Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5 is Capcom's action horror game about Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar. The pair investigate an outbreak in Kijuju that threatens the population. The campaign is played from the over-the-shoulder perspective and can be completed alone with a computer-controlled partner or in two-player co-op.

The focus is on gunfights, a limited inventory, managing ammo and healing items, and coordinating both characters. Unlike an open survival sandbox, the locations follow a story told chapter by chapter.

Capcom released Resident Evil 5 in Europe on March 13, 2009 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The Windows version followed in September 2009. In March 2015 the company also brought Gold Edition content to PC and moved the Windows version to Steamworks.

Technically upgraded versions came out in June 2016 for PS4 and Xbox One. The German PlayStation Store lists June 27, while Microsoft gives June 28, 2016. The native Nintendo Switch version came out on Oct 29, 2019.

Resident Evil 5 was released natively for PS3, Xbox 360, Windows PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. The later PS4 and Xbox One versions offer 1080p resolution, a higher frame rate and bundled additional content.

The PS4 version can run on PS5 through backward compatibility, but this does not make it a native PS5 release. Microsoft lists Xbox Series X|S as compatible playback hardware for the Xbox One product. A separate native Xbox Series release is therefore not confirmed. Licence and store features should be checked for each platform.

Resident Evil 5 combines a chapter-based story with the teamwork between Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar. You control one of the characters from an over-the-shoulder perspective. Items and equipment are managed between stages.

Single players are supported by a computer-controlled partner. Alternatively, two people can play the campaign together. Separate time-based challenge modes also exist.

The Gold Edition adds Lost in Nightmares and Desperate Escape, two standalone story episodes, to the main campaign. It also includes additional costumes, characters and game modes. Capcom released this Gold content for PC in March 2015 as well, when the Windows version switched to Steamworks.

According to the platform stores, the later versions for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch include all previously released additional content. The No Mercy and The Mercenaries United modes are further permanent parts of these versions. Older editions have different package limits.

The version released for PlayStation 4 can be used on PS5 through backward compatibility. A suitable PS Plus subscription is required for online features on PlayStation. On Xbox, the corresponding multiplayer entitlement applies.

On Nintendo Switch, Nintendo lists 18.7 GB as the download size and at least one compatible controller per player for multiplayer games. The Windows version has its own requirements, which should not be derived from the console details. If you want to install the PC version, check the minimum technical specs directly on the current Steam listing.

The story can be played alone or together with a second person. On Xbox One, the campaign supports local and online two-player co-op. The separate Versus mode, by contrast, can include up to four people online.

On Nintendo Switch, the store lists one or two players on one console and, depending on the game mode, further connections locally via wireless or online. The "four players" figure therefore does not apply to the actual two-player campaign. For online play on PlayStation, the respective PS Plus requirements apply.

Alongside the campaign, Resident Evil 5 offers standalone challenges with scoring. The well-known Mercenaries mode is about achieving the best possible score within a time limit. Different characters and rules create alternative rounds.

The Mercenaries United combines content from the two earlier modes The Mercenaries and The Mercenaries Reunion. The also included No Mercy mode changes the intensity of the challenges. Both are part of the game content in the newer complete editions.

The original Windows version was tied to Games for Windows Live. On March 26, 2015, Capcom released a Steamworks version. It supports Steam matchmaking, achievements, leaderboards and cloud saves. At the same time, the Gold Edition content, previously available only on consoles, arrived for PC.

The switch, as documented by Capcom at the time, offered different ways to transfer an older PC license depending on how the game was bought. This is a historical change of platform services, not a new release for an additional native hardware family.

PlayStation and Xbox promote their updated versions with full 1080p HD output and a higher frame rate than the older console versions. The PS4 version can also be played on PlayStation 5, but there it runs as a compatible PS4 product.

Nintendo lists a download size of 18.7 GB for Switch, along with support for handheld, tabletop and TV modes. The store texts mention German on-screen text and other language versions. A download size listed for Switch is not a general storage figure for Windows, Xbox or PlayStation.

In Resident Evil 5, Chris Redfield works together with Sheva Alomar. The two travel to Africa to investigate an outbreak. The events are part of the ongoing story of Capcom's Resident Evil series, but can be played as a standalone campaign.

The game combines the investigation with changing locations and a fixed sequence of chapters. The two characters remain dependent on each other, whether the second character is controlled by the AI or by a co-op partner.