Skip to main content

Everything we know about the Resident Evil 3 remake

After the massive success of the Resident Evil 2 remake in 2019 — it has already surpassed the sales of the 1998 version — Capcom has moved forward on development of a remake to its sequel, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. The latest remake will be a massively overhauled version of the game, with a camera and combat system similar to this year’s remake, as well as the powerful RE Engine rendering everything in lifelike detail. But Capcom has a few other tricks up its sleeve for Resident Evil 3 that could make it even more exciting than Resident Evil 2. Here is everything we know about the Resident Evil 3 remake.

Story

Resident Evil 3 Announcement Trailer

Set during the Raccoon City disaster that was also featured in Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3 revolves around Jill Valentine, one of the playable characters from the original game. With the dastardly Umbrella Corporation’s actions responsible for the city’s destruction and the potential extinction of mankind, Jill and her fellow specialists at police force S.T.A.R.S. work to make its secrets known, but soon find themselves dealing with new threats — a “cannibal virus” overrunning the town and a new, even more powerful enemy that Jill must destroy.

The Nemesis is a T-Type creature, and is essentially a deadlier version of the “Mr. X” Tyrant enemy from Resident Evil 2 that is capable of pursuing Jill throughout the entire game. This means she will rarely have time to rest, regardless of which part of the ruined Raccoon City she is exploring. He will have more ways to drop in on Jill than Mr. X, who was already capable of showing up practically anywhere by the later stages of Resident Evil 2. Jill will also be able to use her environment against, him, however, such as with electrical boxes or explosive barrels. Nemesis can also drop supplies when he’s momentarily defeated.

Capcom apparently used a real model of Nemesis to develop the character in the game, as well — hopefully not a living one.

Jill will be joined by the mercenary Carlos Oliveira, who forms a semi-uneasy alliance with her to uncover the truth about Umbrella and the outbreak. He has received a similar visual overhaul to Jill herself, but should still be recognizable to those familiar with the first version. The producers said they wanted him to look rougher around the edges to give him the appearance of being a trustworthy ally who Jill can rely on. There will only be one ending in the game, so the only one we receive will apparently be taken as the canonical ending.

Raccoon City itself will be much larger in the 2020 game than in the original. There will be more sprawling areas, as well as “reimagined sequences that dwarf those in the original game,” according to Sony’s Tim Turi.

Entirely new areas are available in the city, as well, including a new sewer section, new shops, and a larger subway system. Fitting with the open environments, there are yellow padlocks located across the game, and after learning how to pick locks, Jill can return to these for extra rewards.

An update for Resident Evil 2 was released shortly after Resident Evil 3’s announcement. It added a note that can be found in the game, and when picked up, it shows what appears to be a brief scene between Jill and the character Robert Kendo. If you need a taste of the game right away, this is how to get it.

Gameplay overhaul

Resident Evil 3 Special Developer Message

Much like with Resident Evil 2’s remake, the new Resident Evil 3 is going to have far more than a new coat of paint. The gameplay style has been completely changed to match the more contemporary third-person Resident Evil games, with an over-the-shoulder perspective rather than the zoomed-out, tank-control style of the original titles.

Though still a horror game, Resident Evil 3 featured more action elements back when it originally launched, and this will also be true in the remake. In all likelihood, the game will also feature the more forgiving save system used in Resident Evil 2’s remake, which ditches the typewriter ribbon system on the standard difficulty and thus allows you to save wherever you go. This can be turned off in Resident Evil 2 for a more authentic experience.

Enemies will still take several shots to take down, however, as we saw during a brief gameplay demonstration in December 2019. This means you will have to remain cautious in the ammunition you expend, and need to carefully place your shots to take down the infected effectively. Running will likely remain one of your options for escaping Nemesis, so you’ll want to keep your ammunition for more useful situations.

Jill has access to a new evading move that should be familiar to fans of more recent action games. By pressing the right bumper and moving the left stick, she’ll quickly roll out of the way of an attack, and if the timing is performing just right, she’ll get a slow-motion window in which to strike back. Her knife works differently than in the 2019 Resident Evil 2 remake, as well, and is used for countering rather than defending.

Those encountering significant trouble will be able to ease the pressure with Assist Mode. In this mode, health regenerates, the enemies are weaker, the game gives Jill an assault rifle, and there is more ammunition to go around.

