Resident Evil 5: Complete Guide

Everything you need for Resident Evil 5 on PC: combat and inventory basics, co-op and partner AI, weapon upgrades, a chapter-by-chapter outline with bosses, collectibles, unlockables, and Mercenaries.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the February 2023 Steam update (Games for Windows Live removed, local split-screen co-op added). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

1. Play co-op if you can. RE5 was the first numbered Resident Evil built around two-player co-op. Since the February 2023 update the Steam version supports local split-screen as well as online.
2. You cannot move and shoot. Plant your feet, aim, fire, then reposition. Stagger enemies with a shot to the head or legs, then use the melee prompt.
3. Inventory is nine slots per character, in real time. Four of them are quick-access on the d-pad or number keys. Menus do not pause the game.
4. Share with your partner. You can trade items and ammo mid-fight. Don't hoard ammo for a weapon you are not carrying.
5. Sell treasures, upgrade a few guns. Between chapters you can buy and upgrade weapons with gold. Focus on three or four weapons rather than everything.
6. Mix herbs. Green plus green or green plus red heals more per slot. First Aid Spray heals both players if you are close together.
7. Pick up BSAA emblems and treasures as you go. They feed unlockables and achievements.
8. Replay chapters. Chapter select keeps your gear, so replaying a chapter to farm gold and treasure is normal and encouraged.
9. The Steam version includes a Gold Edition upgrade path. Buying the Untold Stories Bundle is the same as upgrading to Gold Edition, which adds two story DLC episodes, Versus mode, extra Mercenaries characters and costumes.

Controls and Combat Basics

RE5 plays like RE4 with a partner: over-the-shoulder aiming, laser sight, and context melee.

Stagger and melee loop

The most ammo-efficient way to play:

1. Shoot a Majini in the head or knee.
2. When it staggers, press the melee prompt.
3. With a partner, tag-team melee attacks can kill most basic enemies without extra ammo.

Chris hits harder with melee; Sheva is more agile. Both work fine for this loop.

Dying and revival

When a player's health hits zero in co-op they enter Dying status. The other player must reach them and revive them, or give them a healing item. If both players are down, or a Dying player takes more damage, it's game over.

Inventory and Healing

• Nine slots per character. Weapons, ammo stacks, grenades and healing items all take a slot.
• Herbs: Green herbs heal, red herbs boost a green herb. Combine them to save space.
• First Aid Spray fully heals and affects both players if you stand close.
• Eggs found in the world heal as well and are tied to the Egg Hunt achievement (find all four types of eggs).
• Hand grenades, incendiary grenades, flash grenades and proximity mines are extremely strong. Flash grenades instantly kill some parasite-exposed enemies.

Partner AI tip: the AI Sheva (or Chris) uses healing items liberally. Keep most herbs on your own character and give the AI ammo and a gun it can use well, such as a machine gun or shotgun.

Weapons and Upgrades

You buy and upgrade weapons at the pre-chapter item management screen using gold. Upgrades improve firepower, reload speed, capacity and more depending on the weapon.

Upgrade priority: fully upgrade one handgun, one shotgun and one rifle before spreading gold elsewhere. Fully upgrading a weapon and finishing the game unlocks the option to buy infinite ammo for it in Bonus Features, so the first full upgrade you finish is a long-term investment.

Achievements tied to weapons: Stockpile (obtain all weapons), Take It to the Max (fully upgrade all weapons), A Cut Above (5 knife kills), Cattle Prod (30 stun rod kills), Crowd Control (30 Gatling gun kills), Bull's-eye (30 Longbow kills).

Difficulty

Achievements: Recruit (all chapters on Amateur), Soldier (Normal), Veteran (Veteran), War Hero (Professional). Completing chapters on any difficulty also gives 16 per-chapter achievements from 1-1 through 6-3.

Tip for Professional: replay earlier chapters first to fully upgrade weapons and bring a human partner. The game keeps your inventory across chapter select, so you can enter Professional with maxed gear.

Chapter Outline and Bosses

The campaign is 16 chapters across six parts. Locations and boss placements below follow Evil Resource's enemy database.

