Ranking The 7 Best Ways To Play The Original Resident Evil Game

2026 marks the 30th Anniversary of Resident Evil, and the franchise is full steam ahead. The biggest gaming horror franchise of all time kick-started the survival horror subgenre with phenomenal execution back in 1996. It's no surprise Capcom is celebrating the occasion with new 30th Anniversary artwork, the release of Resident Evil: Requiem, and the new Resident Evil movie from Zach Cregger. With so much going on, there's never been a better time to get started with the game that kicked off the franchise. While you can play the original Resident Evil in many ways today, some are definitely better than others, whether in quality, accessibility, or both. Some versions are quite pricey, while others are available on digital storefronts right now. All seven versions will be ranked from worst to best, starting with the OG. Resident Evil's Original Release Doesn't Hold Up A Rough First Go To be frank, the original 1996 release of Resident Evil is more useful as a collector's item than a playable experience. Every other version is better to play. The original release is bare bones, featuring only the base campaign and a single bonus costume per character. Not to mention, the original US release was made unnecessarily harder, apparently to force people to buy the game instead of finishing it in a rental. A complete in-box copy of the original Long Box release costs over $200 according to PriceCharting, up from $150 earlier this year. These changes include removing the auto-aim, a terrible decision that makes the second Yawn fight a frustrating affair. The missing auto-aim really kills this version, making the game unnecessarily harder than it needs to be. Fighting the deadly hunters also proves to be a frustrating time when you need to manually aim. There's still a great game in there, obviously, but after better, later releases, there isn't much of a reason to return to it. That being said, while the original release is a bad version, it's a cool collector's item for fans of the series. Director's Cut Dual Shock Version Has One Big Issue And The Trumpets They Go Very close to being the worst version, but not quite, is the PS1 Director's Cut Dual Shock Version. This edition of the title has nearly all the content of the standard Director's Cut, which is great, meaning it includes Beginner and Advanced modes. However, what makes this version notorious is the brand-new soundtrack. Composed by controversial musician Mamoru Samuragochi (actually Takashi Niigaki, who was his ghostwriter), this new soundtrack is a complete disaster. It sucks all the atmosphere from the game, and while there are some good tracks, most of them are terrible, including the infamous Mansion Basement theme. You can't switch over to the original soundtrack, either. What makes this version worse is that this was the port available on the PS3 digital store in the US, not the original Director's Cut. Thankfully, the recent PS5 release remedied this issue. While the original release is worse, this is the version you most need to stay away from, and it's all too easy to accidentally pick it up instead of a far superior alternate Director's Cut release. Resident Evil's Saturn Version Is Solid The Introduction Of Battle Game Thankfully, from this point forward, all of these versions are great ways to play Resident Evil 1. The weakest of the good, however, would be the Saturn port. It's an all-around solid version of the game with some nice additions. When playing as Chris, there's a great surprise near the end with one of the bosses, and the real big juicy addition: Battle Game. Going through numerous rooms, tasked with killing every enemy in sight, it's a pretty fun mode that ends with an exclusive boss for the Saturn port: the Golden Tyrant. These additions are phenomenal, but the Saturn port is lacking in the technical aspects. The load times are pretty long compared to the PS1 version. There's also no auto-aim like the original release, which is another big negative. Another drawback of the Saturn port is its price. According to PriceCharting, this game will cost you $372 for a complete copy, which is not worth it. I would say try to get it cheap, but let's face it, that probably won't happen. For most people, this version is a skip. Resident Evil's Windows Port Nails The Basics A Great PC Version Despite the nearly 30-year age of Resident Evil, there are a few releases of it you can still buy today on digital storefronts. One of them is the PC version. Available on GOG, this is another solid port of the original title. The PC port is the only American release to be completely uncensored, with a full-color intro, plus the only release to feature brand-new weapons. You can skip door loading animations, which is awesome, plus the graphics look the best by far out of all the RE1 Classic versions. It's a great version to play and very accessible now due to it being on GOG with full controller support, but it's not