The Resident Evil games often pack themselves full of bonus content. In most of the mainline series, you unlock new outfits after you beat the game or fulfill certain requirements. These new looks are often silly and ridiculous, adding a new twist to future playthroughs.
The following list details the best and most fanciful costumes throughout the games. These are never outfits any of the characters would realistically be caught dead wearing, but they are always fun to sport. Some of these are easy as beating the game in order to unlock, while others require a little more from the player to access.
10 Special Set 2 - Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 is a little thinner on alternative costume offerings, but the second set is all you would ever want. With these outfits, unlocked by beating the Separate Ways campaign, Leon looks like an old time gangster and Ashley sports a suit of armor. For Ashley it is particularly useful because she becomes invincible. She cannot take damage and is too heavy for ganados to take away. Leon's outfit fits in with another unlockable, the Chicago Typewriter assault rifle.
9 Low Polygon Models - Resident Evil 2 Remake
Resident Evil 2's remake blew expectations out of the water. It remains faithful to the tension and horror of the original while taking the gameplay from Resident Evil 4. The new designs for Leon and Claire are divine, but anybody yearning for the good old days can play through the remake with the older character models. Other games like Max Payne 3 similarly let you play as the older character models.
8 Slacker Costume - Resident Evil 1 Remake
Before the remake craze hit gaming, Resident Evil 1 came back on the GameCube with the definitive version that ended up becoming one of the best games ever made. The original GameCube release had its own share of alternate costumes, and the HD upgrade adds even more. Many of them are costumes from other games, while Chris has a particularly funny one. With a red shirt and a beanie, he looks more like he'd be cutting class while skateboarding on Venice beach than investigating a series of grizzly murders in the Arklay Mountains.
7 Noir Outfits - Resident Evil 2 Remake
Resident Evil 2's remake comes with a whole slew of alternate costumes. While many of these are related to other games in the franchise, the noir outfits for both Leon and Claire look like what they'd be wearing if the T-virus outbreak happened in 1938.
Considering Leon's alternate outfit in Resident Evil 4, it seems like someone at Capcom has an affinity for 1930s fashion. Leon looks a little like Sebastian Castellanos from The Evil Within.
6 Warrior Outfit - Resident Evil 5
Chris's shirt in Resident Evil 5 is so small and tight, there is nowhere for his fashion to go but to simply remove the shirt. In his warrior outfit, his shirt is replaced by spiked shoulder pads and bandoliers. Considering the game's setting, it only makes sense for Chris to want to travel without a shirt. The heat would cause anyone to try and cool down. Perhaps he is just doing his Mad Max cosplay.
5 Pirate Jill - Resident Evil Revelations
Resident Evil Revelations is a popular spin-off for bringing more toned-down action during a time when the series was more akin to a blockbuster action movie than a survival horror franchise. The Raid mode offers significant content outside of the campaign. Beating the Ghost Ship level unlocks a pirate outfit for Jill, which can then be used during the campaign. The bird and the eyepatch really complete the look. It is pretty revealing, so not practical for fights against zombies and B.O.Ws.
4 Fairy Tale Sheva - Resident Evil 5
Sheva's alternate outfits in Resident Evil 5 are fairly lackluster. However, the Fairy Tale outfit is pretty special. Some may consider it risque, but even with this considered one has to admire the design.
Sheva is somewhat of an unsung hero of Resident Evil 5. Chris gets all the attention and then Sheva does not show up in future games. Who knows; maybe she'll show up to investigate her former partner's turn to the dark side in Resident Evil: Village.
3 Elza Walker - Resident Evil 2 Remake
For the uninformed, Elza Walker was one of the original protagonists for Resident Evil 2 before the story was completely rewritten to be about Leon and Claire. To pay tribute to this version of the game, often dubbed Resident Evil 1.5, Elza Walker's outfit is an unlockable costume for Claire. The ultimate dream for fans is to have an officially playable build of Resident Evil 1.5, even if it is incomplete.
2 Bunny Costume - Resident Evil: Outbreak
This costume makes the cut less for its look and more for the humor in unlocking it. Cindy comments on various parts of the outfit you collect, often uneasy with its nature. Resident Evil: Outbreak is a dedicated online multiplayer game in a time long before it was the norm. While the servers have long since shut down, you can still play through these Raccoon City levels in single-player.
1 Regina - Resident Evil 3
Resident Evil 3 comes with several alternate outfits after beating the game, though in certain re-releases they are available from the start. You'll probably end up wanting to pick the outfit that makes Jill dress up as Regina from the Dino Crisis games. It is unfortunate this series did not last as long as the Resident Evil franchise. However, we could see a remake of the original Dino Crisis and its sequel sometime in the future.