Resident Evil 4

Story and setting

Six years after the Raccoon City disaster, Leon S. Kennedy works directly for the US president. He is sent to a remote village in the European countryside to find Ashley Graham, the president’s kidnapped daughter, but the rescue operation quickly becomes a fight for survival against hostile villagers and the parasite known as Las Plagas. The campaign moves from the village into a castle and other dangerous locations, while Leon’s search exposes a cult and a much wider bioweapon threat.

The remake keeps the broad structure and key characters of the original while giving Leon, Ashley and their relationships more room to develop. The story has been rewritten rather than simply remastered, with new scenes, altered encounters and a darker tone intended to sit more comfortably alongside the modern Resident Evil remakes.

How it plays

Resident Evil 4 uses an over-the-shoulder, third-person perspective. Leon combines firearms, close-quarters attacks and stealth as he deals with crowds of infected villagers, larger mutated enemies and familiar threats such as chainsaw-wielding Ganados. The remake adds a knife-parry system, crouching and stealth takedowns, while retaining the series’ emphasis on limited resources, ammunition management, weapon upgrades and environmental puzzles.

The Merchant returns, allowing Leon to buy, sell and improve equipment. The Gold Edition also contains The Mercenaries, a score-attack mode in which you defeat as many enemies as possible within a time limit. It is an extra single-player mode rather than online multiplayer.

Separate Ways is included as part of the package. It follows Ada Wong on a parallel mission connected to Leon’s rescue operation, filling in events from her perspective. Ada uses the same broad combat systems as Leon but also has a grappling gun for reaching locations, attacking enemies and performing ranged melee moves.

Switch 2 edition and contents

The Switch 2 release is officially Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition. It includes the main campaign, Separate Ways and The Mercenaries, along with the Extra DLC Pack: Casual and Romantic outfits for Leon and Ashley, Hero and Villain costumes and filters for Leon, the Sporty sunglasses accessory, the Sentinel Nine and Skull Shaker weapons, the Original Ver. soundtrack swap, the Expansion Treasure Map, two attaché cases and two charms.

Nintendo lists handheld, tabletop and TV play, HDR support on compatible displays, surround sound and a 26.9GB download size. The announced version is for Nintendo Switch 2 only; no version for the original Nintendo Switch has been confirmed.

Trailers and showcases

Capcom’s 2 June 2022 announcement established the remake’s basic premise, its March 2023 launch on other platforms and its use of the RE Engine. The Resident Evil Showcase on 20 October 2022 then showed five minutes of gameplay, including the modernised combat, the knife parry, the deeper story approach and the return of the Merchant.

The 23 February 2023 State of Play trailer focused on action from later sections, including Leon and Ashley under artillery fire, the Krauser confrontation, Gigantes, minecart combat and chainsaw enemies. It also confirmed The Mercenaries and announced a playable demo. The 14 September 2023 State of Play trailer introduced Separate Ways in more detail, showing Ada’s parallel campaign, her grappling gun and the addition of Ada and Albert Wesker to The Mercenaries.

The 9 September 2026 Nintendo Direct confirmed the Switch 2 release, Gold Edition contents, the 16 October digital date and the limited-time pre-order discount. The accompanying announcement material did not provide a Switch 2 resolution or frame-rate target.

UK price and what remains unconfirmed

The UK digital RRP is listed as £44.99, with the Nintendo eShop pre-order price currently shown as £35.99. Nintendo’s wider announcement says the early-adopter discount runs until 7 November 2026. Digital pre-orders are available through the UK Nintendo eShop. A boxed European release is scheduled for 29 January 2027, but Capcom and Nintendo have not yet confirmed the UK physical price, the retailers carrying it or whether the physical product uses a full cartridge or a game-key card.

There is no announced Game Pass or PS Plus version relevant to the Switch 2 release. The game is designed as a single-player experience, and neither Nintendo nor Capcom has announced online co-op, competitive multiplayer or any Switch 2-exclusive campaign content.