Capcom has announced that Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (2017) has shipped 7.5 million units. This new figure, when combined with official in-game player stats, suggests that the game has achieved an impressive milestone of reaching more than 1.25 million PSVR players, making it perhaps the most successful VR title on any single platform.

Update (May 19th, 2020): The latest official figure from Capcom puts the sales of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard at 7.5 million units, showing continued growth since 6.8 million units at the time of our last check in 2019. The share of PSVR players according to official stats has also risen from 15.96% to 17.09%, continuing a steady upward trend which suggests that the game’s long tail is increasingly comprised of VR players on PS4.

The article below has been updated with new analysis on the latest figures, revealing that the game’s PSVR player base could be as large as some 1,280,000 players.

The success of the game’s VR mode, which is only available on PlayStation, makes it surprising that we still haven’t seen the release of the VR mode for the PC version of the game.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is not a VR-only game. Available on PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch, the game was built primarily for traditional displays, but, on PlayStation only, the game has a VR mode which allows it to be played from start to finish on Sony’s PSVR headset. That VR mode has received surprising praise for a game not built specifically for VR, and has seemingly propelled the game to be among the most successful titles on any single VR platform (whether ‘made-for-VR’ or just ‘VR-capable’).

SEE ALSO
5 Million PlayStation VR Units Sold, Sony Announces

Since the launch of the game we’ve been checking in on the official Resident Evil 7 stats from Capcom which explicitly state how many VR players the game has seen:

  • January 2017: 81,000
  • May 2017: 206,000
  • May 2018: 452,000
  • May 2019: 662,000
  • May 2020: 886,000
resident-evil-7
‘Resident Evil 7: Biohazard’ takes the historically third-person series into a first-person perspective.

But there’s a catch. The official stats are only based on data from users who specifically opt-in to share them, which means they represent only a subset of the actual figures. The latest figures from Capcom however show that the game has shipped 7.5 million units across all platforms.

That number gives us some additional insight into the full scope of the data. Specifically, it lets us adjust the total number of players from the game’s opt-in data (presently 5.2 million players) up to 7.5 million players. And since we know that now 17.09% of the 5.2 million opt-in players are PSVR players, we can reason that a similar percentage of the total players are also PSVR players, which would put a best guess of the game’s total PSVR playerbase around 1.28 million players.

To put the numbers into perspective, the single best selling VR game we’re aware of is Beat Saber, which announced it had sold more than 2 million copies across all major VR platforms back in March; Resident Evil 7 has likely reached more than 1.25 million VR players on PSVR alone.

Another way to put the number of Resident Evil 7 figures into perspective is a rough estimate of the revenue contribution from PSVR players which—if our best guess is 1.28 million—comes out to $50 million (assuming average price is 65% of MSRP to account for reduced pricing over time). Of course, we can’t account for the number of PSVR owners who happened to buy the game and only tried the VR mode as a novelty versus the number of owners who bought the game specifically for its VR support.

It’s also worth acknowledging an important variable that we can’t control in the 1.28 million player estimate, which is the potential difference in opt-in rates between different platforms. It could be that PSVR users are more likely to opt-in to data collection than other player groups; it also could be that they are less likely—we don’t have a good reason right now to bet one way or the other, so it’s an unknown. That opt-in rate could adjust the 1.28 million PSVR player figure up or down.

Even if we scrap the extrapolations, the official count of 886,000 VR players on a game available only on one headset speaks well of both the size of the PSVR install base, and the power of a AAA production tied to a well known IP to attract VR players hungry for content.

No matter which figure you look at, that makes Resident Evil 7 a surprising VR success, especially for a game that’s only playable in VR on one headset, and not actually designed specifically for VR in the first place.

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Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • Herb Derb

    I would imagine this will sell bucket loads once it hits steam and oculus home.
    I have it on PC but after playing up to the first boss have decided to wait for vr support for my oculus, horror is exceptional in vr but AAA horror non existent so worth the wait.

    • NooYawker

      The first AAA VR games will all sell bucket loads. we’re all waiting for them. How many people dropped hundreds of dollars already on tech demos and short games.

      • Gazmeister

        Play resi 7…it’s triple A alright!

      • Mane Vr

        no it won’t the install isn’t there we got to remember that at most their r 2 mill hmd in the hands of gamer and one mil is on the psvr alone we need to get to about 10 mil to get the attention of the big devs for a true full blown aaa game but until then when ports come out we should be the good one in mass to show the there is a market for it and maybe this time next yr we’ll get more. as much as I hate that we’ll be charge full price for fall4 vr even if u have the game already I recommend we all buy it I bet activision, EA, and T2 are all watching the numbers. indie vr devs should be standing at the ready to offer services in porting the games to vr this will get them funding and their can experiment with these port learning how to make a great aaa vr only game then jump back out and make their own great game

    • ShiftyInc

      You just have to wait till November, then the exclusivity with PSVR ends and they are open to launch it on PC as well.

