Resident Evil Village stands as a first-person survival horror game that blends intense action with atmospheric tension, continuing the Resident Evil series on PC and other platforms.
Gameplay
In Resident Evil Village, you control Ethan Winters from a first-person view, navigating a snowy European village filled with dangers. Core mechanics involve scavenging for items like ammunition and health supplies, managing a briefcase inventory where you rotate objects to optimize space, and engaging in combat against agile enemies such as Lycans that attack in packs. Resource management plays a key role, with sparse ammo encouraging decisions between fighting, using melee attacks, or evading threats. You can barricade areas temporarily for defense and hunt animals to cook dishes that provide buffs, like reduced damage when blocking. A merchant named the Duke allows purchasing weapons, upgrades, and supplies, while puzzles require solving environmental challenges, though some have drawn criticism for being too straightforward. Boss encounters focus on targeting weak points and dodging attacks, set against a backdrop of exploration in climbable structures and secret locations.
The game emphasizes survival elements, including manual saving at typewriters and accessing a map in the pause menu. Ethan's regenerative abilities from prior mold exposure add resilience during fights, and a photo mode lets you capture moments. Combat feels tighter in certain sections, balancing horror with action sequences that ramp up enemy numbers.
Game Modes
The primary experience is the single-player main campaign, where you follow Ethan's story through the village and its surrounding areas. After completing the campaign, you unlock Mercenaries Mode, an arcade-style challenge with timed stages where you battle waves of enemies, picking up items and upgrades from the Duke's Emporium to achieve high scores.
An online multiplayer mode called Re:Verse was available as a third-person shooter for up to six players, but it shut down in June 2025 after facing issues with balance and content. No other modes are currently active, keeping the focus on solo play.
Story and Setting
Set years after Resident Evil 7, the narrative follows Ethan Winters and his wife Mia attempting a peaceful life, only for tragedy to strike when their daughter is kidnapped. Ethan finds himself in a remote village ruled by Mother Miranda and her four mutant lords: the towering Lady Dimitrescu in her castle, the hallucinatory Donna Beneviento at House Beneviento, the grotesque Salvatore Moreau in a reservoir, and the magnetic Karl Heisenberg in his factory. Familiar character Chris Redfield appears with mysterious intentions, leading to confrontations involving his Hound Wolf Squad and the BSAA.
The setting creates a lived-in world with detailed environments, from the village's crumbling buildings to the lords' distinct domains, each offering unique horrors and lore through diaries and sketches.
Is It Worth Playing?
With overwhelmingly positive Steam reviews from 97,321 users (95% positive in recent months) and a Metacritic score indicating generally favorable reception, Resident Evil Village has sold over 13.589 million copies by January 2026. Players praise its atmosphere, exploration, and blend of horror and action, though some note weaker puzzles and boss fights. Recent updates include a native port to Nintendo Switch 2 in February 2026, alongside patches like Update 1.320 for performance tweaks.
If survival horror with resource management and combat appeals to you, this game delivers a solid experience, especially for those who value story-driven campaigns. It's less ideal if you seek deep multiplayer or complex puzzles, but the core loop remains engaging in 2026.
- Strong sales and awards, including Steam Game of the Year 2021
- VR support available as free DLC for compatible systems
- Criticisms focus on action-heavy shifts reducing pure horror elements
