Resident Evil: The Board Game Series Buying Guide

Steamforged Games has brought several popular video game franchises to the tabletop, including Monster Hunter, Devil May Cry, Sea of Thieves, Gears of War, and the upcoming Elden Ring adaptation. This article focuses on their Resident Evil board game trilogy: Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 3.

Released in 2019, 2021, and 2023 respectively, these games share similar mechanics. 1-4 players navigate perilous environments (dark corridors, burning streets, sinister labs) recreating the storylines of the respective video games. Highly detailed miniatures represent both the terrifying creatures and the heroic survivors.

Featured Games & Expansions:

### Resident Evil: The Board Game

1See it at Amazon### Resident Evil: The Bleak Outpost

0See it at Amazon### Resident Evil 2: The Board Game

0See it at Amazon### Resident Evil 2 The Board Game: B-Files Expansion

0See it at Amazon### Resident Evil 2: The Board Game - Malformations of G B-Files Expansion

0See it at Amazon### Resident Evil 2 The Board Game: Survival Horror Expansion

0See it at Amazon### Resident Evil 2 The Board Game: - 4th Survivor Expansion

0See it at Amazon### Resident Evil 3: The Board Game

0See it at Amazon### Resident Evil 3: The Last Escape Expansion

0See it at Amazon### Resident Evil 3 The Board Game: City of Ruin Expansion

0See it at Amazon

Gameplay unfolds across three phases: Action, Reaction, and Tension. Players have four actions per turn (move, open/close doors, search, trade, use items, attack). Enemies react, moving or attacking, requiring dice rolls to evade. The Tension phase involves drawing cards that introduce varying levels of peril.

Combat uses dice rolls against weapon stats and abilities, ranging from pushing enemies to killing them or missing entirely. Successful attacks can trigger enemy movement in adjacent rooms, adding strategic depth.

Each game features multiple scenarios playable as standalone sessions or a connected campaign. Levels are built using tiles, and player inventory, health, and other factors carry over between scenarios. One-off games offer pre-set starting gear.

Crossover between games is possible, allowing for character and tile mixing.

Resident Evil: The Board Game (2023)

### Resident Evil: The Board Game

1See it at Amazon

This refined entry improves upon its predecessors. Players explore the Spencer Mansion using Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Rebecca Chambers, or Barry Burton, and can deploy support characters (Albert Wesker, Enrico Marini, Richard Aiken, Brad Vickers) on special missions. The flexible narrative allows for varied room exploration order. The use of cards instead of paper significantly streamlines setup. The persistent zombie corpses, requiring kerosene to burn, increase the challenge. This is a strong standalone entry point.

Expansions:

### Resident Evil: The Bleak Outpost

0See it at Amazon

Adds six scenarios, two bosses (Neptune and Plant-42), and new locations.

Resident Evil 2: The Board Game (2019)

### Resident Evil 2: The Board Game

0See it at Amazon

The original game in the series, featuring Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Ada Wong, and Robert Kendo battling Lickers, Zombie Dogs, and Birkin across eight scenarios. While fun, it lacks the refinement of later entries.

Resident Evil 2 Expansions:

### Resident Evil 2 The Board Game: B-Files Expansion

0See it at Amazon

Doubles the number of scenarios and adds new items, enemies, and the goal of escaping Mr. X.

### Resident Evil 2: The Board Game - Malformations of G B-Files Expansion

0See it at Amazon

Adds a Birkin Stage Three encounter.

### Resident Evil 2 The Board Game: Survival Horror Expansion

0See it at Amazon

Adds five characters, advanced versions of existing characters, new enemies, and a PvP mode.

### Resident Evil 2 The Board Game: - 4th Survivor Expansion

0See it at Amazon

Adds Hunk and Tofu as playable characters, new horde-based modes, and an extreme PvP mode.

Resident Evil 3: The Board Game (2021)

### Resident Evil 3: The Board Game

0See it at Amazon

Features a more open-ended campaign than RE2, with Jill, Carlos, Mikhail, or Nikolai battling Nemesis. The Danger Tracker mechanic increases difficulty as the city deteriorates.

Resident Evil 3 Expansions:

### Resident Evil 3: The Last Escape Expansion

0See it at Amazon

Adds new characters, monsters, rules, and a permadeath variant.

### Resident Evil 3 The Board Game: City of Ruin Expansion

0See it at Amazon

Adds nine scenarios, new locations, enemies, bosses, and weapons.