The remake of Resident Evil 2 has officially become the best-selling game in the long-running survival horror series, surpassing the original release and remaster sales of Resident Evil 5. According to Capcom's latest quarterly earnings report, the 2019 remake has sold 19.75 million copies.
Resident Evil 5 previously held the top spot with 19.01 million units sold across its various platforms. Many long-time fans of the series view the success of the Resident Evil 2 remake as a validation of its design choices. The game has been widely praised for successfully blending the exploratory, slower-paced roots of earlier Resident Evil titles with the more modern, genre-defining camera perspective and gameplay introduced in Resident Evil 4.
In contrast, Resident Evil 5 is often cited as a turning point that shifted the series too heavily towards action, a direction that some argue culminated in the widely criticized Resident Evil 6. Despite this, Resident Evil 5's original sales figures remain impressive for a 2009 title. There has been speculation that Capcom might eventually remake Resident Evil 5, although the company has previously stated that there are no current plans for such a project.
The Resident Evil franchise continues to be Capcom's strongest seller, with a total of 213 million units sold across all its titles. Other Capcom franchises follow, with Monster Hunter selling 131 million units and Street Fighter at 60 million. The Resident Evil 4 remake also continues to perform well, selling 2.43 million units in its debut quarter and showing strong long-term sales. Even Resident Evil 6, despite its mixed reception, secured a place in the top 10 with 710,000 sales in the last quarter.
Capcom's recent success with critically acclaimed single-player games stands out in an industry increasingly focused on live-service titles. The company is set to continue this trend with upcoming releases such as Onimusha: Way of the Sword on September 4. Further Resident Evil content is also on the horizon, including a new movie directed by Zach Cregger on September 18 and the highly anticipated remake of Resident Evil - Code: Veronica next year.