Top 20 Resident Evil Easter Eggs

“Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways” (2005)

Those of us who played Resident Evil 4, will remember how Leon arrived in this rural Spanish town wearing a brown jacket, the same jacket that is used in all of the game’s promotional material. However at the end of the first chapter, Leon is captured and knocked unconscious, and when he awakes; his jacket is nowhere to be found, and isn’t seen for the rest of the game. Unless you played Ada’s “Separate Ways” campaign. In this campaign when Ada visit’s the village a second time, she can come across a villager guarding the metal gate, who is wearing Leon’s jacket. Thanks for not getting it back Ada, it’s a sweet jacket.

“Resident Evil 2” (remake) (2019)

The “Resident Evil” series loves calling back to prior games, and the “Resident Evil 2” remake is no different. After opening the shutters and escaping the police station parking garage with Ada, you’ll find that the road has been destroyed near a very bright gun store. Across from this gun store and directly beside the broken road is a restaurant called Mikhail’s Perogies. This is likely a reference to Mikhail Viktor, the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service agent who accompanies Carlos and Nikolai throughout the events of “Resident Evil 3.” Did he have time to open a pierogi shop in between battling biohazards?

“Resident Evil 3: Nemesis” (original) (1999)

One of the weirdest yet funniest “Resident Evil” Easter eggs can be found in the OG “Resident Evil 3.” While getting the Future Compass, you can read a plaque with words that look like Latin. However, this is not Latin - it’s an English sentence written backwards. If you read the words back to front, the plaque states “Civilians must remove dog excrement.” It’s nice to see Raccoon City so dedicated to clean streets and civilian upkeep. But did they have to word it in such a bizarre manner? And why on a plaque? Wouldn’t a simple sign suffice?

“Resident Evil” (remake) (2002)

The Hunter is an old school “Resident Evil” enemy whose only main series appearance was in the original and the 2002 remake. These were BOWs created by Umbrella that appeared as giant humanoid reptiles. And, like many reptiles, they are green and scaly. However, a red version could supposedly be found in the 2002 remake. According to Resident Evil Wiki, they typically appear when another Hunter is already in the room, although one can be found in the tea room after obtaining the Helmet Key. If you enter the tea room from the piano bar or the kitchen, a red hunter will burst out of the tiger statue door. Some fans have speculated this may be a reference to the Sweepers in Code Veronica, but who knows?

“Resident Evil 2” (original) (1998)

The Easter eggs aren’t all dog poop and references to past games. Some of them pay homage to the horror masters. And two of those masters are Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick. In the Hallway section of “Resident Evil 2,” you can see a boarded-up window with the word “Redrum” spray painted on the wood. This is an obvious reference to “The Shining.” For those who don’t remember (or haven’t seen the film, in which case, how dare you), Danny writes “redrum” on a door. When Wendy looks into a mirror, she realizes that “redrum” is “murder” in reverse. We’re glad the Raccoon City police had time to spray paint it on the windows. But why?

“Resident Evil 2” (remake) (2019)

“Dead Rising” and “Resident Evil” share a lot in common. They’re both made by Capcom, they both involve zombies, and...well, that’s about it. But hey, those two are pretty strong links! And it seems like Capcom referenced their iconic shopping mall zombie game in the “Resident Evil 2” remake. In one of the storefront windows is a poster reading “Frank East, freelance photographer for hire.” This is an obvious reference to Frank West, the freelance photographer protagonist of “Dead Rising.” He’s covered wars, ya know. And zombie outbreaks.

“Resident Evil 3” (remake) (2020)

It didn’t take long for fans to discover Easter eggs in the “Resident Evil 3” demo. And one of these Easter eggs could be a potshot at “Resident Evil 6.” A streamer named AestheticGamer spotted an in-game poster for a fictional movie called “Disaster.” They thought the poster shared a lot in common with a specific poster for “Resident Evil 6,” including the lighting and color scheme, the pose of the protagonist, and the shadowed left hand in the foreground. Is this Capcom’s way of admitting that “Resident Evil 6” was a disaster? It could be a stretch (as some of the Twitter comments seem to suggest), but you can’t deny that there are a lot of connections between the two.

“Resident Evil 2” (remake) (2019)

The original “Resident Evil 2” contained an Easter egg involving a zombified Brad Vickers. If you made your way to the police station without picking up any items or weapons, you would find the zombified Brad wandering the underground tunnel. Unfortunately, the remake does not contain Zombie Brad, though it is revealed why in the RE3 Remake. In its place is an RPD poster advertising an upcoming job fair and hiring seminar. On said poster is Brad Vickers in his happier and more human days, complete with his signature yellow body armor. It’s nice to see old friends again, even if it’s just in poster form.

“Resident Evil 3: Nemesis” (original) (1999)

If there’s one thing we learned from this list, it’s that Capcom really loves putting Easter eggs on miscellaneous posters. A “Dino Crisis” poster can be spotted in the hospital lobby in “Resident Evil 3.” “Dino Crisis” is a famous video game that was developed by Capcom and released on July 1, 1999 - just two months prior to the release of “Resident Evil 3.” The games themselves share a lot in common, including a female protagonist, a similar control and camera scheme, the ability to mix chemicals to craft ammunition, and an unstoppable monster that relentlessly pursues the player. They’re basically one and the same!

