Resident Evil 2 Remake: A UK Guide to the Game

Resident Evil 2 Remake is Capcom’s reimagining of the original Resident Evil 2, which was released in January 1998. The remake arrived on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on January 25, 2019, before receiving PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S versions. Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield each have an individual campaign, and both use a third person perspective.

For UK readers comparing versions, the release date and platform help distinguish the remake from the original game. Capcom lists June 14, 2022 for the later console versions, while the UK PlayStation listing gives June 13, 2022 for its PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 Standard Edition release. Check the platform and edition alongside the date when identifying a listing.

The campaigns also lead to an additional option: completing a character’s story unlocks a 2nd Run featuring an alternate series of events. The separate bonus mode The 4th Survivor stars Umbrella agent HUNK. For wider franchise coverage, see Resident Evil.

Resident Evil 2 Remake reimagines the 1998 game with individual campaigns for Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, viewed from a third person perspective. Capcom identifies January 1998 as the original game’s release and January 25, 2019 as the remake’s release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Those dates provide a clear starting point when a listing uses the shared Resident Evil 2 name.

The remake also offers a 2nd Run after a player completes a character’s story. PlayStation Blog describes it as an alternate series of events, giving readers a way to distinguish that unlocked option from the initial character campaign. The 4th Survivor is a separate unlockable bonus mode, with Umbrella agent HUNK as its lead.

Capcom’s account of the remake’s production adds another distinction: its team spent 18 months working through trial and error before completing the first police station stage. The report also identifies RE Engine graphics and real time binaural audio as tools for creating fear. When comparing the two releases, use the year and platform first, then check the campaign or mode you want to play.

Capcom spent 18 months on trial and error before completing Resident Evil 2 Remake’s first police station stage. Its 2019 integrated report describes the team’s work on what to preserve and change while rebuilding the game. The production timeline gives UK readers a specific point of comparison with the original Resident Evil 2, which Capcom dates to January 1998.

The same report identifies RE Engine graphics and real time binaural audio as tools for creating fear. These details describe how Capcom approached the remake’s presentation, alongside the individual character campaigns and third person perspective described by PlayStation. Capcom also recorded Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 support in its January 2019 announcement.

The police station production account concerns the remake, so it is useful to keep its 2019 release separate from the original game when researching the setting. For a first playthrough, the character choice is a practical place to start: Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield each have an individual campaign, and completing a character’s story unlocks a 2nd Run with alternate events.

Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield each have an individual campaign in Resident Evil 2 Remake, and both use a third person perspective. You can begin with either character and follow that character’s story. The choice is the starting point for the campaigns described by PlayStation, rather than a choice between the remake and the 1998 original.

Completing a character’s story unlocks a 2nd Run featuring an alternate series of events. That gives the term a specific meaning when it appears in a guide or game description: it refers to an unlocked mode associated with finishing a character’s story. Players who want to encounter those alternate events for themselves can leave that option until after their initial campaign.

The 2nd Run is separate from The 4th Survivor, an unlockable bonus mode starring Umbrella agent HUNK. Its lead distinguishes it from the individual campaigns featuring Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. Choose the character whose story you want to begin with, then look for the 2nd Run once you have completed a character’s story.

Resident Evil 2 Remake is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. Capcom lists January 25, 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC release, followed by June 14, 2022 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S versions. These dates distinguish the remake’s initial platforms from its later console releases.

The UK PlayStation listing gives June 13, 2022 for its PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 Standard Edition release. That listing date sits alongside Capcom’s June 14 date for the later console versions, so a reader checking a UK listing should consider the edition and platform as well as the date shown. Both sources describe releases of the remake rather than the original game from January 1998.

PlayStation 4 owners can obtain the PlayStation 5 digital version at no extra cost. Owners of a PlayStation 4 disc must insert it whenever they download or play that digital version on a compatible PlayStation 5. Check your existing copy and console against those terms before choosing the upgrade.

PlayStation 4 owners can obtain the PlayStation 5 digital version of Resident Evil 2 Remake at no extra cost. If the PlayStation 4 copy is a disc, its owner must insert that disc whenever downloading or playing the digital version on a compatible PlayStation 5. The requirement makes the format of an existing copy relevant when considering the upgrade.

The UK PlayStation listing supplies those terms and gives June 13, 2022 as the date for its PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 Standard Edition release. Capcom separately lists June 14, 2022 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S versions. Read the date together with the platform and edition when checking which listing applies to your copy.

The remake was first released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on January 25, 2019. Its PlayStation 5 digital upgrade is therefore a later option for PlayStation 4 owners, with the disc condition applying where the existing copy is on disc. Before using it, check your copy’s format and whether your PlayStation 5 is compatible with that requirement.

Resident Evil 2 Remake reached three million worldwide shipments in its first week, according to Capcom’s January 29, 2019 announcement. The publisher also reported more than 4.7 million downloads of its 1-Shot Demo and recorded a Best of Show award at the Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 2018. The award predates the remake’s January 25, 2019 release, while the shipment figure covers its first week.

Capcom announced on July 14, 2022 that worldwide shipments had exceeded ten million. It attributed the growth partly to digital pricing and continued activity across the wider franchise. That explanation is Capcom’s account of the game’s commercial performance, and the announcement did not supply a separate UK total.

The two shipment milestones are dated worldwide figures, so they do not establish how many copies reached UK players. For a UK reader choosing a version, the platform and edition are more directly useful: Capcom lists the initial PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC release in 2019 and the later PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S releases in 2022.

Resident Evil 2 Remake has an unlockable 2nd Run and a separate bonus mode called The 4th Survivor. The 2nd Run becomes available after a player completes a character’s story and features an alternate series of events. That makes completing an initial story the relevant step for a player looking for the 2nd Run.

The 4th Survivor is an unlockable bonus mode starring Umbrella agent HUNK. Its playable lead distinguishes it from the individual campaigns featuring Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. PlayStation Blog identifies the mode and its lead, while the information supplied here does not specify the steps needed to unlock it.

Both terms can appear alongside discussion of the remake’s campaigns, but they describe different options. The 2nd Run is tied to an alternate series of events after completing a character’s story, while The 4th Survivor is the bonus mode starring HUNK. Start with the Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield campaign that interests you, then look for the 2nd Run after completing a character’s story.