Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4 Remakes Heading to Switch 2 Earlier Than Planned

Kōshi Nakanishi, director of Resident Evil Requiem, talked about the new hardware and what it might mean for the future of the Resident Evil series on Nintendo systems in a new Creator's Voice video from Nintendo and Capcom.

Since Resident Evil Requiem just came out this week, a lot of attention was already on it. What was most important about the conversation, though, wasn't just the game itself, but how well it works on the Nintendo Switch 2.

According to Nakanishi, the development team wasn't sure at first if the full RE Engine experience would work well on Nintendo's new system.

It didn't last long, that doubt. He said that the team had to "triple-take" when they saw the game running. Their doubts were raised when they saw how well it looked and how smoothly it ran on the device they were holding. Once they knew for sure, the team chose to move forward without making any changes, so the whole game stayed the same.

The important part? This isn't a smaller or custom-built version of the engine. The full RE Engine is running directly on the new hardware, unlike Capcom's approach in Monster Hunter Rise, where changes had to be made.

Just that sentence alone shows a big jump in technology.

According to reports, Resident Evil Requiem can run smoothly at almost 60 frames per second with only minor drops. This means that the Switch 2 should be able to handle current horror games with demanding graphics without any major issues.

The performance of other games in the series is even more telling. It is said that both Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil Village run very smoothly on the machine. From what I've seen so far, Resident Evil 7 runs perfectly, while Village mostly stays at 60 frames per second with only a few drops during intense scenes.

For Nintendo fans, this is a change from cloud-based services or ports with fewer features. Players no longer have to rely on streaming or PC handheld options. Instead, they are getting full-fledged Resident Evil games on their portable devices. That says a lot about how trustworthy the system is as a real third-party tool.

A lot of the talk about Switch 2 has focused on finding the right balance between price, power, battery life, heat, and portability.

Putting cutting-edge hardware into a handheld device isn't just about numbers; it's also about how well the hardware works and how smart the tech is. It looks like Switch 2 has found that mix. Since docked and handheld play work smoothly, just like the last version, and the hardware is now much stronger, it's clear that developers are paying attention.

Japanese studios are especially eager to back the system, and the fact that early sales have been so strong there only makes that more likely. This opens up a chance for Capcom. If the newest and most technically difficult Resident Evil games can run without any problems, then it should be even easier to bring over older remakes.

A recent report said Capcom might remake Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3, and Resident Evil 4, and release them on Switch 2 in the next few years. But because the RE Engine is already running so well on the machine, that time frame could be cut down.

Capcom was able to bring Requiem, Resident Evil 7, and Village to the machine with few problems, so there isn't much technical reason to wait to port the remakes.

In fact, it would be smart to put them out sooner rather than later, especially since more remakes are reportedly in the works. There are still rumors going around that Resident Evil Zero and Resident Evil Code: Veronica will be remade. If those projects really are coming out in the next couple of years, Capcom would probably want the old remakes to be out on Switch 2 first to keep things moving.

That plan might not work if we wait until 2027 or later.

A lot has been going well for the Resident Evil series in the last few years. Capcom has carefully timed releases to keep the brand in the spotlight, with both well-reviewed remakes and strong mainstream games.

Getting the remakes of Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4 out to Switch 2 earlier, maybe through a Nintendo Direct announcement later this year, would build on that enthusiasm. A fall show followed by a launch in late 2026 or early 2027 makes a lot of sense.

Resident Evil 4 is still the best game in the series for many players. Many people played the remake of it on systems like the PlayStation 5, and it could be brought back to life as a quality portable experience. With the Switch 2's improved AI upscaling and graphics power, it looks like it can deliver that experience without major concessions. Capcom's latest comments have changed what people thought would happen. It now seems inevitable what seemed like a lofty goal at first.