Resident Evil 4 vs The Evil Within
Resident Evil 4 is an action-adventure FPS game from Capcom (2005) while The Evil Within is an FPS horror game from Tango Gameworks (2014).
Quick answer: Resident Evil 4 rates higher, 8.7 to 7.2 on the GamingPickz Score, and The Evil Within is the cheaper at $19.99.
What each one is
Resident Evil 4 is filed under Action-Adventure and FPS. In contrast, The Evil Within under FPS and Horror.
Survival is just the beginning. Six years have passed since the biological disaster in Raccoon City. Leon S. Kennedy, one of the survivors, tracks the president's kidnapped daughter to a secluded European village, where there is something terribly wrong with the locals.
Developed by Shinji Mikami -- creator of the seminal Resident Evil series -- and the talented team at Tango Gameworks, The Evil Within embodies the meaning of pure survival horror. Highly-crafted environments, horrifying anxiety, and an intricate story are combined to create an immersive world that will bring you to the height of tension.
Story, characters and reception
Reception
Reviews Reception The GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions of Resident Evil 4 have a score of 96/100 on Metacritic , indicating "universal acclaim". These versions have the top ranking on Metacritic's list of the Best Video Games for 2005 . In addition to the gameplay, the characters and story received positive commentary, leading to the finished product being deemed as one of the best video games ever made . (Wikipedia)
Plot
While investigating the scene of a mass murder at Beacon Mental Hospital, Krimson City Police Detective Sergeant Sebastian Castellanos ( Anson Mount ), his partner Joseph Oda ( Yuri Lowenthal ), police officer Oscar Connelly ( Kiff VandenHeuvel ), and Junior Detective Juli Kidman ( Jennifer Carpenter ) find themselves suddenly thrown into an unreal world, after hearing a high-pitched noise. Shortly after this occurs, Sebastian is separated from his… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Critical reception Reception The Evil Within received "generally favorable" reviews from critics for the Xbox One and PS4 versions, while the PC version received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic . Computer and Video Games ( CVG ) described it as "the game Resident Evil 5 should have been", although they were critical of some technical issues. VideoGamer. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Resident Evil 4 | The Evil Within | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.7/10 | 7.2/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (97%, 274,646) | Very Positive (85%, 33,579) |
| Critic aggregate | 91/100 | 68/100 |
| Price | $39.99 | $19.99 |
| Install size | — | 50 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | verified |
| Released | 2005 | 2014 |
| Developer | Capcom | Tango Gameworks |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Resident Evil 4 vs The Evil Within, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Resident Evil 4Action-adventure FPS gameThe Evil WithinFPS horror gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Resident Evil 4Horror, Action, Survival HorrorThe Evil WithinHorror, Survival Horror, Psychological HorrorThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Resident Evil 4 ✓Score 8.7 · 97% on Steam · 91 criticThe Evil WithinScore 7.2 · 85% on Steam · 68 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Resident Evil 4274,646 reviews · 27 add-onsThe Evil Within33,579 reviews · 4 add-ons · 50 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Resident Evil 4$39.99The Evil Within ✓$19.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Resident Evil 4VerifiedThe Evil WithinVerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueResident Evil 4 and The Evil Within on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Mobile
- Xbox
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Resident Evil 4 (GamingPickz Score 8.7)
- The cheaper right now: The Evil Within ($19.99)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Resident Evil 4 (274,646 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
HorrorActionSurvival HorrorThird-Person ShooterSingleplayerZombiesStory RichSurvival
Where they differ
RemakeRealisticResource ManagementVRViolentAction-Adventure
AtmosphericStealthDifficultShooterMultiplayerOpen World
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Resident Evil 4 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. The Evil Within is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Resident Evil 4 | The Evil Within | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | AMD Radeon RX 560 with 4GB | GTX 460 |
| Minimum CPU | AMD Ryzen 3 1200 / Intel Core i5-7500 | — |
| Minimum RAM | 8 GB | 4 GB |
| Install size | — | 50 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Resident Evil 4 · The Evil Within.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Resident Evil 4 and 4 for The Evil Within. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Resident Evil 4 and The Evil Within in scope?
Resident Evil 4 has drawn 274,646 Steam reviews and ships 27 add-ons. The Evil Within has drawn 33,579 Steam reviews, ships 4 add-ons and installs in 50 GB.
Is Resident Evil 4 or The Evil Within better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Resident Evil 4 rates higher (8.7 to 7.2). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Resident Evil 4 or The Evil Within?
The Evil Within is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $39.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Resident Evil 4 or The Evil Within?
Resident Evil 4 rates higher, 8.7 to 7.2 on the GamingPickz Score, and The Evil Within is the cheaper at $19.99. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.