Why Resident Evil 5 needs a remake

Capcom has long had success remaking theirs Resident Evil game, dating all the way back to the critically acclaimed remake of the original game released on the GameCube in 2002. Capcom took a long hiatus from the remake Resident Evil game after that, but came back with a vengeance with the hugely popular Resident Evil 2 remake in 2019, followed by Resident Evil 3 remake 2020, and Resident Evil 4 remake in 2023. There have been calls from fans for Capcom to remake Resident Evil 5but I've always been puzzled by it. After all, Resident Evil 5 is one of the least popular games in the series, and it already plays like a modern one RE games anyway. But I just replayed Resident Evil 5and now it's clear to me that the game really needs a remake.

The big selling point for Resident Evil 5 is co-op. The game takes the action over the shoulder Resident Evil 4 and adds a second player to the mix, with one person controlling franchise regular Chris Redfield and the other playing newcomer Sheva Alomar. When Resident Evil 5 When first released on the Xbox 360, I had a blast playing through it with my brother in split-screen co-op. We played the game to death, beating it to 100% and unlocking all the campaign achievements in the process. Fast forward to 2026, and I'm marathoning Resident Evil franchise ahead of its 30th anniversary in March. I was looking forward to reliving my crush Resident Evil 5 memories in split screen co-op, only this time I played with my wife, only to find that Capcom has absolutely butchered the mode for the newer versions of the game that can be played on modern consoles.

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Resident Evil 5 on Modern Consoles Botches Local Co-Op

When I originally played Resident Evil 5 In 2009 I did it on a standard definition TV. It actually improved the split-screen experience significantly because playing it on an HDTV puts the action in these little boxes in an attempt to preserve the game's aspect ratio, with no option to turn it off or actually use the full split-screen real estate. On a standard definition TV, you get to use the entire screen. I knew that playing on an HDTV would annoy me, but I found out that it's not the only way Resident Evil 5 split screen co-op experience is much worse on modern consoles.

If you play the modern version of Resident Evil 5 which is available on PS4 and Xbox One in split screen, the other player cannot use the shop or have their own inventory. This wasn't the case in the Xbox 360 version back in the day, but through my research I've discovered that this puzzling limitation actually existed on the PS3. This completely robs the other player of getting the same sense of progression that player 1 gets, and makes playing through the game in split-screen co-op a much less interesting prospect for everyone involved.

Chris and Shiva shoot enemies together - Resident Evil 5

A Resident Evil 5 remake could address these unfortunate split-screen co-op misses and deliver an experience more in line with how it used to work on the Xbox 360. It could give players the ability to use the full half of their screen in split-screen or boxed view. It can make it so that the other player gets their own inventory and can be free to manage everything on their own instead of having to share with player 1. As it stands, play Resident Evil 5 in split-screen co-op on modern hardware is a compromised and disappointing experience, but a remake could fix that.

What are the next Resident Evil remakes?

Next Resident Evil the game will be Resident Evil Requiemaka Resident Evil 9and it will be released on February 27th. However, reliable leakers have revealed what they can expect from Capcom in the future Resident Evil remakes too. If the latest leaked information is to be believed, a Resident Evil: Code Veronica remake will arrive in early 2027, to be followed by a Resident Evil Zero redo sometime.

After that, it's anyone's guess what Capcom might redo next. A Resident Evil 5 remake has long been assumed, considering how it is configured by Resident Evil 4 remake, but others have suggested it a second Resident Evil 1 remake would also be worthwhile, so that all remake games have the same kind of gameplay. Be that as it may, we hope that one Resident Evil 5 remake that fixes the local co-op options is eventually part of the plan.