Resident Evil 2

Resident Evil 2 is a complete remake of the 1998 classic, which Capcom offered on PlayStation 5 as a free technical update with support for higher resolution, shorter loading times, and a more stable frame rate. The player finds themselves in a Raccoon City police station overrun by zombies shortly after the outbreak of a viral infection called the T-virus, and in the shoes of rookie Leon Kennedy or student Claire Redfield, moves through cramped corridors full of scarce ammunition and constant tension, with both scenarios offering a different perspective on the same night of horror.

The shift from the original's fixed camera to an over-the-shoulder camera fundamentally transformed the game's pacing — both combat and exploration are noticeably more tense, since the player sees danger up close and has a harder time judging a safe attack distance. Managing a limited inventory and solving puzzles with keys and items scattered throughout the station gives the game a more deliberate pace compared to purely action-oriented horror games and forces the player to plan every step ahead. Sound design is one of the game's strongest points: creaking doors, distant footsteps, and sudden silences build the horror atmosphere just as effectively as the immortal monster known as Mr. X, who relentlessly pursues the player throughout the entire station no matter where they hide. On PS5 the game runs smoothly even in scenes with a high number of enemies on screen and uses fast loading for near-instant restarts after death.

The remake was received by critics as a model example of how to sensitively rework an older classic without losing its identity and horror atmosphere, and it still ranks among the best-rated horror games of all time. Resident Evil 2 confirmed that survival horror can be just as frightening and tense on modern consoles as in the era of the first PlayStations, only with noticeably more modern, precise, and cinematic gameplay.

Why play it: For anyone who wants to experience how sensitively an older classic can be reworked without losing its atmosphere — one of the best-rated horror games ever made.