Resident Evil 4 HD Project is an impressive fan remaster, and it's out now

Resident Evil 4 HD Project
(Image credit: Resident Evil 4 HD Project)

Resident Evil 4 finally gets the PC version it deserves today, with the release of the fanmade Resident Evil 4 HD Project remaster mod. Eight years in the making, there are few aspects of the game left untouched: it's a "complete graphical remaster," so expect greatly improved textures, models, lighting, effects and much more.

The project has attracted a lot of attention over the years, mainly because of the great amount of effort involved. As Rich wrote last week, the main creators of the project have gone to impressive lengths to improve the graphics, including field trips to locations that inspired the original game, as well as painful deliberations over rock textures.

So there's all that, but it also improves menus, cutscenes, prerendered videos, and implements fixes to some long lingering "sound bugs and broken / missing effects," which, according to the project's website, were results of the game's countless ports. Of course, footage is worth a thousand words, and you can take an extended look at how it runs in action below:

To play this HD remaster, you'll need to own Resident Evil 4 on Steam, and it's been tested specifically for versions 1.0.6 or 1.1.0. Then you can download the files from the official HD Project page, and follow further instructions published there.

It's a long, labor-intensive tribute to the classic game, born of the creators' frustration at Capcom's light-of-touch handling of the PC version. Capcom hasn't forgotten about Resident Evil 4, though: a VR version released late last year for Oculus / Meta Quest 2, and that version will get the multiplayer Mercenaries mode later this year.

While it hasn't been formally announced, it's likely that Capcom is currently working on a remake of Resident Evil 4, just like it did with Resident Evil 2 and 3. According to reports from 2020, that's expected to release some time this year. 

Shaun Prescott
Australian Editor

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.

Read more
Screenshots from Half-Life 2 RTX, showing the various new effects delivered by full ray tracing and enhanced assets.
I just played Half-Life 2 RTX, a fully ray-traced overhaul of the original, and its meaty headcrabs have me hankering for more
Resident Evil Re:Verse
Resident Evil Re:Verse is reversing right off Steam, as Capcom claims it has served its 'original, celebratory purpose' despite mostly negative reviews
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PC
It seems like Square's finally consistently taking the PC ports of Final Fantasy seriously
Dark Messiah duel
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic gets co-op mode and extra content thanks to the mod community's collaboration with Ubisoft: 'To see it all come together has been very emotional for us'
CS 1.6 remade in CS: Legacy.
A gorgeous ground-up remake of Counter-Strike 1.6 is on its way to Steam, and one of the game's original creators says 'it really gives me old vibes'
Skyblivion
Fan remake of Oblivion in Skyrim has a new video, looks amazing, is set for release 'this year,' and I struggle to imagine the rumoured official Oblivion remake doing much better
Latest in Resident Evil
Resident Evil Re:Verse
Resident Evil Re:Verse is reversing right off Steam, as Capcom claims it has served its 'original, celebratory purpose' despite mostly negative reviews
Resident Evil Village - Lady Dimitrescu
Terrifyingly good Humble Bundle deal nets you 11 Resident Evil games for less than the price of Resi 4 remake
Chris Redfield fights a zombie in 1996's Resident Evil.
I spent the last week roaming the Spencer Mansion and I'm here to tell you not to sleep on the new GOG release of 1996's Resident Evil
Resident Evil 7
Capcom announces the next mainline Resident Evil is in development, and the great news is it's being helmed by Resident Evil 7's director
Resident Evil 1 zombie
GOG is bringing the original Resident Evil trilogy back from the dead, and to digital PC storefronts for the first time
Box art for the original Resident Evil, showing a man with a weird face holding a shotgun.
A PEGI rating for the OG 1996 Resident Evil has me once again preparing to enter the world of survival horror
Latest in News
Three sheep with big guns in Palworld.
It was 'super popular to hate Palworld' after launch, says community manager: 'A lot of companies might crumble under the threats, under the pressure'
Palworld Ancient Civilization Parts - Grizzbolt with a minigun
'It was a very depressing day': Palworld community manager reveals studio's reaction to Nintendo lawsuit
CS 1.6 remade in CS: Legacy.
A gorgeous ground-up remake of Counter-Strike 1.6 is on its way to Steam, and one of the game's original creators says 'it really gives me old vibes'
Portal P3 pinball table
There's a new Portal game and it costs $12,500
MrBeast posing in front of a stack of cashing, promoting Beast Games season 2
Beast Games opens casting for season 2: MrBeast lost a ton of money on season 1 but apparently not enough that he won't do it again
Image for
Rise of the Ronin's PC troubles continue as players report disappearing saves on Steam