    • Toby Zuijdveld

      Third party devs have indicated that PCVR sales equate to roughly half that of PSVR sales, so when this releases on PC we can fairly expect only another ~300,000 units shipped as a result. At least that will push them over the 5 million milestone, so that’s something for Capcom to look forward to.

  • MrGreen72

    It’s an amazing VR experience that proves that the whole “games have to be designed for VR from the ground up” is complete rubbish. Adding well executed VR modes to AAA games like this is an excellent way to kick-start the VR market.

    • EvilScrooge

      And yet, every other developer claims that games involving walking around should be banished from the VR world completely. Teleporting around ain’t immersive and all the “turret section” games they’ve made are no fun.
      Now I hope for Fallout 4 will deliver in that department.

      • Gazmeister

        Let those developers churn out a title that matches resident evil 7’s VR and then we’ll see.

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      • AndyP

        I’ve played this on friends PSVR, it’s amazing, terrifying and a great experience for an old Res fan – it’s like being part of the game. Have a copy on PC and can’t wait to play it on Rift, wish they would hurry up and release it!

      • MaeseDude

        Not all other developers. Farpoint feels amazing with completely free locomotion using the Aim controller. I’m also looking forward to Skyrim; and am secretly hoping for new Move 2.0 controllers with thumbsticks…

      • impurekind

        I get why they say this, and they’re very much right to a certain degree, but as I mentioned above:

        “What it REALLY, REALLY needs, in my opinion, is a version of Google’s brilliant tunneling system, specifically as seen in Google Earth VR, implemented so players can basically turn it on to eliminate motion sickness entirely while freely moving around in first person in the game. The game made me motion sick in seconds when I tried to play it before, and I’d love to see a solution like this implemented so I can actually play it properly. Although that’s kinda unlikely even if Capcom does add proper tunneling because I’m basically too scared to leave the first room of the game anyway–but you get the point.”

        So, the solution to the motion-sickness-while-free-moving-in-first-person-in-VR problem already exists–it just requires more developers actually bothering to implement it.

        • EvilScrooge

          So the solution to the situation basically narrows to giving a damn about the players who want to give it a chance! Catering to only some guys is not doing much for VR. I never got sick from the full motion, but I know personally people who found the tunnel vision to be extremely helpful solution (my little niece and sister) while they actually hate just standing around and dance in one place. Of course even I can get sick from VR when I have smooth turning on and turn my hand around. That’s because my brain can’t tell if that’s my body that turns or the head. Implementing degree rotation eliminates the issue completely. The problem is – they don’t want to accommodate for so many people and instead just opt for finding some magical solution that won’t require too much work and shuts people with nausea up for good.

    • Gazmeister

      I fully agree. This came out of the blue and completely blew me away. Best VR Experience ever and I have tried a lot (Vive). Many mention VORPX style implementation as a negative, but as a player and somebody who enjoys a fun game – I really don’t care what you call the implementation. This game is triple A in the VR department and deserves all the success for it! Now allow PC players to use their headsets and watch VR get a much needed boost.

    • Fear Monkey

      There are so many games that would be amazing in VR, it would give new life to older games. Even Retro games would be awesome, as some Retro inspired games have shown like Crystal Rift.

    • muchrockness

      RE7 -was- designed from the ground up, even the game engine. So it actually just reinforces that advice.

      • Toby Zuijdveld

        Actually no, in interviews they have stated that the game was in development before they decided to see how it played in VR. They got a good vibe from it and decided to build it into the game fully.

        Of course there’s a lot to be said for VR to be fit into a game while it’s still in development (which is a world of difference from trying to shoehorn VR into a finished title), but it was not from the ground up.

    • Mane Vr

      this is what I been saying from the start this game along with serious sam vr tfe and tse has show that the built from the game up has always been bs. VR need ports of big titles in their current form to get past this slow start. when people ask me about vr the first thing they ask is what can u play on it when I say raw data and Arizona sunshine they lose interests but when I add Re7 their eyes light up cause now they can picture what it might be like in vr… indies games isn’t going to get us to mass adaptation. most of them are losing investors and can’t make money in vr and last thing we need is a slowdown in developing games

    • Mateusz Pawluczuk

      I agree, though RE7 was simultanously developed for both VR and non-VR which is different from slapping a VR mode on an existing title.

