Is Resident Evil 4 co-op?

By Jesse Lennox March 24, 2023

Leon Kennedy is given the dangerous task of tracking down and rescuing the president’s daughter from a mysterious cult in Resident Evil 4. Things quickly go sideways when he encounters the locals, who are all infected with Las Plagas, which turns them into zombie-like monsters. The remake will have you progressing through this same scenario, though with some alterations. If you’re finding this mission a bit more difficult than you expected, you might be wondering if you can call in a friend as backup to lend a hand. Did the Resident Evil 4 remake add an option to let you play co-op that wasn’t present in the original? Here’s your answer.

Can you play co-op in Resident Evil 4?

Leon S. Kennedy shoots villagers in the Resident Evil 4 remake. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sadly, no. The Resident Evil 4 remake remains a completely single-player experience just like the original. Despite there being numerous instances where Leon is accompanied by NPCs, mainly Ashley, there is never an option for another player to take control of her or any of the other characters. This is one mission you will need to handle by yourself.

The only possible way co-op could potentially come to the Resident Evil 4 remake is via the yet unreleased Mercenaries mode. Originally, this mode was also only playable solo, but later entries did allow it to be played in co-op. If we had to guess, this mode will remain faithful to being a solo experience as well, but we’ll have to wait until it releases or more details are shared to know for certain.

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Resident Evil

Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…

Gaming

Resident Evil 4 Charms: all Charm effects and where to find them

Leon collecting a teddy bear charm.

Everyone loved the attaché case from the original game and was very excited to see that it would return in the Resident Evil 4 remake. This case brings back the delicate balance of managing your inventory space between healing items, ammo, weapons, and other items that you want to bring with you. What's new are the little keychains you can attach to your case called Charms. These are more than minor cosmetic flair, though, as each Charm has a unique buff that can help turn the tides in your favor. However, being brand new, even veterans of the survival horror classic won't know how to get or use them immediately. Leon needs every advantage he can get in Resident Evil 4 remake, so help him out by checking out all the Charm effects and where to find them.
How to get Charms

Since Charms are a new addition in the remake of Resident Evil 4, the way to get them is also somewhat new. Those who played the original might recall a small shooting range Leon could mess around in. In the remake, this mini-game has been expanded quite a bit. There are now multiple shooting ranges and within them multiple challenges. The first one you can encounter is when you find the Merchant in Chapter 3 after going through the Quarry. Whichever shooting range you pick, enter the ornate elevator to be transported to the range.

Gaming

Resident Evil 4: All Yellow Herb locations

Yellow herb in Resident Evil 4.

Despite being sent all the way to Europe to rescue the president's daughter, Leon arrives vastly underpowered for the job presented to him in the Resident Evil 4 remake. Not only was he sent in alone, but with just a single handgun (with 10 bullets) and a knife. If you want any hope of completing this mission, you will need to get every advantage you can. Aside from expanding and upgrading your arsenal, collecting as many of the game's Yellow Herbs will be your top priority. Of the three types of Herbs -- Green, Red, and Yellow -- these are the rarest of them all. In total, you can only grab 17 of them in a single playthrough. You will want as many of them as possible to give Leon a much-needed buff, so here's what Yellow Herbs do and where you can collect them all in the Resident Evil 4 remake.
What Yellow Herbs do

Each of the three Herb types in Resident Evil 4 serves a different function. Green Herbs are for healing, Red Herbs enhance the effect of whatever Herb they're combined with, and Yellow Herbs actually increase Leon's maximum health. That makes them by far the most valuable of the three since, with enough of them, you can essentially double the amount of damage you can take once you max out his health.

Gaming

Resident Evil 4 locked drawers guide: all Small Key locations

Infected villager from Resident Evil 4 remake.

Keys and Resident Evil games are like peanut butter and jelly. If you're not fighting zombies, you're looking for a key to get you to the next room -- where you will fight more zombies. While there are plenty of mandatory keys in the Resident Evil 4 remake, there are also a set of extra keys that you can completely miss. These Small Keys are used to unlock locked drawers you come across, as opposed to doors, and hold some very valuable treasures. Considering how precious money is in this game, the more treasures you can find and sell to your Merchant friend, the better off you'll be. Small keys aren't in your direct path often, and once you leave an area, you can't go back to collect them later in most cases. We'll help you become the master of unlocking by showing you where to snag all the Small Keys in Resident Evil 4, as well as where to use them.
Where to find all Small Keys
Before getting into the locations of Small Keys, note that these keys are not exclusive to a single drawer. Any Small Key can be used to open any drawer, so feel free to spend them as soon as you find a drawer with a key in hand. However, once you leave an area in Resident Evil 4, there's no going back. That means if you left any keys or drawers behind, you won't be able to open them unless you start another playthrough or wait until you begin a new game. There are eight Small Keys to get, and they are all found within the first two zones of the game, but won't show up on your map. Locked drawers won't either by default, but if you buy the Treasure Map from the Merchant, the drawers will be put on your map. Here's how to track all the keys down, and where the nearest locked drawer is in the order you can first encounter them.

The first key you can get is in Chapter 2 in the Valley. After meeting the Merchant, you will be sent into the Valley to find a key to open the gate opposite the Merchant. After clearing out the enemies, drop down to the lowest level on the south end and enter the shack. Inside, take a right and look for a case on the shelf. Loot it, and pick up the first Small Key. The nearest locked drawer is back in the Factory past the Merchant. Go into the room where you retrieved Leon's equipment after it was taken from him and use the key on the desk drawer.