Resident Evil 2
Games review
As of Aug 20, 2026, Resident Evil 2 is rated 91/100 on Metacritic (94 critic reviews), and 97% positive on Steam (221,110 reviews). Each source is shown in its own units, never blended into one score.
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Different sources measure different things, so each is shown in its own units and never merged into one number.
Is Resident Evil 2 worth it in 2026?
A 97% positive rating across 221,110 Steam reviews and a 91 on Metacritic from 94 critics are not flukes, this remake earns both by delivering exceptional atmospheric design, a masterfully built RPD that players memorize without noticing, and Mr. X as a genuine psychological threat that does eventually become more predictable the longer you play. Graphics, sound design, and character storytelling are all polished to a high standard, with multiple reviewers citing them as standout strengths. The complaints worth taking seriously are ammo scarcity and enemy durability: zombies absorbing shot after shot is a deliberate design choice, but frustrated players aren't debating philosophy, they're burning through resources and time on enemies that won't drop, and that friction breaks the experience for a real segment of buyers.
Players who want to master a single location across two campaigns, solving puzzles, reading the RPD's layout, and surviving under constant resource pressure, and who can accept that the full story requires both runs even if those runs don't converge as neatly as advertised.
Ammo scarcity and high enemy durability are recurring complaints even among fans, not just a matter of taste, if burning bullets into damage-sponge zombies sounds exhausting rather than tense, this game's core loop will wear you down fast.
AI-generated editorial synthesis of the source scores and sampled review themes, not a hands-on test. Reviewer experiences and allegations are not independently verified facts.
Pros
- atmospheric design9
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- Resident Evil 2 was my first Resident Evil game. I'd never really tried getting into horror games before but after hearing from a friend how good the series was, I decided to start...
- re2 is genuinely such an amazing game and i honestly had such a fun time playing it. i wasn’t expecting to get as invested as i did, but i ended up loving my time exploring the rpd...
- Absolutely mind-blowing remake. Graphics are amazing, but also the sounds (breaking glass, winds, footsteps etc.), voices of zombies and our characters. The game is well-optimized,...
- puzzle quality6
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- This was my first ever Resident Evil. Beat both Leon n Claire’s runs, n I feel I could navigate the RPD blindfolded at this point. The map design’s straight up chef’s kiss, puzzles...
- re2 is genuinely such an amazing game and i honestly had such a fun time playing it. i wasn’t expecting to get as invested as i did, but i ended up loving my time exploring the rpd...
- This game really reminded me why I like survival horror. It's not just about zombies running at you. It's the constant feeling that you're never fully prepared for what's coming...
- rpd map design6
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- This was my first ever Resident Evil. Beat both Leon n Claire’s runs, n I feel I could navigate the RPD blindfolded at this point. The map design’s straight up chef’s kiss, puzzles...
- Resident Evil 2 was my first Resident Evil game. I'd never really tried getting into horror games before but after hearing from a friend how good the series was, I decided to start...
- re2 is genuinely such an amazing game and i honestly had such a fun time playing it. i wasn’t expecting to get as invested as i did, but i ended up loving my time exploring the rpd...
- graphics and sound6
see reviews +-
- Absolutely mind-blowing remake. Graphics are amazing, but also the sounds (breaking glass, winds, footsteps etc.), voices of zombies and our characters. The game is well-optimized,...
- ---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☑ Beautiful ☐ Good ☐ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ It's jus...
- This is one of the greatest masterpieces in the gaming industry, a title you simply cannot miss. The atmosphere, the tension, the puzzles, and the dual-character storytelling all...
- mr. x tension6
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- This was my first ever Resident Evil. Beat both Leon n Claire’s runs, n I feel I could navigate the RPD blindfolded at this point. The map design’s straight up chef’s kiss, puzzles...
- Resident Evil 2 was my first Resident Evil game. I'd never really tried getting into horror games before but after hearing from a friend how good the series was, I decided to start...
- re2 is genuinely such an amazing game and i honestly had such a fun time playing it. i wasn’t expecting to get as invested as i did, but i ended up loving my time exploring the rpd...
- character storytelling5
see reviews +-
- re2 is genuinely such an amazing game and i honestly had such a fun time playing it. i wasn’t expecting to get as invested as i did, but i ended up loving my time exploring the rpd...
- This is one of the greatest masterpieces in the gaming industry, a title you simply cannot miss. The atmosphere, the tension, the puzzles, and the dual-character storytelling all...
- Resident Evil 2 Remake is honestly one of the most impressive survival-horror experiences I’ve played. After completing the game with both Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, I...
Cons
- high enemy durability4
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- This was my first ever Resident Evil. Beat both Leon n Claire’s runs, n I feel I could navigate the RPD blindfolded at this point. The map design’s straight up chef’s kiss, puzzles...
- Honestly, I fu***** hate this game. The reason I say that is not only because a zombie takes 15 shots to the head and still doesn't die, but also because the game has a major ammo...
- This game was my introduction to the survival horror genre, so the first time I played it I found it really frustrating. I could not get used to how scarce the ammo was, the zombie...
- ammo scarcity4
see reviews +-
- Honestly, I fu***** hate this game. The reason I say that is not only because a zombie takes 15 shots to the head and still doesn't die, but also because the game has a major ammo...
- This game was my introduction to the survival horror genre, so the first time I played it I found it really frustrating. I could not get used to how scarce the ammo was, the zombie...
- (This Review Contains Spoilers ⚠️) September 30th, 1998... A day I'll never forget. So, RESIDENT EVIL 2, dangg!!!!! What a game it was! The origin story of legendary characters LEON...
Themes and quotes are drawn from 32 sampled reviews with text. Each score above uses its source's displayed count. Theme counts are how many of the sampled reviews mention each point.
Rated near Resident Evil 2
Closest scores in games, on the same source.