    • impurekind

      It’s cool, but what it REALLY, REALLY needs, in my opinion, is a version of Google’s brilliant tunneling system, specifically as seen in Google Earth VR, implemented so players can basically turn it on to eliminate motion sickness entirely while freely moving around in first person in the game. The game made me motion sick in seconds when I tried to play it before, and I’d love to see a solution like this implemented so I can actually play it properly. Although that’s kinda unlikely even if Capcom does add proper tunneling because I’m basically too scared to leave the first room of the game anyway–but you get the point.

    • impurekind

      It’s fine, but actually making the movement and controls work fully in/for VR would take it to the next level. It’s not even close to something like Alyx in terms of that level of control execution.

  • Nadim Alam

    Hats off the level and environment team of RE7! What a phenomenal job they did, really. You dont appreciate it in normal mode, but when inside VR every single detail they added stands out. They really went all out and level of detail is just mind blowing, i see myself constantly stop every 5-10 seconds just to stare at and explore the environment. From the peeled off wallpaper, the vomit worthy food, greasy windows, broken walls and structures, the messy tables and floors, its just so detailed. And that door mechanic is simply astonishing too. It must have really taken them a very long time to get that sort of detail in.

    Ive said this before in many places and ill say this again but RE7 has to be the best video game experience that ive had in years, and that is a huge accomplishment! Im not going to lie, owning rift and vive, i only purchased PSVR for one game and i can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that it was worth every single penny and id do it again! I just couldn’t wait for a year or two for it to become available on the other headsets (if it ever does), so im very happy with my decision and feel it was the right decision.

    • Toby Zuijdveld

      The texture bump mapping is incredible, too. If you swing the knife enough it can start to look like you’re cutting into bone, yet it just looks flat on a regular screen.

      • Tiago Magnavita

        Really? then im from another planet man, i coudn’t play it for more than 30 minutes….graphics so freaking ugly, one of the most ugliest games i ever played in vr.

        • Nads

          I’m pretty sure something must have been wrong with your setup!! I’ve played pretty much everything in VR, but RE7 is definetly one of the best looking for VR games out there.

        • Toby Zuijdveld

          Yes, really.

    • Tiago Magnavita

      have you ever tried it a vive with 2 gtx 1080 in fallout 4 vr?

  • Stuart Grant

    It’ll be interesting to see what the DIrt Rally PSVR addition does for sales of that title. I know I’ve read of numerous people who have bought a PSVR just to play that (similarly to RE7). Picked the VR add-on to Dirt Rally myself and can’t stop playing it. So much better than drive club. And it’s another example of a FULL game translated to VR that works brilliantly. If only they do that with Fallout 4 now…

    • Fear Monkey

      I bought a used copy when I heard it was coming to PSVR and then bought the patch and will probably buy some additional DLC. If more companies would follow suit, id be buying their titles as well. Taking a older title and adding VR would definitely get 2nd looks and buys from people that wouldnt have otherwise bought it like myself.

    • Toby Zuijdveld

      They haven’t released any stats I’m aware of and DR4 didn’t receive the same treatment, so it’s possible that it didn’t boost sales as much as they’d hoped :(

  • DrakeDoesn’tWrite

    Vive owner here. This is great news for fans of VR regardless of the Headset. IT’S HERE TO STAY!

    • Multiplataformgamerz

      agree my fellow VR gamer

  • Del Ad Ben

    I just finished a full playthrough on PSVR… and… wow. This is the “killer app” everyone has been looking for. This is the definitive VR experience. A real AAA title with a great story and gameplay.

    I was a bit timid as I’ve tried other first person games in VR (Tomb Raider Blood Ties, Robinson: The Journey) and they typically made me a little nauseated, but I had none of that in RE7 using the 30 degree turning. Smooth turning is still nauseating, but I quickly got used to the pie turning. I played for hours at a time and loved every minute of it.

    As Nadim Alam posted in these comments the details are astounding. I could even see the nutrition labeling on a bag of food. it was amazing and everything I had hoped VR would be ever since I stepped into a Virtuality 1000 machine at a Commodore Amiga show in 1990. THIS is what I bought a PSVR for. We need to see many more games like this. It can be done.

    • Gazmeister

      I could have written this. I fully agree with you! VR’s killer app! I’m not a fanboy ranting about how great resident evil is, but this game is the best reason to own a VR headset (any!).

    • Fear Monkey

      I recommend trying here they Lie next, its not as scary as RE7, but the environments are amazing at times. Its more of a walking simulator than Re7 but its very good.

