Resident Evil 2 Remake can be confusing even before the zombies start breaking through the windows. Should you choose Leon or Claire? What is a 2nd Run? Can Mr. X enter safe rooms? And when is it safe to discard a key item?
Below, we answer the most frequently asked questions about Resident Evil 2 Remake. The answers are kept concise and mostly spoiler-free, with links to our more detailed guides whenever you need exact locations, puzzle solutions or complete walkthroughs.
No. Resident Evil 2 Remake retells the 1998 game’s story with redesigned environments, combat, puzzles and character scenes. Everything you need to understand Leon and Claire’s journey is explained within the remake, so it works perfectly well as your first Resident Evil game.
Players familiar with the original will recognize many characters, locations and story beats, but prior knowledge is not required.
Either character is a valid starting choice. Leon and Claire visit many of the same locations, but they have different weapons, supporting characters, exclusive areas, story scenes and final encounters.
If you do not have a preference, Leon is a slightly more conventional introduction because his arsenal includes the W-870 Shotgun and Lightning Hawk. Claire is equally suitable, however, and her GM 79 Grenade Launcher is extremely powerful. For the fullest first experience, complete a 1st Run with one character and then select the other character’s 2nd Run. See our guide to choosing Leon or Claire first for all the important differences.
A 1st Run is the standard version of Leon or Claire’s campaign. Finishing it unlocks a 2nd Run for the other character, with a different opening, an exclusive handgun and ammunition type, changed item placements, altered solutions to certain puzzles, earlier encounters with Mr. X and the complete ending.
The 2nd Run is sometimes compared with the original game’s Scenario B, but 2nd Run is the official term used by the remake. It is also not necessary to complete all four possible runs to see the main conclusion. Our 2nd Run walkthrough covers all the changes.
No, not in the traditional sense. The 2nd Run does not carry over your weapons, ammunition, healing items, inventory upgrades or weapon upgrades from the completed campaign. You begin again with a separate inventory and must collect equipment as you progress.
Permanent rewards such as bonus weapons are unlocked for your overall game profile and can appear in the Item Box once their requirements have been met, but this is separate from New Game Plus.
A first campaign usually takes around 8 to 10 hours, although careful exploration or a higher difficulty can make it longer. Completing a 1st Run and the corresponding 2nd Run generally takes around 15 to 20 hours.
Finding every collectible, earning the highest ranks and completing bonus modes can extend the total considerably. Experienced players can also finish individual runs much faster once they know the routes and puzzle solutions.
You cannot freely change the difficulty from the options menu. After several deaths on Standard, the game may offer to lower the difficulty to Assisted. Accepting this change is permanent for that save, and you cannot raise it back to Standard.
Hardcore must be selected when beginning a run and cannot be reduced in this way. Read our comparison of the Assisted, Standard and Hardcore difficulty levels before starting.
On Assisted and Standard, you can save at any Typewriter without using an item, and the game also creates autosaves. On Hardcore, manual saves require Ink Ribbons, autosaves are disabled or extremely limited, enemies deal more damage and fewer Hip Pouches are available.
Ink Ribbons are a limited resource, so it is best to save before major bosses or dangerous sections rather than every time you find a Typewriter. Our Hardcore mode guide includes more preparation and survival advice.
Mr. X cannot enter genuine safe rooms, including locations such as the Darkroom, Boiler Room safe room and Chief’s Office. He also cannot follow you into certain special rooms, such as the S.T.A.R.S. Office and Clock Tower.
However, the presence of a Typewriter and Item Box does not automatically make a room safe. Most importantly, Mr. X can enter the Main Hall. If he is following you, break his line of sight, walk instead of firing unnecessarily and use a real refuge until he moves away. See our complete guide to escaping Mr. X.
Not during his regular pursuit sections. Dealing enough damage will force him to one knee for a short time, but he will recover and continue hunting you. Shooting him is therefore usually a waste of ammunition unless you need a few seconds to reach an objective or escape a blocked corridor.
Avoid sprinting and gunfire when possible, listen for his footsteps and plan routes that pass through rooms he cannot enter.
