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Resident Evil, known as Bio Hazard[3] (バイオ ハザード Baio Hazādo?) in Japan, is a survival horror video game by Capcom originally released in 1996. Initially released for the PlayStation, ports of the game for the Sega Saturn and Microsoft Windows soon followed.

The first installment in the Resident Evil series, the game introduces series mainstays Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, members of an elite task force known as S.T.A.R.S. At the start of the game, players select one of them as they investigate the disappearance of their fellow team members on the outskirts of Raccoon City. Soon the team finds themselves trapped in an old mansion that is infested with zombies. By solving various puzzles, finding items and exploring the mansion, they uncover clues to solve the mystery, battling the various monsters of the mansion along the way using various firearms. Depending on the player's actions, the game ends in different ways. Resident Evil establishes many conventions seen in earlier games of the series, such as the control scheme, the inventory system as well as the typewriter-based saving process.

Originally conceived as a remake of Capcom's earlier horror-themed game Sweet Home, development for the game was directed by Shinji Mikami who took gameplay design cues from the 1992 game Alone in the Dark. Resident Evil was well received and has been credited with starting the modern survival horror genre. It spawned a multitude of sequels and spin-offs, starting with 1998's Resident Evil 2.

In 2002, a remake of the game was released for the Nintendo GameCube featuring new graphics, voice acting and many gameplay changes. The original game has also been rereleased for the Nintendo DS and onto the PlayStation Network.