Three Resident Evil games are getting official ray tracing patches

Resident Evil ray tracing — (Image credit: Capcom)

Capcom announced next-gen versions of three recent Resident Evil games today: Resident Evil 7, as well as the recent remakes of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3. Coming later in 2022, the updated versions are designed to bring the games up to speed with the Xbox Series X and PS5, but PC will also get a patch adding official ray tracing support, among other things.

Those "other things" include 3D audio support, as well as "high frame rates" which probably doesn't mean much to PC users, since all three games support unlocked frame rates already. Still, it'll be nice to get some official ray tracing support, though mods exist for Resident Evil 2 and 7 already. Capcom has yet to reveal much about how extensive the ray tracing is, though the screenshots suggest prettier reflections.

These are definitely worth playing, by the way, with the possible exception of the "extremely shallow" Resident Evil 3. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was a reinvention for the series, marking the first numbered instalment played from a first-person point of view. It was also a very emphatic return to horror after the series deviated into flamboyant action with Resident Evil 6 (widely abhorred, though it has its fans).

This year looks set to be a busy one for the series. We'll likely hear more about the heavily rumoured Resident Evil 4 Remake, and if we're lucky it may even release in 2022. The recent Resident Evil 4 VR port will also get the Mercenaries multiplayer mode later this year.

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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.