feature-rich. There's still only the base campaign with no Beginner, Advanced, or Battle Game, which is a bit of a disappointment. This ultimately makes two specific ports edge out the PC version in terms of quality. Director's Cut The Director's Cut You Want Make sure you get the original Director's Cut, not the Director's Cut Dual Shock Version on PS1. Unlike the version with the bad soundtrack, the original PlayStation release of this version lacks analog stick support, but the sacrifice is worth it. Resident Evil's tank controls feel perfectly fine on a D-pad, and the original music stays intact on this release. If you want a true, original experience that includes improvements without making major changes, this is the version to go with. Director's Cut added a few new costumes along with Beginner and Advanced modes. Advanced, in particular, is a fantastic new way to play RE1, offering an entirely remixed campaign with new item placement and enemy spawns, new jump scares, and new backgrounds. Enemies are much tougher to take down, making it one of the hardest Resident Evil games. The Resident Evil Director's Cut is one of the best ways to play RE1, and the cherry on top is that it's free on PS Plus as a PS1 Classic game. Alternatively, you can buy it for $10 on the PS Store, as well. Unlike on PS3, the PS5 digital version of RE1 Classic is the base Director's Cut, but Capcom actually made it even better. The base Director's Cut didn't have analog controller support, but this new PS5 version does, which is awesome. Deadly Silence The DS Port Is King Some ports of RE1 Classic excel in great new additions and adjustments, while others add fantastic new content. Resident Evil: Deadly Silence on the DS has the best of both worlds. So many quality-of-life improvements are added here. The knife is always mapped to the L button instead of being in the inventory. Door-loading animations (along with every cutscene) can be skipped, you can do a 180-degree quick turn, and manual reloads make ammo management easier. All of this makes Deadly Silence the version of RE1 Classic that holds up the best today. Plus, like Advanced mode in Director's Cut, you have Rebirth mode in Deadly Silence. Once again, Rebirth mode remixes enemy and item locations, but most importantly, adds a ton of new DS-specific content related to the touch screen. There are tons of new DS-specific puzzles, and I loved all of them, minus the valve one in the Guardhouse Basement. Rebirth mode is a total blast, and it can give even RE veterans some jump scares along the way. The small screen of a DS might not provide as much immersion as playing it on a console or PC, but if you turn off the lights and play under the covers, it should do just fine. Resident Evil: Deadly Silence is one of my favorite games on the DS, but it is a bit pricey. A complete in-box copy will cost you $182 according to PriceCharting, but saving up money for this incredible port is well worth it. GameCube Remake A Survival Horror Masterpiece The best way to play Resident Evil 1 has to be its 2002 GameCube remake. Still one of the best video game remakes of all time, the Resident Evil remake not only improves the visuals and atmosphere to new heights but also elevates the core survival gameplay. The amount of gameplay features and depth added, making you plan the best route, is perfected here. Even if you start with the PS1 version, playing the GameCube remake eventually is a must. It's the best game to play first for series beginners, but which version of the remake should you play? The original GameCube version is a great choice, but I would pick the PC version. In this case, no features are lost from the original, and it introduces some new outfits, control and display options, and a higher framerate. You can also mod it, which is important to get the most out of this version. Leaks have suggested that another remake of the original Resident Evil is currently in development, but it's expected to stray further from the original design with the introduction of an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective in the style of the other modern remakes. Capcom didn't do a great job remastering the pre-rendered backgrounds, which lack detail, unlike the original game when played on a CRT TV. You can mod RE1 Remake, however, with the REupscale or Rescale mods, and those do a much better job updating the pre-rendered backgrounds to HD. It's also worth noting that this port features a widescreen mode that zooms in on the original backgrounds, but if you want to maintain the original game's field-of-view, you'll be better off sticking to the 4:3 aspect ratio. Either way, it looks far better than the current PS4 and Xbox One ports, making the PC version the best way to play Resident Evil today. Released April 30, 2002 ESRB Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Violence Developer(s) Capcom Production Studio 4 Publisher(s) Capcom Engine MT Framework Franchise Resident Evil Number of Players 1