Resident Evil 4: How to unlock the Handcannon

The Handcannon is the most powerful magnum in Resident Evil 4, so here’s everything you need to know about how to unlock it in the remake.

As the undisputed king of handguns, the Handcannon is the premiere magnum in the Resident Evil series — and one of the best guns in both versions of Resident Evil 4 overall.

While the weapon is unlockable in RE4 Remake, you’ll need to first jump through several hoops before you can get your hands on the game’s elite-tier weapon.

The Handcannon can kill most enemies in one hit, decimating bosses in just a few shots. Here’s what you’ll need to do to unlock the Handcannon in the Resident Evil 4 remake — and drop El Gigantes like they were nothing.

How to unlock the Handcannon in Resident Evil 4

Like the other bonus weapons in the RE4 Remake, you’ll only be able to unlock the gun for your second playthrough.

To unlock the Handcannon, you’ll need to complete the game on Professional difficulty with an A-rank – and without using any other bonus weapons.

This means no Chicago Sweeper or Infinite Rocket Launcher usage in a playthrough, meaning that the Handcannon is the most difficult bonus weapon to unlock in the Resident Evil 4 remake.

The good news is you can complete the game on either Normal or Assisted difficulty first (as many times as you like) and upgrade Leon’s standard guns, health, and items to the maximum before tackling Professional difficulty.

This will make life much easier than simply starting a new game from scratch, as every time you start an NG+ run, you’ll have the option to set the difficulty.

Unlocking through Mercenaries mode

It’s arguably easier to unlock the Handcannon in the main campaign through The Mercenaries free DLC instead of beating the game on Professional mode with an A-rank.

To do this, you’ll need to beat each of the three stages in Mercs mode with an S-rank with at least one character. This means you’ll first need to find which character suits you best, then play through all three stages Village, Castle, and Island until you manage to score an S-rank.

Once you do, you’ll then unlock the Handcannon which can be purchased at the Merchant’s store for just 1000 pesetas.

For more Resident Evil content, check out the following guides below:

RE4 ending explained | Where to find the Shotgun | Where to find the Golden Egg | Can you save the dog? | Separate Ways | Does RE4 Remake feature The Mercenaries mode? | How to change costume | How Spinels work | All Achievements & Trophies | Remake differences | Resident Evil 4 review | Will there be a Code Veronica remake? | Where to find a Gold Chicken Egg | Resident Evil 4 Remake voice cast