Resident Evil Village
Ethan Winters searches for his daughter in a mutant-infested village.
Resident Evil Village is a survival horror game from Capcom, released in 2021. It follows *Resident Evil 7: Biohazard* (2017). The player takes on the role of Ethan Winters, who is trying to find his kidnapped daughter in a remote European village overrun by mutant creatures. The village also hides secrets connected to the Umbrella Corporation. The game keeps the survival horror feel of earlier entries—players must search for items and carefully manage resources—but it also leans more into action, with more enemies and a stronger focus on combat.
The game was first shown at the PlayStation 5 reveal event in June 2020. It came out on May 7, 2021, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Later releases included a macOS version and a cloud version for Nintendo Switch in October 2022, a PlayStation VR2 version in February 2023, an iOS version in October 2023, and a Nintendo Switch 2 version in February 2026.
Critics generally liked *Resident Evil Village*, praising its gameplay, setting, and variety. However, some criticized its puzzles, boss fights, and the Windows version’s performance. The stronger focus on action split opinions. The game won several year-end awards, including Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards. By November 2024, it had sold over 10.5 million copies. A sequel, *Resident Evil Requiem*, came out on February 27, 2026.
**Gameplay**
Like *Resident Evil 7*, *Village* uses a first-person view, but players can also switch to third-person. The setting is a snowy European village that feels Victorian-era, much larger and more immersive than the previous game. Players can climb buildings and use them for fighting. Ethan has more combat skills due to military training, making the game more action-heavy than *Biohazard*. The main enemies, Lycans, are werewolf-like, agile, and smart—they can use weapons and attack in groups, forcing players to decide whether to use limited ammo, fight hand-to-hand, or run. Like in *Resident Evil 4* (2005), players can set up makeshift barricades to hold enemies off.
Inventory management works like *Resident Evil 4*: items go in a briefcase, and players can move and rotate them to save space. A merchant named the Duke sells supplies, weapons, upgrades, and items.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Resident Evil Village
- Developer
- Capcom
- Director
- Morimasa Sato
- Producer
- Tsuyoshi Kanda · Peter Fabiano · Masachika Kawata
- Designer
- Isamu Hara
- Programmer
- Tetsuro Noda · Masaharu Kamo
- Artist
- Tomonori Takano
- Writer
- Antony Johnston
- Composer
- Shusaku Uchiyama · Nao Sato · Kota Suzuki · Azusa Kato
- Series
- Resident Evil
- Engine
- RE Engine
- Platforms
- PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Stadia · Windows · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S · macOS · Nintendo Switch · iOS · iPadOS · Nintendo Switch 2
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Resident Evil Village is set four years after the events of Resident Evil 7, largely on February 9, 2021. Ethan Winters returns as the protagonist, having defeated bioweapon Eveline in Resident Evil 7. Ethan has been living with his wife Mia and six-month-old daughter Rose when Chris Redfield and his men suddenly appear, murder his wife in cold blood, and kidnap him and his baby daughter. While Ethan and Rose are being transported in a van, a mysterious entity crashes it just outside the village. Ethan has to traverse the village to rescue Rose. The village is invaded by werewolf-like mutants called Lycans and governed by four different mutant lords, each controlling their own forces from strongholds within the village: Lady Dimitrescu, Donna Beneviento, Salvatore Moreau, and Karl Heisenberg. All houses respond to a supreme leader figure called Mother Miranda.
Like its predecessor, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Resident Evil Village uses a first-person perspective, and has the option for a third-person perspective. It is set in a snowy explorable European village, described as 'pulled straight from the Victorian era' and much larger and more immersive than its predecessor. Compared to Biohazard, the game is more action focused, with protagonist Ethan Winters equipped with more combat skills due to military training. The game's primary enemies, the werewolf-like Lycans, are agile and intelligent and can wield weapons and attack in packs, forcing the player to rethink their strategy on whether to use sparse ammunition, use melee combat, or run away. The inventory management mechanic is similar to that of Resident Evil 4, featuring a briefcase and the ability to move and rotate items for better storage space. Players can buy supplies, weapons, upgrades, and items from a merchant called the Duke.
The Mercenaries Mode, an arcade-style game mode of past Resident Evil games, returns in Village. Players who purchased Village also received Resident Evil Re:Verse, a six-player online multiplayer third-person shooter. After nearly a year and half delay, Re:Verse was activated in October 2022. IGN criticized the balancing of the game, lack of content, and aggressive monetization, while GamingBolt stated that Re:Verse is the worst Resident Evil game. Re:Verse was shut down on June 29th, 2025.
Reader's Guide
Resident Evil Village received generally positive reviews, with praise for its gameplay, setting, and variety, but criticism for its puzzles, boss fights, and performance on the Windows version. The increased focus on action divided opinions. The game won year-end accolades including Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards. It had sold over 10.5 million units by November 2024. A sequel, Resident Evil Requiem, was released on February 27, 2026. The game was announced at the PlayStation 5 reveal event in June 2020 and was released for multiple platforms on May 7, 2021, with subsequent versions for macOS, Nintendo Switch (cloud), PlayStation VR2, iOS, and Nintendo Switch 2. The game's legacy includes its successful blend of survival horror and action elements, its memorable setting and characters, and its commercial success, though the bundled multiplayer component Re:Verse was poorly received and eventually shut down.
Did You Know?
- The game's merchant is called the Duke, who can also cook hunted animals into dishes that grant advantages.
- Resident Evil Re:Verse, the bundled multiplayer game, was shut down on June 29th, 2025.
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