More than most series out there, Resident Evil has always found interesting ways to evolve and expand the survival horror genre, from item management to unkillable enemies that will go to the ends of the earth to stalk you, making you feel incredibly vulnerable in an already dire situation. And luckily, this almost always extends to your ammo, making every shot you take count.
But not all Resident Evil titles make use of ammo shortages, which practically give you enough ammo to survive the sweatiest Call of Duty lobby on the planet, and then some. But for the contributions that respect this feature, they make you much more engrossed in the experience, as you often leave some enemies alone to conserve ammo, which might come back to haunt you later!
9
Resident Evil 6
If you've played all of these titles, you probably already know which entry would kick things off, as Resident Evil 6 is when things got a lot less survival horror-focused and full throttle. While this title has its moments and a pretty solid combat system, it just doesn't feel like Resident Evil, largely due to its lack of suspense and survival horror elements.
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Resident Evil 6 practically throws ammo at you through its lengthy campaign that covers multiple characters, making it feel more like a Call of Duty campaign than the Resident Evil we all know and love. Again, it has very few moments of brilliance, but ammo conservation is far from one of them!
8
Resident Evil 5
Next up is Resident Evil 5, another action-packed title in the series that was clearly made with a heavy emphasis on co-op. But unlike Resident Evil 6, this title still manages to be an incredibly fun and rewarding experience, even if it's not really a survival horror game. The challenge here, more or less, will be in enemy placement and variety, as well as its puzzles and overuse of quick time events.
Since this title is a co-op action thriller, you won't really feel the pressure when it comes to ammo. However, you'll still feel obligated to hit your shots and hit them where they count, as some of the enemies can be downright brutal to take down, especially on the harder difficulties!
7
Resident Evil Village
Ahh, yes, Resident Evil Village, a pretty fast-paced title in the series with some of the best moment-to-moment scenes and exploration you can get. But while it's a big step up from Resident Evil 7 in terms of enemy variety, it took a significant step back in its survival horror aspects, with ammo abundance being one of them.
Now, you won't be swimming in ammo like you do in the previous entries on this list, but you'll constantly have it, and plenty of it, which makes it seem less of a resource you need to keep track of. Smashing crates and killing enemies will often net you plenty of ammo, and you can even craft it or buy it directly from the Duke, making it fairly common to come across. But thanks to it depends, on the harder difficulties you will definitely get much less of the powerful ammo, which is a good trade-off!
6
Resident Evil 3
This next entry is a tough one to place, as the classic Resident Evil 3 is a bit stingier with its ammo than its remake, but both still give you a lot to work with. While you still have to keep track of it if you don't want to fight in the more intense areas, you can always expect a large supply of ammo when you reach new areas or from crafting supplies.
Nonetheless, Resident Evil 3 (especially classic) is just proven Resident Evil, and it feels like your visuals matter compared to the other titles mentioned on the list so far. Sure, the remake has its issues, but RE3 will forever be a survival horror classic, no matter which version you play!
5
Resident Evil Requiem
After that we have another tricky one to place, as Resident Evil Requiem easily has one of the best early game survival horror experiences, but is kind of thrown aside the moment Grace acquires the Blood Collector. Once it's in her inventory, it's all game off, as you'll be crafting thousands of rounds of ammo, which makes it feel a lot less prominent than opening hours.
Requiem still delivers on its horror and intensity; But removing the pressure to conserve ammo makes encounters feel a lot less daunting overall. You can send everything as Grace and still have plenty of ammo to spare, and that's even on the game's hardest standard difficulty. If only Insanity or a Hardcore mode were available from the jump, this title would probably rank much higher!
4
Resident Evil 7
We're moving on, we're going where the series got a fresh start, while returning to its roots. Resident Evil 7 is a remarkable title from start to finish, with only enemy variety and the odd boat sequence being its few missteps. But its phenomenal atmosphere, boss encounters and exploration more than make up for it, as it feels like Capcom understood what fans of the series want above all: Survival Horror.
Ethan may not be the best protagonist in the series, but his gameplay is up there as some of the best in the series, and Resident Evil 7 delivers in spades. You'll constantly be sneaking around the Baker House looking for items to back and hopefully find more ammo or crafting supplies, only to be derailed by a persistent Jack, making every moment-to-moment interaction feel tense and terrifying!
3
Resident Evil 4
It's a bit strange to see Resident Evil 4 this high up, as the Village is heavily inspired by it and is much lower. But unlike Village, RE4 nails the lack of ammo while giving you plenty of ways to get it, which sort of balances things out. If you play the game on Hardcore or Professional difficulty, you will struggle to come up with ammo and will constantly beg for a crate or enemy to drop the type you need.
And this applies to both the original and remake versions of Resident Evil 4, which is great information if you're thinking of diving into it for the first time. Despite its grand setting and more action-focused gameplay, Resident Evil 4 still places its inventory and resource management at the forefront, making every decision important, even on subsequent playthroughs!
2
Resident Evil 2
Our penultimate pick is, of course, Resident Evil 2, a game that took everything its predecessor did and expanded upon it, largely for the better. While it can be argued that it has the best resource management in the series, we think it is a little less stingy than its prequel, but not by much. Still, no matter which title you prefer, you'll be scrambling for ammo as both Leon and Claire, trying to escape the overrun RPD.
Whether you're playing the classic or the Resident Evil 2 remake, you'll have your work cut out for you, especially on harder difficulties. Capcom did an exceptional job of making every note, secret, and room feel rewarding and worth solving or exploring, because you're going to need every bit of ammo they throw your way if you want to have any chance of making it out alive!
1
Resident Evil
Finally, we have the first Resident Evil, which is about as hands-off as you can get in the series, as it forces you to solve relatively complex puzzles while fending off zombies that can take a beating, making conserving your already limited ammo all the more crucial. Wasting too many frames can be disastrous, and the same goes for killing zombies you really don't need to, which is even more true in the remake.
The first Resident Evil still manages to be the most hardcore of the bunch, even all these years later, and we desperately want another one in this vein. Again, the hours for Requiem are the closest we've gotten to this so far, but it's quickly being taken away from us. If you want to feel hopeless and vulnerable from start to finish, then this masterpiece is the clear winner!
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