Boss tips

• Executioner (1-1) — during the siege you don't need to kill him; keep moving, shoot the head if he closes in, and survive until the event ends. Avoid his axe swings in tight spaces.
• Uroboros (1-2) — its weak point is the orange core that shows on its arm-like mass, and it is weak to fire. Incendiary grenades and the furnace facility's fire hazards are the intended approach.
• Popokarimu (2-2) — place proximity mines where it moves. When a mine stuns it, switch to a shotgun and hit the exposed weak point on its tail. Collect mines in the area before engaging.
• Ndesu (2-3) — it carries five parasites. Clear the Majini helpers first, then use the mounted turret on the head and the exposed parasites. Watch the turret heat.
• Irving (3-3) — on the patrol boat. Keep firing at exposed weak points as they appear and use the boat's position to avoid tentacle grabs.
• U-8 (5-1) — its armor is tough, so look for faults in its shell and have your partner handle smaller enemies.
• Uroboros Mkono (5-2) — same weaknesses as the first Uroboros: exposed core and fire. Use fire and any tools the arena gives you, then shoot the exposed core with shotguns or magnums.
• Uroboros Aheri (6-2) — regular gunfire does very little. Focus the glowing core and use the environmental tools the fight provides.
• Wesker and Jill (5-3) — both attack when you enter the Monarch room. Wesker is too fast to fight head-on; split up so one player focuses Jill while the other keeps Wesker busy.
• Wesker (6-3) — a multi-stage finale, first in the hangar, then Uroboros Wesker at the volcano. Stay together, use cover, and follow the story prompts. Rocket launchers matter at the very end.

Collectibles

• BSAA emblems — 30 hidden emblems. Many are on walls or in corners you must shoot. Finding them all gives Badge of Honor and helps unlock bonus content.
• Treasures — sold for gold. Some combine with gems for more value. Collecting all gives They Belong in a Museum.
• Figurines — bought in Bonus Features with points. Collecting them all gives They're ACTION Figures!
• Eggs — four types; find all for Egg Hunt.

Mercenaries, Versus and DLC

• The Mercenaries is a timed score-attack mode: kill enemies in a closed arena, grab time bonuses and combo multipliers. It is the replay heart of RE5. Gold Edition adds more playable characters.
• Versus (Gold Edition) has two modes: Slayers (score for killing enemies) and Survivors (player vs player with Majini in the mix).
• Lost in Nightmares is a Chris and Jill prequel at the Spencer estate with a slower, more classic RE feel.
• Desperate Escape is an action-heavy episode with Jill and Josh.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Letting the AI hold all your herbs. It will use them freely.
• Upgrading every weapon a little. Fully upgrade a few instead.
• Running out of slots. Nine slots fill fast; drop duplicate ammo types for guns you don't carry.
• Wasting magnum ammo on regular Majini. Save it for bosses.
• Fighting in the open. Back into corridors so enemies funnel toward you.
• Skipping chapter replays. Farming gold on earlier chapters is the intended way to power up.
• Skipping the GFWL client in older setup guides. Since the February 2023 update GFWL is gone from the Steam version; old advice about GFWL keys and imports no longer applies to fresh installs.

Advanced Tips

• Melee chaining. In co-op, one player staggers and both melee. It saves huge amounts of ammo on higher difficulties.
• Flash grenades kill exposed-parasite enemies instantly and stun groups. Carry one or two in later chapters.
• Chapter farming. Replay a treasure-rich chapter repeatedly to fund upgrades before Professional.
• Infinite ammo unlocks require a fully upgraded weapon plus a finished game, then a purchase in Bonus Features.
• Mercenaries combos. Chain kills quickly to build the combo bonus and time extensions; melee finishers give extra time.
• Split-screen. After the 2023 update, local split-screen co-op works on PC, which is the easiest way to play co-op with a friend on the couch.

FAQ

Can I play RE5 co-op locally on PC? Yes. The February 2023 update added local split-screen co-op to the Steam version.

Do I still need Games for Windows Live? No. The same update removed GFWL support from the Steam version.

How many chapters are there? Sixteen, from 1-1 to 6-3, grouped into six parts.

How do I get the Gold Edition content? Buy the Untold Stories Bundle on Steam. It is equivalent to upgrading to Gold Edition and includes Lost in Nightmares, Desperate Escape, Versus and extra Mercenaries content.

Can I play solo? Yes, with an AI partner. Give it a machine gun or shotgun and ammo, keep most healing on your own character, and switch it to Cover when you need it to stay close.

How do I unlock Professional? Finish the campaign first; Professional is not available on a fresh save. Most players clear Veteran before attempting it anyway.

Sources

• Resident Evil 5 — Wikipedia
• Resident Evil 5 on Steam and news
• Evil Resource — Resident Evil 5 enemies (chapter locations)
• Evil Resource — Resident Evil 5 achievements
• Resident Evil 5 Steam achievements
• Update to Resident Evil 5 (Feb 28, 2023) — GFWL removed, split-screen added
• Gamepressure — Resident Evil 5 walkthrough