Mutant worms will return to the series, as revealed in PlayStation Magazine U.K., and Carlos will be playable as well. The Mercenaries mode from the original game will not return. The “Live Selection” feature has also been eliminated.

The safe rooms from past games, including the Resident Evil 2 remake, are back. However, they aren’t completely safe. Nemesis can still come into them, meaning players will always have to be on their toes, even when saving or going through the storage box.

Resident Evil: Resistance

Project Resistance | Gameplay trailer | PS4

Resident Evil 3 doesn’t just come with the remade single-player game, either. Announced as a surprise during a PlayStation State of Play presentation in December 2019, the game will also come packed with the spinoff asymmetrical multiplayer game Resident Evil: Resistance.

Resident Evil: Resistance is a four-versus-one multiplayer game, where four survivors must work together to overcome the obstacles set by one mastermind player. This player can send infected enemies after the survivors, as well as set traps in the game world. The creatures include classics you’ll recognize from the other Resident Evil games, including the “Licker” enemies that played such a big role in Resident Evil 2. They will also be able to use a facility’s security cameras to spot where the survivors are, and they can even take direct control of enemies to battle survivors instead of just sending out minions to do it for them.

Rather than defeat all enemies, the survivors must only escape to be considered the winners. Oh, and one of the survivors is named Martin Sandwich. All survivors have their own unique skills that you must use in order to survive effectively. These include better punching, high health, hacking abilities, temporarily unlimited ammunition, and a flash baton.

The game will be completed in stages, with survivors moving to the next area and completing the third level in order to fully escape and win against the mastermind. If they are “downed” during a round, friends can assist them in order to revive them. Once they have died, they will have the option to respawn at the cost of time.

Release date and special editions

Resident Evil 3 will officially release on April 3, 2020, for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Those who pre-order the game will receive special classic costumes to make the character look similar to their appearance in the original version.

Alongside the standard version of the game, a GameStop-exclusive collector’s edition will also be available. The collector’s edition comes with an 11-inch figure of Jill based on the new design, and it’s on the same scale as the Leon figure released with the Resident Evil 2 collector’s edition. The package also includes an art book containing images and documents from Umbrella Corporation, as well as a digital soundtrack voucher code that includes songs from Resident Evil 3 and Resistance, and a double-sided survival map poster.

Editors' Recommendations

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
The best weapons in Resident Evil 4
Leon holding a gun in Resident Evil 4.

Leon clearly wasn't prepared for what he would encounter in the Resident Evil 4 remake or he would have come with more than a middling handgun and a knife. While those basic tools can get you through the opening stages of the game, it won't be long before you will need to call upon some much stronger firepower in order to survive the tougher -- and more grotesque -- monsters that stand in your way. The Resident Evil 4 remake offers a ton of weapons you can collect, such as pistols, SMGs, rifles, and more. However, most will cost a lot of cash -- and even more if you want to invest in their upgrades. You will have to make some tough choices about what weapons you want to stick with, and picking a dud can make your playthrough much more difficult. Instead of investing all your cash in a pea-shooter, check out the best weapons you can get in the Resident Evil 4 remake to blast your way through Ganados and Las Plagas alike.
The best weapons in Resident Evil 4