  • Fear Monkey

    Just finished Resident Evil 7 and played it mostly in VR but played some in regular mode as I wanted to see the difference. ill be doing a 2nd playthough in straight VR. It’s a great game on the TV, but the dread and anxiety you feel in VR is amazing. Looking into a dark hallway is a different feeling in VR……….. I also recommend Here they lie for PSVR, not as scary but the atmosphere is fantastic, and its getting a PS PRO patch this week!

    • Andrew Mcevoy

      Cant wait to play Res Evil 7 onPC. I am a big jessy with horror in vr though so doubt I’ll finish it

  • Thomas Phifer

    Can anyone explain to me why Capcom has to play all these math and statistics games just to figure out how many actual players they have? They can’t see how many users log into their game servers or something? Why is it so difficult to get an accurate count of active users? It seems gathering those data would be simple these days.

    • benz145

      They aren’t playing any games, collecting the data is easy. The reason some extrapolation is required is because only a portion of users opt-in to data collection.

      • Thomas Phifer

        Thanks. Makes sense.

  • Luke

    PC relase date?

    • ShiftyInc

      Nothing is known yet, no announcements. But the exclusivity deal ends on November.

  • NooYawker

    Imagine how much they’d sell if they released it for pc vr.

    • Mane Vr

      1 mil maybe 1.5 mil we keep forgetting that there isn’t a lot of hmd sold on the pc side of things even with 2 hmd on the market psvr is well over a mil by now the last time someone guess the numbers on the pc side both combine was just over .5 mil i’m sure by now they hit mil but that is more a hope that they have

    • Toby Zuijdveld

      Probably about the same, given that the combined install base for Rift and Vive is less than the install base for PSVR.

    • Toby Zuijdveld

      Third party devs have since indicated that PCVR sales equate to roughly half that of PSVR sales, so when this releases on PC we can fairly expect only another ~300,000 units shipped as a result. At least that will push them over the 5 million milestone, so that’s something for Capcom to look forward to.

  • Andy McEvoy

    When is this motherfluffin game coming out on PC??! :D

  • GigaSora

    Cool. Now release it for Vive and Oculus.

    • VRgameDevGirl

      I know right!!!???? Even if I shit my pants playing it in VR. Lol

  • Toby Zuijdveld

    “The success of the game’s VR mode, which is only available on PlayStation, makes us wonder if we could see an eventual release of the VR mode for PC headsets like the Rift and Vive.”
    Not been paying attention, eh? It’s well known that RE7 is only a timed exclusive to PSVR.

    • benz145

      According to whom?

      • Toby Zuijdveld

        Third party devs have indicated that PCVR sales equate to roughly half that of PSVR sales, so when this releases on PC we can fairly expect only another ~300,000 units shipped as a result. At least that will push them over the 5 million milestone, so that’s something for Capcom to look forward to.

  • Lucidfeuer

    As far as AAA VR title go, this is a very well done one. Up close encounters with family members are always scary.

  • Ragbone

    Still waiting for the PC VR version…graphics will probably be even more outdated by then lol.

  • VRgameDevGirl

    I really, really hope this comes out for VIVE!!!!! With motion controller support.

    • Jerald Doerr

      I thought theres a hack to get it to work with the vive…

      • VRgameDevGirl

        If u use VorpX. And want to vomit all over. I need motion controls and full room scale.

  • Sky Castle

    I really don’t care about these PSVR stats. I just want RE7 on my Rift and Vive already. Then we’ll talk numbers or whatever you want.

  • Andrew McEvoy

    Pc version please. Seriously.

  • NooYawker

    Hmmm.. it’s 2018 and still won’t work with Vive or rift.

  • AndyP

    Please let us have it on Rift and Vive, please!

  • Zachary Scott Dickerson

    And when will this be released for HTC Vive?

  • impurekind

    I wonder why Capcom hasn’t saw fit to release Resident Evil VR for the likes of the Rift and Vive already….

    Also: “It’s cool, but what it REALLY, REALLY needs, in my opinion, is a version of Google’s brilliant tunneling system, specifically as seen in Google Earth VR, implemented so players can basically turn it on to eliminate motion sickness entirely while freely moving around in first person in the game. The game made me motion sick in seconds when I tried to play it before, and I’d love to see a solution like this implemented so I can actually play it properly. Although that’s kinda unlikely even if Capcom does add proper tunneling because I’m basically too scared to leave the first room of the game anyway–but you get the point.” – from my other comment/reply

  • Bitekr

    I am one of the 400,000 plus players who purchased the game specifically to play on PSVR. I bought gold edition with all DLCs which are also in VR. The game is amazing VR. Playing this game on standard TV just does not do it for me. The experience is just not the same. Capcom created absolutely amazing first gen VR experience. VR terror is just breath taking. This game is genuinely terrifying in VR. VR is the gaming future.

