Resident Evil 9, officially titledResident Evil Requiem, was revealed at the end of the Summer Game Fest event, after being teased at several points throughout the show. Not a ton ofResident Evil Requieminformationhas been confirmed, but we do know a few things, the biggest one probably being that new character Grace Ashcroft will be the lead. She is the daughter of reporter Alyssa Ashcroft, who was one of the many playable characters inResident Evil Outbreak, and who was also referenced briefly in a document inResident Evil 7.
SinceRequiem’s reveal and its ties toOutbreakwere made public, interest in the twoOutbreakgames has grown. Fan servers for the game’s sequel,File #2even hit an all-time high concurrent player count right afterRequiem’s reveal. Both theOutbreakgames were intended to be played online with friends and not as single-player experiences, but there seems to be somerenewed interest inOutbreak, soit might be the perfect time to go back and play the underratedREclassic.
Now Is The Perfect Time To Play The Outbreak Games
Even If Getting Them Up And Running Is A Pain
Despite being designed for online play,Outbreakreleased on the PlayStation 2, making ita game way ahead of its time when it released in 2004. At the time, high-speed internet was a luxury most people did not have, and the PS2 required a network adapter and a good, high-speed connection to play the game the way it was originally intended. The servers for the game were shut down in 2007, but fan servers still exist to play the game via emulator on PC. Even in single-player, however,Outbreakdeserves a second chancefrom fans.
If players choose to try theOutbreakgames for the first time (or revisit them), theyshould be prepared for an unforgiving experience, especially offline.Outbreakis often considered one of themost difficult games in the seriesthanks to its reliance on teamwork (which is forced upon AI in single-player), the virus gauge that sets a time-limit on characters' lives, the general lack of guidance and hand-holding, and the emphasis on survival horror elements instead of all-out action.
Fans can set up an old PS2 or a backwards-compatible PS3 and play the games offline without issues. If you want to play the game as it was originally intended, online with friends, you’ll have to resortto jumping through a lot of hoops. You must own the Japanese version of the game, have a functional emulator downloaded, dump the bios of the game onto your PC for the emulator, and follow several other steps. It’s a long process, detailed onObsrv, but the fact that over 1000 people were playing concurrently afterRequiem’s announcement should prove there is interest in the spin-off series.
Or Even Another Eventual Remake
With bothOutbreakgames being virtually imprisoned on the PS2,the games are not readily available for most fans. In 2025, most players have access to a consistent internet connection, so a re-release, HD remaster, or even an eventual remake would probably be welcomed by most fans. Even with the potential remake burnout that an era dominated by remasters and remakes can generate, theOutbreaktitles are worth remastering and celebrating.
The originalResident Evil 2and3are coming to the PlayStation Classics Catalog this summer, so more fans can enjoy some of the classic experiences, in addition to the remakes. It’snot impossible for theOutbreakgames to be ported to modern consolesand make them the experiences that they were meant to be 20 years ago. Capcom has dabbled with multiplayer for its anniversary milestones recently, but bothUmbrella CorpsandRE:Versewere disappointingand panned by critics and fans.
With the 30th anniversary ofREnext year, and the acknowledgment ofOutbreaklore and characters inResident Evil Requiem, Capcom might be taking the fan demand for a remaster or port of theOutbreaktitles more seriously. It’s hard to think of a better way to celebrate 30 years ofREthan a modern way to playOutbreakand the release of the next mainline installment. Even with the negative reception to the multiplayer-focused titles of previous anniversaries, fans could be ready to experience these gamesthe way they were originally intended if somethingOutbreak-related materializes in 2026.