A red room still contains at least one map-tracked item you have not collected. A blue room is marked Search Complete.
Items you have seen but left behind are also marked on the map. However, Files and Mr. Raccoons do not determine the room color, so a blue room does not guarantee that you have found every collectible.
It is safe to discard a key item when a red check mark appears beside it in your inventory. The mark means that the item has no remaining uses in that run.
Discarded items disappear permanently; they are not dropped on the floor. If no check mark is visible, keep the item or place it in an Item Box because it can still open a door, solve a puzzle or reveal another object when examined.
Yes, for much of the game. After reaching the Sewers, you can unlock a route back to the Underground Facility and Police Station through the elevator behind the cabinet in the Workers’ Break Room.
The major point of no return is the cable car to the NEST Laboratory. Do not activate it until you have collected everything you still want from the Police Station, Underground Facility and Sewers. The game warns you before you depart.
Collect Hip Pouches. Each one adds two inventory slots immediately. Assisted and Standard contain six Hip Pouches, allowing you to gain 12 additional slots, while Hardcore removes three of them and leaves only three available.
Several are hidden inside safes or lockers, so thorough exploration is rewarded. Our guide shows the locations of every Hip Pouch in Resident Evil 2 Remake.
Most locker combinations, safe codes and laboratory terminal codes are fixed. Some statue combinations and other important puzzle solutions change between the 1st and 2nd Run, so make sure you are using the correct version of a solution.
The main exceptions are the Portable Safes, whose button sequences are randomized, and the starting arrangement of Sherry’s Picture Block puzzle, although its completed pattern is always the same. You can consult our complete list of puzzle solutions, locker codes and safe combinations.
Complete a 1st Run with either Leon or Claire, then select the newly unlocked 2nd Run with the other character and finish it. The 2nd Run adds the final battle with G (Fifth Form) and the extended conclusion.
You do not need to finish all four character/run combinations to see it. Read our guide to the standard and true endings if you want the complete explanation.
Using bonus weapons does not generally disable trophies, achievements or an S Rank. However, infinite-ammo bonus weapons prevent you from earning an S+ Rank.
The Infinite Combat Knife is the exception: it is permitted in an S+ attempt. You must still meet the appropriate S-rank time limit, make no more than three manual saves and avoid the other infinite weapons. See the full requirements for S and S+ ranks and our list of infinite weapons.
To unlock The 4th Survivor, complete any 2nd Run and view the true ending. This opens HUNK’s timed escape through the Sewers and Police Station. Finishing The 4th Survivor then unlocks The Tofu Survivor, a more unusual version of the same escape with a radically different loadout.
Both are standalone challenge modes with fixed inventories and no Item Boxes. Our guides explain how to unlock HUNK and complete The 4th Survivor and how to unlock The Tofu Survivor.
The Ghost Survivors is a free collection of non-canon "what if" scenarios about people who did not survive the events of the main story. It contains No Time to Mourn, Runaway and Forgotten Soldier, plus the unlockable No Way Out scenario.
These challenges use item dispensers, special enemy variants and predetermined routes, and they are generally more difficult than the main campaign. They should not be confused with the canon HUNK scenario, The 4th Survivor. See our The Ghost Survivors guide for every scenario and reward.
No. Resident Evil 2 Remake is a single-player game. The campaigns, 2nd Run, The 4th Survivor, The Tofu Survivor and The Ghost Survivors do not support online co-op, local co-op, split-screen or competitive multiplayer.
The paid Extra DLC Pack contains five costumes—Leon’s Arklay Sheriff and Noir outfits, plus Claire’s Military, Noir and Elza Walker outfits—the Samurai Edge – Albert Model handgun and the "Original Ver." Soundtrack Swap.
The Ghost Survivors is separate from this pack and was released as a free update. Store availability and bundle contents can vary by platform and region, so check the listing for your version before buying.
If your question involves a specific objective, item or enemy, consult our complete story walkthrough for Leon and Claire. It covers the Police Station, Underground Facility, Sewers and NEST Laboratory, with routes for both characters and links to every major puzzle and collectible.