  • All this shows is how STARVING people are for good VR games. These demos and samplers aren’t cutting it. My interest in VR was slipping before Skyrim VR and Fallout VR. Now I can’t put my headset down! I logged over 150 hours in Skyrim before VR, and yet I find myself playing all of the same stuff again, utterly RIVETED! I’ve spent more time in Skyrim VR then all of my other VR experiences combined, twice over. I’ve been in it for 4 to 8 hours, every night since I bought the game less then a month ago.

  • Tiago Magnavita

    i tried….i’m a vive user and honestly the game is so fucking ugly in psvr,.. the graphic’s in vr is so freaking ugly that i coudn’t play it for more than 15 minutes, I have a copy for my ps4 of normal resident evil 7 and it looks great but in VR is ugly that i will not play it until it comes out for VIVE or RIFT. I Refuse to play a ps4 game with the ps2 graphics just because is in VR.. Sorry about my english, speak from Brazil. I played Paranormal Activity, a amazing experience, played Syren, another awesome experience, fallout 4 VR and other titles who offer’s great graphics and a lot of fun. If you have a powerfull pc you can even force the render to 4k resolution in each eye.

    PSVR is a waste of time, waste of money, can’t understand how you guys liked it! I sold my and now i only have a vive.

  • JQ

    Just do it already! I want to play it in VR first time I play it.

  • JesperL

    Need a PC version!

  • Uncle Right

    While Philip Spencer claims VR is not needed, it is isolating experience. F… IDIOT!!!!!!

    • Leon Jimenez

      Yeah isolated in a creepy house and a psycho family

  • Gonzax

    They should port it to PC and add real motion controllers, it would turn an already amazing game into something really special. I played it back in the day and it was mind blowing even with a controller but I have to admit I replayed it recently and while the game was still brilliant, the controls, now that I’m used to the Index and Rift, sucked big time, playing with a PS4 controller is far from immersive. Great game, anyway.

  • Ragbone

    …and its still not on pc in vr, and most probably never will be. Can a fan mod it to make this happen since the developers won’t?

  • impurekind

    Good stuff.

  • Totius

    Why they have decided to do not port it to PC VR? That is very sad

  • οκ

    I think the 18% share is more important than the 1 million players number. Its just insane!

  • ITALI-LORI-MONTI

    molto bene.allora,visto non gli mancano i soldi,cosa aspettano a fare re8 VR???……

  • namekuseijin

    I finally bought it, yet to actually play though. so, 1+

  • NooYawker

    And they still won’t release it for other VR systems. The flat game is available, why not just make the VR available as well??

    • Sion12

      Maybe Sony bought the exclusive(not timed)

  • Ardra Diva

    the first time you experience it anyway, VR horror is extremely visceral and frightening. There’s going to be some heart attacks. These games will need disclaimers, some of them at least. Since the programmers can know what direction you’re looking the monster can ALWAYS be behind you. When I got my GearVR i went through a slew of horror apps (the GearVR store absolutely dwarfs the one for the Rift) and some of them were much scarier than watching a movie.

  • Jonathan Winters III

    PSVR is on track to have sold around 7 million units by end of Q1 next year. Sony will announce that soon.

  • Ragbone

    The announcement of Resident Evil VR coming on the PC was a cake.

  • impurekind

    Latest figures suggest they should f’n release this on the other VR headsets already!

  • AJ_74

    I’m pretty sure that Skyrim VR surpassed this given that it hit the million mark in 2018, but that only reinforces the point I and other VR fans have been making for years; VR should have been the display technology future of all video games, not several new platforms with platform-specific games for each.

    Video games are entertainment. People only have so much time and money to spend on entertainment, and content creators only have so many resources to dedicate to creating an entertainment experience. 3D is a good analogy here. 3D failed not because 3D wasn’t an immersive and enjoyable way to watch movies

    • benz145

      Skyrim VR may in fact have passed it, but Skyrim VR is available on multiple VR platforms. The unique thing about RE7’s VR mode is how successful it’s been on a single platform.

  • brandon9271

    Years later and still no PC VR version.. DICKS!

  • sfmike

    Amazing success on a platform that has SOOooooo many technical limitations with the tracking. Can’t wait for PSVR 2.0 to come out. The Sony VR catalog is great but the tracking sucks. The sales numbers show the power of VR and how it’s not just a fad.

  • ITALI-LORI-MONTI

    la più bella esperienza di videogiochi della mia vita! VOGLIO RE 8 VR!