There are three, yes, three Resident Evil remakes coming to Switch 2 this week, all in time for you to have some fantastic handheld zombie survival horror fun in the scariest month of the year. If you’ve never played these fantastic remakes of the classic three games, then now is an amazing opportunity, as they all have steep discounts for preorders on the Nintendo E-Shop. You’re in the right place for the Resident Evil 2 Deluxe Edition on Switch 2, but if you’re after Resident Evil 3, or Resident Evil 4 Gold Edition, click the links.

So, what’s left to say about a game that was considered a masterclass in remakes, and received a 91 average on Metacritic when it released back in January 2019? Truthfully, not a lot. So, I’m going to keep this review succinctly to what’s of note with the Switch 2 version, anything that’s changed, added, or removed, and issues or improvements exclusive to Nintendo’s system.

Spoiler Alert: This is the one where rookie cop Leon Kennedy’s first day on the job at Raccoon City police department coincides with the day of a zombie outbreak. It also stars student Claire Redfield on the search for her missing brother Chris, entering the city at the same time. Claire and Leon’s paths cross, and gameplay routes converge on the same locations multiple times from different perspectives (particularly the iconic and infested Raccoon Police Precinct), and it also features the infamous Mr X. In the remake, he can literally smash through virtually any wall that’s not a safe room, and chase you down as you try to solve puzzles with intricate keys, in the classic Resident Evil format.

The original is considered a classic of the survival horror genre, and rightly so. The remake is considered one of the best remakes even now, 7 years later. So how does it play running natively on Switch 2?

Of course, graphically this was a stunner when it released, showing us Raccoon City as we’d never seen it before. However, a little of the sheen has worn off in 7 years, and it’s not been upgraded much to sit alongside its two concurrently releasing remakes. Resident Evil 3 was a fairly big jump up in graphical quality, and of course Resident Evil 4 was even more so 3 years later.

All that aside, it’s still incredible to see something so graphically demanding running straight off a handheld system. The game is gorgeous throughout and barely ever suffers any slowdown or dulling of its graphics. The only times I noticed anything on the screen itself was looking directly at a strangely dulled beard or haircut, where perhaps the screen quality just couldn’t handle it, no matter what settings I changed. It really doesn’t detract from the game, but we’re here with the game running on a Switch 2, so yeah, we are nitpicking now. Docked, the game is flawless throughout, and indistinguishable from the full console releases on PS5 or Xbox Series X.

The best thing about playing horror games on your Switch 2 though, is taking the handheld console up to your room, away from your family or housemates, turning off all the lights and scaring yourself half to death. At least with a handheld you can already be under the covers, and not in your less scary living room. I really enjoyed getting back into Resident Evil 2, and whether I explored the Police Station or the sprawling sewer systems or found myself in the NEST facing down lickers, it was a joy to do it on a handheld. I’m not sure I can articulate why any further than what I described above. Something nostalgic about small screens, something that gives a more visceral experience. I’m not embarrassed to say I yelped more than once playing like this. I always have at least a few moments in any Resident Evil where I literally yelp out loud.

Graphical fidelity aside, I wasn’t quite as sold on the controls of the Switch 2 for games with lots of aiming like this. Joy-Con 2s are fine; it’s not like they are broken at all, but aiming quickly with that teeny little joystick and trying to get a fast headshot takes practice, and it’s just not as ergonomically comfortable as it is playing on either an Xbox or PlayStation. I have an awkwardly bent right thumb on any Switch 2 game that requires aim or camera control, and that awkwardly bent thumb can eventually start to ache. Good job it’s a handheld and can be easily paused, or encourages taking breaks. Stick the Joy-Con 2 in the gamepad, and this problem is largely alleviated, but then I’m no longer handheld.

Note – With this new Switch 2 Deluxe Edition of the game, you get 3x Leon costumes, 4x Claire costumes, 3x deluxe pistols. That’s a fair amount for £34.99.

The remake of Resident Evil 2 is a magnificent return to Raccoon City and its genre-defining zombie outbreak, and it’s lost none of its impact over the last 7 years. Though a teeny bit of graphical spit and polish might have been welcome to bring it up to bar with 3 and 4, it’s hardly necessary when it looks this good.

Undoubtedly the best way to play Resident Evil 2 on Switch 2 is via this Deluxe Edition with all the trimmings. If the Switch 2 and scary handheld gaming sessions are your idea of a good time, you won’t go far wrong. However, we preferred gamepad and dock to the handheld for the ergonomic ease and more fidelity on the big screen, so that we could appreciate Raccoon City in all its glory.

Resident Evil 2 Deluxe Edition is out on 16 October 2026 only on Nintendo Switch 2.

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom

Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.

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