody knows, but this is surely another Resident Evil-like game located in the depths of the sea.

Dive deep into the obscure sea, and encounter the most terrifying mutated monsters you’ll ever see. Your mission, as John Mayor, is to save everyone from mutating into a scary looking thing. The solution? find the monkey who holds the key. Pretty funny, right?

Deep Fear’s gameplay is pretty identical to old school Resident Evil games. Many journalists labelled this one as a RE rip-off from the get-go. After all, that’s noticeable in the first glance, but once you sit down to play it, you’ll realise how the setting of the game plays a significant role.

Deep Fear introduced various mechanics that Capcom’s juggernaut missed at the time. For example, players can shoot while moving. In addition to this, players can use items in real-time instead of pressing the start button every time. Lastly, Deep Fear’s challenging mechanic of falling oxygen levels adds to the horrific struggle as a whole.

You probably dreamed of checking the sea, now you can do that in this game, but it’s not a happy journey.

Alan Wake 2010

About
	Release Date May 14, 2010
	Developer Remedy Entertainment
	Publisher Xbox Game Studios
	Franchise Alan Wake
	Genre Psychological Horror
	Graphics 3D
	Perspective Third-Person
	Interaction Real-Time
	Concept Ghost
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Finland

Remakes
Alan Wake (2010 Original Release)
Alan Wake Remastered (2021 Remaster)

Alan Wake has to probably be one of the most original games in the industry. It introduced a couple of mechanics that would later be implemented by indies and other of couples such as Child of Light, Shadow of the Damned, The Darkness and other couples of games.

The story follows Alan Wake as he tries desperately to uncover the mystery behind his wife’s disappearance during a vacation in the small fiction city of Bright Falls. His journey won’t be easy as he will encounter forces of the darkness that will desperately to destroy him before he reaches his intended goal.

Alan Wake offers a variety of unique gameplay elements. One such mechanic is the usage of light as the sole weapon to survive against the army of darkness. Weapons are useless if Alan isn’t equipped with a light that grants him the ability to take on fierce foes. One unique mechanic that you’ll enjoy is the ability to heal your wounds by stepping into the light. It might remind some of the game ” Journey ” as it almost shares the same feature with the latter.

Alan Wake is one of the best games you’ll ever play. Sadly, you’ll never find something like it even if you cried the whole night and begged God for it.

Extermination 2001 エクスターミネーション (Ekusutāminēshon)

About
	Release Date March 08, 2001
	Developer Deep Space
	Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment
	Genre Survival Horror
	Graphics 3D
	Perspective Third-Person
	Interaction Real-Time
	Concept Sci-Fi
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Japan

Available On

Who would have thought that the person behind Ghosts ‘n Goblins would come up with a survival horror game? When Tokuro Fujiwara left Capcom back in 1996, he established two companies: Whoopee Camp and Deep Space. Unfortunately,  the developer has only developed 2 games throughout its 2 years course before it went bankrupt. Both of these games were published by Sony Interactive Entertainment back in 2003.

The story of Extermination puts you in the shoes of Dennis Riley, a marine special soldier sent to Antarctica to stop the outbreak of a contagious virus mutating people into horrific creatures. I think the former developers from Resident Evil who already worked on this game tried to stay away from following a plot that involves zombies or vampires. Instead, their focus was on a virus similar to bacteria and microbes capable of transforming people into unearthly beings.

While the gameplay is pretty much similar to Classic Resident Evil games, the game introduced a couple of neat mechanics. For example, unlike the old RE entries where getting bite by zombies isn’t a problem, in Extermination, there’s an infection rate. When the rate hits 100%, Dennis becomes infected by the virus, and his maximum health not only reduces to 60% but also depletes. To stop that, players have to find vaccines that will stop the spread of the virus inside their bodies. The game is pretty challenging and when it comes to ammunition, there’s a limited supply to find laying around. This will nudge the player to avoid unnecessary enemies that cause no significant harm.

Deadly Premonition 2010 レッドシーズプロファイル (Red Seeds Profile)

About
	Release Date February 23, 2010
	Developer Access Games
	Publisher Ignition Entertainment
	Genre Horror
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin Japan

An open-world survival horror game that takes inspiration from Resident Evil and the Alone in the Dark series. Deadly Premonition is actually a reboot of Access Games’ earlier game Rainy Woods which began development in 2004 and was cancelled in 2007 due to technical difficulties.

The story puts you in the shoes of an FBI Agent Francis York Morgan. Your job is to investigate the murder of an eighteen-year-old woman and capture the culprit. As you can see, the story is kind of a mix between L. A Noire, Resident Evil, and Killer 7.

Unlike other games mentioned above, Deadly Premonition is an open-world survival horror game. The game plays from an over-the-shoulder third-person mode, and the player’s objective is to guide Agent Francis as he investigates the identity of the killer.

Alone in the Dark 2008

About
	Release Date June 20, 2008
	Developer Eden Games
	Publisher Atari SA
	Genre Survival Horror
	Concept Atmospheric
	Players Single Player
	Monetization Buy to Play
	Country of Origin France

Remakes
Alone in the Dark (2008 Original Release)
Alone in the Dark: Inferno (2008 Enhanced Port)

Finishing our list with one of the greatest survival horror franchises of all time. However, this entry received mixed reviews from critics and fans of the series. It’s not denying that Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare, and Inferno mimics Resident Evil in so many aspects. One of these aspects is the gameplay and the overall atmosphere, as well as, the direction the entry took.

You play once again as Edward Carnby who must search and investigate obscure conspiracies that surround Central Park in New York City. The plot is similar to the New Nightmare if you ask me.

Gameplay-wise, for those who played Condmended: Criminal Origins, you’ll notice there are some similarities here and there. You can switch between third-person mode and first-person mode. However, the first person mode offers you a different kind of experience if you ask me.

If you want to give this game a shot, head on to Steam. And if you are interested in diving deep into the franchise (specifically the classic trilogy), I advise you to check out GOG.

Thank you for reading.