Resident Evil is full of the undead and mutant monstrosities. It's a series where you would not want to be caught unarmed. Luckily, are weapons aplenty, especially if your last name happens to be Kennedy, Valentine, or Redfield.
The most common type of weapon in the Resident Evil games is the pistol, showing up as either handguns, which vary in power and utility but always have plentiful ammo, or magnums, which are uniformly endgame powerhouses that one-shot most enemies and chunk down bosses, but have limited rounds. Either way, pistols are an important class of weapons in RE, and here are some of the best.
10 M92F (RE5)
Proof that just because you got a weapon at the beginning of the game, doesn’t mean that you should discard it the first chance you get. The M92F is part of Chris and Sheva’s starting loadout at the start of Resident Evil 5, but thanks to the game’s upgrade system, it could very well carry you to the end.
In terms of firepower, this weapon has among the lowest in Resident Evil 5, but a little investment will reveal a weapon with a high crit-rate, allowing precise shooters to put down enemies quicker with headshots. And more notably, the pistol can be upgraded to boast a reality-breaking 100-round magazine, turning reloading during a heated firefight into a thing of the past.
9 Wing Shooter(s) (RE6)
There’s something undeniably cool about dual-wielding, especially with pistols. Leon’s Resident Evil 6 starting weapon, the Wing Shooter, is underwhelming on its own, suitable only for tackling the weakest enemies.
However, unlike most guns in the series, it can be dual-wielded, effectively doubling its already high capacity. Combined with certain skills in the game, like Handgun Master and Firearm Lv 3, a set of Wing Shooters can handle even the toughest enemies with ease, all while using the plentiful 9mm ammo type.
8 Albert-01 (RE7)
Aside from looking slick as hell with its underbarrel laser sight, muzzle compensator, sweet walnut furniture, and gunmetal finish, this weapon serves as a nice callback to older RE games since it is modeled after Wesker's Samurai Edge, made obvious by the S.T.A.R.S. logo in the grip. It also hits like a truck.
Sadly, you only get this weapon for the final battle in Resident Evil 7, which is telling of how powerful this gun is since RE games often give you a Rocket Launcher for the final boss. You do get this gun as a post-game unlock on any difficulty, at least, making future playthroughs much easier. Even though it uses the plentiful 9mm ammo, it hits almost as hard as the .44 MAG.
7 .44 AE Lightning Hawk (RE3 Remake)
A beast of a weapon, able to take out most non-boss enemies with a single shot, and packing a hefty size and recoil to match. This weapon is found in the hospital in Jill's story as a part of an environmental puzzle and is easily missable if you’re not careful.
Getting it is well worth the effort though, as it can make mincemeat out of the lethal and hardy Hunter creatures that show up in this stage (and you'll look cool doing it). The Extended Barrel upgrade makes this monster even bigger and enables it to hit harder, while reducing its recoil in the process.
6 Red9 (RE4)
Perhaps one of the most distinct-looking pistols in all the Resident Evil games, the Red9 is clearly modeled after classic German pistols like the Mauser C96, sporting an eyecatching broom handle profile. It’s also the most powerful non-magnum pistol in the game, shot for shot. Though it falls behind compared to other pistols in other departments, like reload speed and fire rate, its raw power and ability to take out most enemies in a few shots more than makeup for its drawbacks.
Fully upgraded, it hits even harder and a stock stabilizes your aim and allows you to use the Red9 as a pocket rifle to get long ranged headshots with ease. In skilled hands, you can save a lot of ammo this way, dispatching common enemies with plentiful handgun ammo while saving the rarer rounds stuff for the tougher fights.
5 Quickdraw Army (RE2 Remake)
A Claire-exclusive weapon in the Resident Evil 2 Remake, the Quickdraw Army is a classic revolver-type weapon and has what is possibly the coolest firing style in RE, since Claire fan-fires the pistol — meaning she holds down the trigger and slaps on the hammer like an old-timey cowboy.
As a result, combined with its high per-shot damage, fast focus, and low recoil, this pistol is one of the highest sources of burst damage in the game. While powerful, you should also be cautious with this gun, since it also has the longest reload time in RE2 Remake, requiring you to reload every bullet individually. This is somewhat mitigated if you reload before it’s empty.
4 M1851 Wolfsbane (RE Village)
With its intricate engravings, gold inlay, and ivory handles, the M1851 Wolfsbane is one of the most elegant firearms in gaming, showcasing the aristocratic roots of the Four Lords in Resident Evil Village.
In addition to being tasteful and only slightly gaudy, this is also the hardest-hitting weapon Ethan gets in a normal playthrough of the game. Its description says that the Wolfsbane is effective against werewolves and given its performance against some of the more lupine enemies in the game, that's technically true. Fun fact: the engraving on the side which says “Fiat Voluntas Tua” roughly translates to “Let thy will be done”.
3 Matilda (RE4)
This weapon is a nice post-game acquisition that features a built-in stock and three-round burst firing action and while the Red9 is a lot more powerful per bullet, the Matilda has a much higher firing rate, giving it a correspondingly high DPS. It also gets an upgrade that ups its 30-round magazine to a 100-round one, allowing you to store your 9mm ammo in it instead of your attaché case.
This weapon seems to be a VP70, the same as Leon’s gun in RE2, cementing the model as his weapon of choice. The name Matilda is likely a reference to a character in the movie Léon: The Professional, which also makes a cheeky little pun given his name.
2 Rocket Pistol (RE Village)
What can be said about this weapon that isn’t already in the name? All you need to know is right there: it’s a PISTOL that fires ROCKETS, how cool is that?! The weapon has to be reloaded after every shot and is decently powerful, about five times stronger than a base-kit LEMI, and causes some splash damage.
Tragically, you unlock this handheld rocket launcher after beating the exceptionally difficult Village of Shadows mode and after conquering the toughest the game has to offer, will you really want to use it? Probably.
1 Handgun (RE1 Remake)
The pistol that started it all… kinda. As told by Resident Evil Remake for the GameCube, this workhorse has been part of the S.T.A.R.S. arsenal since the mansion incident, custom-made by the gunsmith Robert Kendo, with special variations for Chris, Jill, Barry, and Rebecca. In reality, this pistol and accompanying lore was introduced in the Playstation game Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and retroactively added into the canon in the remakes.
Though there are different models, they all use the M92F as a base and have the S.T.A.R.S. logo in the grip. This weapon makes appearances in various RE games, likely because of its iconic, if understated, look. In combat, this gets the job done and carries you through the easier enemies, especially if you play as Jill, who starts with one in her inventory as opposed to Chris who just gets a knife.