“Resident Evil 2” (N64 Version) (1999)

The Hunter R is similar to the parent Hunter, and like the parent Hunter, its appearances are relatively scarce. In fact, the Hunter R has only appeared in two games - “Outbreak” and “Outbreak File #2.” However, it can also be spotted in the Nintendo 64 port of “Resident Evil 2,” albeit in a limited capacity. The corpse of a Hunter R can be found laying in a pool of its own blood in the BF4 culture room. This was not only a callback to the original “Resident Evil,” but also a tantalizing glimpse into the future of the series. Too bad the Hunter isn’t red. That would have been really cool!

“Resident Evil” (remake) (2002)

Getting through a survival horror game is tough enough. Getting through it with every enemy being invisible sounds like an impossible task. If you do manage to get through the 2002 Resident Evil Remake on the infamous Invisible Enemy Mode, you’re effort and skill don’t go unnoticed. There’s a rewarding message at the completion screen left by the master and director himself, Shinji Mikami. He commends you on your performance, and thanks you for putting the time and effort into the game. Go on, pat yourself on the back. You deserve it.

“Resident Evil 7” (2017)

Remember Alyssa Ashcroft? No? Well, then you missed out on some great Resident Evil games. The Outbreak series is criminally underrated, and we’re still hoping we’ll get remastered version sometime in the future. One of the featured playable characters was a reporter by the name of Alyssa Ashcroft, and it looks like she’s survived the Raccoon City outbreak. In Resident Evil 7, you can find a newspaper that has a headline referencing the events currently transpiring in the Baker family home, and the story is written by journalist Alyssa Ashcroft herself.

“Resident Evil 6” (2012)

There’s nothing quite like seeing video games within other video games, and Capcom seem to have perfect the art of self-references. In The Mercenaries game mode in Resident Evil 6, there’s a Capcom arcade in the Urban Chaos map, and it features a ton of Capcom’s retro games. On show are titles such as SonSon, and Star Gladiator. While you can’t play any of these titles, unfortunately, it is still a cool insight into their library from back in the day. Also, Ghosts ‘n Goblins is hard enough without zombies interrupting you.

“Resident Evil 7: Biohazard” (2017)

Before Resident Evil 7 was released, players had a lengthy demo that hinted at the mystery that would unfold in the main game. Fans were divided due to the first-person perspective and seemingly more supernatural elements. Well, when a freaking ghost flashes before your eyes in a dark plantation, who could argue with them? While the main game remained faithful to the mythos established in the Resident Evil universe, the ghosts in the demo were thrown in there just to scare the bejesus out of us.

“Resident Evil 6” (2012)

Despite some good set pieces and action sequences, Resident Evil 6 failed to deliver on the suspense, mystery and survival horror fans had come to love from the earlier entries, and some say this playground scene was the nail in the coffin. Thankfully, Resident Evil 7 managed to turn the series back around, and we can appreciate the playground in a different light. Seeing macho-man Chris Redfield go down a slide with a face of extreme intensity is sure to get a chuckle out of you, whether it’s genuine, or out of embarrassment for the game.

“Resident Evil” (Sega Saturn Version) (1996)

Unfortunately, the zombified Wesker can only be found in the Sega Saturn port of the first game, in a mode unique to the platform. Wesker, the recurring antagonist who rarely takes off his sunglasses, gets a taste of his own medicine here. The Battle Game mode features an array of different locations from the game, and you’re tasked with eliminating all the monsters to progress to the next stage. One stage has you facing off against an infected Wesker, and he’s hell of a lot stronger than regular enemies. Better whip out the big guns for your former STARS captain.

“Resident Evil 2” (Original & Remake) (1998/2019)

It really amazes us how people are able to discover some of this stuff. In “Resident Evil 2,” you can find a hidden picture of Rebecca Chambers from the first game in Wesker’s desk. You don’t find it by inspecting the desk and opening the drawer like a reasonable person. No, you have to examine it fifty times before it gives you the photo. The picture features Rebecca in sportswear, and that particular costume can be bought as DLC for “Resident Evil Zero HD Remaster.” This Easter egg was famously brought back for the “Resident Evil 2” remake, only this time you don’t need to press the same button fifty times like an absolute madman.

“Resident Evil 3: Nemesis” (Original) (1999)

That poster we mentioned earlier wasn’t the only Dino Crisis reference in the original RE3, no in this game; you could also have Jill wear Regina’s costume. Dino Crisis was basically Resident Evil with dinosaurs, so it won’t be such a jarring transition. We use the word ‘costume’ lightly, as it looks like you’re playing as Regina herself. The character’s hair color even changes. Despite the change in appearance, there are no dinosaurs to be found here. Maybe now that the remake is out, we might get a Dino Crisis remake too Capcom?

“Resident Evil 5: Lost in Nightmares” (2010)

Static camera angles were employed masterfully in the earlier Resident Evil titles. They invoked a sense of dread and fear of the unknown, as you didn’t know what lurked around the corner, or behind you, so they always kept you on your toes. Despite Resident Evil 4 being a masterpiece, it took some fans a while to adjust to the new direction of the series. But for Resident Evil 5, it’s "Lost in Nightmares" DLC featured a hidden Easter Eggs that addressed that, by allowing players to activate a static camera for their character. How do you activate it? Oh, it’s very straightforward: just talk to the front door until it responds with a question mark.

“Resident Evil 2” (Original) (1998)

Thanks to the fixed camera angles, you’re going to be firing off a few rounds every now and then towards the direction of the camera to stop the halt of monsters. If you’re positioned in the right area and aiming directly at the camera with a shotgun equipped, shells seemingly crack the screen when you fire. The screen stays broken for a split second, so if you want to see it again, you’re going to have to waste your ammo. Either use your stock-piled ammo for your inevitable fight with Birkin, or to endlessly shoot at the screen: the choice is yours.