Every Resident Evil game on iPhone just got worse
A scary change has made the iPhone ports of Capcom's Resident Evil games a lot worse
😫 Capcom has made a change to its Resident Evil games on iPhone
😡 An internet connection is now required when starting the games
🛜 It means you won’t be able to boot them up unless you have WiFi
✋ Users are demanding refunds and urging others not to purchase the games
Capcom’s Resident Evil games on iPhone haven’t sold well, but things could get even worse for the mobile ports thanks to a new, unwanted change.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max versions of Resident Evil 4, Resident Evil Village, and Resident Evil 7 now require an internet connection to play, which has led to some players requesting a refund.
The change was spotted on the iOSGaming subreddit, with the latest update from Capcom saying: “Due to changes to the startup process, an internet connection is now required when starting this app.”
Requiring an internet connection defeats one of the best aspects of mobile gaming, as you’ll often be playing in areas where no internet connection is available like on a plane. By forcing players to connect to the internet, the Resident Evil games on iPhone are far less appealing.
Capcom hasn’t explained why it made the controversial change, though it could be due to DRM checks (digital rights management). Either way, this isn’t the type of update that will help a series that has failed to find an audience on Apple’s devices.
As it stands, users are urging other players not to update the game. The backlash comes ahead of Apple’s iPhone 16 launch event, which is bound to focus on the next phone’s gaming capabilities. But, if no one buys the games, don’t expect much more support from the biggest publishers like Capcom – even if the company isn’t doing itself any favors.
Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.