Red9
Where else could we start but with the Red9? Almost certainly the most popular handgun -- or gun in general -- from the original Resident Evil 4 has returned in the remake and is just as potent as ever. Not only can you grab this gun as early as Chapter 3, making it a great choice for investing your upgrades in, but it can be altered and has essentially no drawbacks. By default, the Red9's recoil is the primary point of criticism you could levy at it, but if you spend a few Spinels to give it the stock, you'll be able to basically snipe with this pistol. By the time you unlock the Exclusive upgrade, which multiplies the gun's power by 1.5x, you'll hardly ever find a situation where this handgun can't do the job.
Bolt Thrower
The Bolt Thrower isn't on this list for its high power, accuracy, or anything that you would traditionally look for in a gun. The reason it has to be here is due to the simple fact that you can recover the bolts it shoots into enemies after they're dead to massively cut down on your ammo expenditure. Ammo for it is also crafted using knives, but it even has a secondary firing method where it launches mines, giving it a lot more utility. The Exclusive upgrade isn't game-changing -- it doubles the ammo capacity -- but the less you have to reload, the less often you'll be caught in a sticky situation.
Stingray
In the rifle category, the Stingray is never going to let you down. This is a semiautomatic rifle, so the firing rate is mostly up to you, plus it has a great clip size by default. If you're hitting those weak points, this baby will also deal 3x damage, and can be outfitted with almost any scope. The Exclusive upgrade boosts your final firing rate by an additional 2x, which shouldn't be too necessary if you're trying to be precise, though can help in a pinch.
LE 5
The LE 5 is a weapon you can easily miss that is kind of like a good version of the Punisher in that it has amazing penetration power. Being an SMG, it also boasts a far greater firing rate and clip size, as well as more power. This is the perfect weapon to rip through any shield-wielding enemies. Again like the Punisher, the Exclusive upgrade allows the LE 5 to pierce up to five targets at once.
Broken Butterfly
Another returning favorite, the Broken Butterfly magnum is not just the best-looking hand cannon in the game, but also the most deadly. If you don't count a special weapon like the Rocket Launcher, the Broken Butterfly (after upgrades) deals the most damage of any gun in the Resident Evil 4 remake. The Exclusive upgrade plays a major part in this by boosting its final damage by 1.5x, again just like the Red9, but magnum upgrades are among the most expensive in the game, so this power won't come easy.
Striker
What's the worst part of a shotgun? The firing rate. Well, that is if you're not using the Striker. This semiautomatic shotgun spits out damage like nobody's business. It has power on par with any other shotgun, but way better firing speed, plus a massive clip size so you don't have to worry about running dry out an enemy in your face. If you get the Exclusive upgrade, you can even double the already huge clip size.
Rocket Launcher
This is a big investment both in terms of cash and space, but the Rocket Launcher is too iconic to the series not to be amazing. Yes, this has a one-hit kill on just about everything and will cost more or less depending on what difficulty level you're playing on. It has no upgrades because, well, what is there to make better? Unless you're playing with the infinite ammo for it enabled, you do only get one shot, so make it count.
Primal Knife
While technically not a gun, the knife is so good in the Resident Evil 4 remake that it has to be mentioned. This tool will save your skin more often than you think thanks to the new ability to parry and finish downed enemies, but the obvious drawback is durability. The Primal Knife has to be unlocked by finding and destroying all 16 of the Clockwork Castellans in the game. What makes it the clear frontrunner of all knives is the Exclusive upgrade that makes it completely unbreakable, no matter how much you use it.

Read more
All Resident Evil 4 remake Wayshrines and how to open them
An open wayshrine with a bracelet inside.

In the opening chapters of the Resident Evil 4 remake, you will come across strange shrines erected by a cult. These can be interacted with, but prompt you to use an item. Unfortunately, you won't even have the chance to open the first couple you find since the item required to open them can't be picked up until a bit later -- and only if you know where to search for it. But it's ro say that the treasures you get from them make it worth your time to backtrack and grab all the goodies inside. Here's how you can open all the Wayshrines in the Resident Evil 4 remake, and what each one holds inside.
How to get the Wayshrine Key

Surprise surprise, but Wayshrines can only be opened once you grab the Wayshrine Key. It will feel like a long time, but you can't even access the key until you reach Chapter 4 and beat Del Lago. Once you can explore the lake, head south to the Mural Cave. Deep in the caves, you will find an ornate cabinet after solving the puzzle in the cave. You can get there by going down the path from the southern dock and through the section with the two large stone hands. Thankfully, unlike Small Keys, the Wayshrine Key is reusable and can open every Wayshrine in the game.
How to 0pen Wayshrines

Read more
How to solve the Castle Sword puzzle in Resident Evil 4 remake
Leon looking at murals of a knight.

The castle section of the Resident Evil 4 remake is one of the most diabolical. Aside from being visually distinct from the previous village area, this location is full of tougher enemies and deadlier traps. Once you've managed to escape from the dungeons and up into the castle proper, you will be blocked by a gate beside some images of a knight in different situations. Something is off about all of them, and one part missing entirely. This is the sword puzzle, but it isn't as straightforward as you might assume looking at it. Here's how to solve the Sword Puzzle and make your way into the Audience Chamber in Resident Evil 4.
How to solve the Castle Sword puzzle

The first thing you'll notice about this puzzle is that there are four murals of the knight, but only three swords to pick up in this room. The last sword is behind another locked gate, but this one you can open. The gate has three animals on it, an eagle, deer, and snake, which correspond to three different plates. As each one is activated, the symbols on the gate will light up to show you're on the right track. The deer can be activated by pulling the chain beside the gate, while the second two are on the other side of the gate to the right and need to be shot.

Read more