IMHO.

Resident Evil vs Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4 both land in Action, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Adventure on Steam. Resident Evil (2015) is 8 years older than Resident Evil 4 (2023). Resident Evil 4 scores higher on Steam reviews (96.5% positive) than Resident Evil (91.4% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.

Which should you pick?

Choose Resident Evil

Choose Resident Evil if you want the Steam Leaderboards side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 50% cheaper on the Steam Store. 12,437 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Resident Evil 4

Choose Resident Evil 4 if you want the HDR available side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 96.5% positive across 64,552 reviews.

Both Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4 sit in Action and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.

Side-by-side comparison

Resident Evil vs Resident Evil 4 — Steam metadata comparison
Resident Evil — Steam game coverResident EvilResident Evil 4 — Steam game coverResident Evil 4
Released20152023
GenresAction, AdventureAction, Adventure
PlatformsWindowsWindows
Steam DeckDeck VerifiedDeck Verified
Price19.99 USD39.99 USD
Steam reviews91.4% positive (12,437 reviews)96.5% positive (64,552 reviews)
MultiplayerSingle-player onlySingle-player only
DevelopersCAPCOM Co., Ltd.CAPCOM Co., Ltd.

Side by side

Resident Evil vs Resident Evil 4 — FAQ

Which is better, Resident Evil or Resident Evil 4?
On Steam reviews Resident Evil 4 scores higher (96.5% positive) than Resident Evil (91.4% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Resident Evil 4 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
Should I play Resident Evil or Resident Evil 4 first?
If you want chronology, Resident Evil (2015) came out before Resident Evil 4 (2023). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
Are Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4 similar?
They overlap on Action, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
Do Resident Evil and Resident Evil 4 both run on Steam Deck?
Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.