6 top survival tips for Resident Evil 3 remake

David Purcell
Resident evil 3 survival tips

Capcom’s Resident Evil 3: Nemesis is expected to come back with a bang on April 3 in a new version that’s been some 21 years in the making. If you want to know the best survival tips to avoid being killed or scared to death, you’ve come to the right place. 

RE3 was first released back in 1999, for the PlayStation 1, and was one of the franchise’s most popular titles as it was set both before and after Resident Evil 2 – split into two parts.

Following the story between both Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira, players are tasked with doing everything they can to stay alive during a zombie apocalypse in the pulsating horror game. However, anybody who has played the game before – or have watched bits and pieces of it online – will know that’s easier said than done.

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For those who haven’t heard much about the project, however, an announcement trailer was shown off during Sony’s State of Play back in December 2019, and Jill Valentine’s encounter with the real Nemesis has never looked better.

With a countdown ticking away until nukes hit the city, T-Virus zombies running all over the place, darkness descending and a storyline that’s still relevant 20 years later, this game has the potential to be right up there with The Last of Us Part 2 for the most thrilling survival game of 2020.

So, let’s jump right into our top six survival tips for the remake and get you all set for its re-release.

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Top survival tips for Resident Evil 3 remake

Keep moving

Resident Evil 3 remake running
Keep moving in Resident Evil 3 to avoid being caught out. Stay alert to what’s happening around you.

If there’s one thing you should know by now in the Resident Evil world, it’s that zombies aren’t going to just stop and let you walk around like everything is normal. They run, they hide and most importantly – they are on the hunt for people like you.

Therefore, one of the best survival tips we could give to you is simply keep moving. Don’t waste time. The more time you spend just waddling around the map, the more likely it becomes that the Mastermind sets traps for you and you’re hunted down. The amount of infected is only going to rise as the game goes on, too, so get in the habit of grabbing stuff fast, moving swiftly from place to place, and it will give you the best chance of not being caught out.

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Get to know your ammo

Knowing that ammo of all kinds works for every gun is a super helpful tip.

Unlike other games, there isn’t separate types of ammo in Resident Evil 3 and the quicker you know that, the better. Also, just like the 2019 remake of RE2, this game will be a third-person shooter – just in case you didn’t know already.

Instead of running around, scouring buildings for shotgun ammo, you can simply pick up some mags sitting near a pistol and throw them inside your weapon. That’s how it works. A key advantage of this is that, with so many zombies on the hunt, you should have a decent amount of bullets most of the time.

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Don’t be afraid to melee

Combat knife for Resident Evil 3
Resident Evil 3’s remake can actually be completed without firing a single bullet, although it is difficult.

With that being said, you can’t expect ammo to be around 100% of the time – so be prepared to do what you have to do to survive.

The perfect plan B we would recommend in those circumstances isn’t to hide and hope things level themselves out, but grab a melee weapon and start bashing heads off – it’s fun and effective! This can sometimes feel a little daunting at first, as you’re getting up close with the enemy with just a combat knife, but honestly it’s well worth the risk when things are looking slim where bullets are concerned.

Stick together and communicate

Hunting in packs and communicating effectively is key.

The worst thing you could possibly do in RE3’s Co-Op mode is fall into a trap like your typical horror movie victim, experiencing things for the first time alone. You know what we’re talking about: creaking floor boards, dark corridors, things appearing out of nowhere – all that jazz. If you’re going to explore areas, do it together as a team, or with a partner.

Communicating as part of that group is essential for surviving. Knowing where somebody is in trouble with good callouts could be the difference between somebody helping out and being turned into breakfast for some infected creep. With microphones connected, teams should be able to talk their way through the chaos and jumpscares of Resident Evil 3, maybe not without a fright or two, but will certainly be safer for it when you need to call for backup.

Knowing how to dodge

Dodging in Resident Evil 3
When you see something dangerous up ahead, perfectly a dodge can be the difference between life and death.

One of the most frustrating mechanics about the original game was the shocking dodge techniques characters had available to them. When we say dodge, we actually mean failed dodges, in many cases.

For whatever reason, it was always quite difficult to manoeuvre around enemies in Resident Evil 3, although the remake appears to have brought the mechanic into the 21st century. The best time to use a dodge is when enemies are running right towards you, especially in a small group, as you can roll right under them or twist away in another direction. There is no recharge bar, either, so you can dodge as much as you like.

A few dodge animations are in the game, too, which will take some time to perfect, in terms of timing and what works in particular moments. These range from brushing enemies off, rolling as we said earlier, quick turns, swiftly move as they lunge and so forth. Clearly, this will be super beneficial when approaching an unexpected herd.

Work on your hacking skills

January in Resident Evil
January’s hacking ability can be super useful for slowing the amount of enemies sent your way.

Finally, the last tip on our list – and it might be the most important, in all honesty. Hacking.

Disabling Mastermind’s technology is an essential part of survival in the original game, and getting to grips with how to do it will give you an upper hand in-game. The character with the hacking ability in the game is January van Sant, which can be used to raise the cost of Mastermind deploying enemies. Clearly, this can slow down the obstacles put in your way.

The bad guys might hold all of the cards, monitoring survivors with surveillance and control methods, and intel on what they’re up to can allow you to be prepared for what’s to come.


So, there you have it! Those are our top 6 tips for Resident Evil 3’s upcoming remake. If you would like to see more RE3 guide material and tips for the title, stick with Dexerto.

The game will be released on April 3 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC platforms.

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About The Author

David is the former US Managing Editor at Dexerto.com. You can contact him via email: david.purcell@dexerto.com.