Resident Evil 4 Remake: Release Date, Trailers, Gameplay, And More

The Resident Evil 4 Remake has long been rumoured after the release of the remakes for both the second and third game's in the franchise, and now we finally have official confirmation of the title along with a release date.

Resident Evil 4 has long been considered one of the best games of all time, but it also marked a departure for the RE series that led it down a more action-oriented path. While RE4 managed to ride that line of over-the-top action and survival horror well, subsequent titles lacked the necessary scares until the franchise's reboot with Resident Evil 7 in 2017. Since then, the Resident Evil franchise has received a new lease of life with consistently high quality titles, so if you're hoping the RE4 Remake will continue that trend, here's all we know about it so far. 

Resident Evil 4 Remake Release Date

After Resident Evil 4 Remake was officially unveiled at the PlayStation State of Play for June, we also got a release date of March 24, 2023. Ever since we first got rumours of the RE4 Remake, it was assumed that it would debut in 2023 at the earliest, and with a solid nine months to go until release it seems that the progress has been going steady. This release date also fits in with the Resident Evil franchise in general, as its recent releases have been dropped in the first quarter of the year too.

Resident Evil 4 Remake Trailers

With only three months left to go until launch, we've got some good glimpses at the game. First there was the reveal trailer, which gave us the release date and showed off a lot of different aspects that fans will recognise. 

For fans of the original title, much of what we saw should be quite familiar as we got glimpses at characters like Ashley, Ada, Saddler, Luis, and even Bitores. It seems to present a more horror-focused tone than previously, looking much darker and scarier overall, but considering it seems that the locations and many characters are the same, we could still see some of the iconic camp that was present in the original. 

The second trailer released during a special Capcom showcase toward the end of 2022, and gave us an extended viewing of the gameplay. Like the previous trailer, the game has a much darker tone from the get-go, leaning into the horror much more as events at the start of the original are remixed slightly. 

We also got to see the legendary village fight, and it illuminated a lot about the game's combat. Firstly, as expected, when aiming you can now move around due to the removal of tank controls, so the importance of positioning from the original may be dialled back slightly. To account for this though, the pace seems much quicker and it's a lot easier to get grabbed if you aren't careful.

Another key highlight of the trailer was Leon performing the roundhouse kick on a stunned enemy, which was an important method of crowd control in the original. We don't know if the suplex will also return, but it's a good sign that combat will retain the action-oriented feel. 

One of the other important parts of the trailer was environmental interaction. Of course, closing doors and barring them is back so you can hold up and defend a house, but at one point Leon shoots a lantern above a cow, setting it on fire and causing it to run into a crowd of Ganados, killing them. He even makes a sarcastic comment, telling the Ganados to "bill him for the repairs later", which suggests Leon will retain his somewhat nonchalant attitude. 

Resident Evil 4 Remake Gameplay

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The first trailer does state that it's a mix of real gameplay and in-game cinematics, but that some of the camera angles have been adjusted for the showcase. This made it hard to say exactly how it will play, but the gameplay trailer later showed it to be similar to what everyone expected, blending elementings of the RE2 Remake gameplay with the original RE4.

RE4 was notably more action heavy than its previous instalments, pioneering the over-the-shoulder camera view for shooting gameplay, and creating tension from the combat scenarios where positioning was key. This was because the game featured tank controls, and Leon could not move while aiming. Although this was key to the design of the original RE4, this has been confirmed to be changed.

The Resident Evil website contains a snippet of info that alludes to how they may have changed up parts of the game, stating, "Resident Evil 4 preserves the essence of the original game, while introducing modernised gameplay, a reimagined storyline, and vividly detailed graphics to make this the latest survival horror game where life and death, terror and catharsis intersect."

Resident Evil 4 Remake Platforms

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Resident Evil 4 Remake was initially announced as a next-gen title, releasing on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and select PC storefronts, but later on the devs confirmed it will also release for the PlayStation 4. The trailer also revealed that it will feature PSVR2 support in the future, though this will likely come in an update after launch, much like Resident Evil Village.