Short answer: 3DS or HD?
Both versions tell the same story across the same 12 episodes. The 3DS original is the one to play if you want it on a handheld with stereoscopic 3D, StreetPass missions and the Hell difficulty. Pick Revelations HD if you care more about Infernal mode, a bigger Raid Mode roster with HUNK and Rachael, a sharper picture on a TV, or a copy you can still buy digitally.
| If you want… | Play this |
|---|---|
| Stereoscopic 3D on a handheld | 3DS |
| StreetPass missions | 3DS |
| Hell difficulty, with Illegal Custom Parts and extra Ammo Cases | 3DS |
| Infernal difficulty and Legendary Custom Parts | HD |
| HUNK and Rachael in Raid Mode | HD |
| Online Raid Mode co-op in 2026 | HD, best on Switch, PS4, Xbox One or PC (3DS online play ended on April 8, 2024) |
| A new digital copy in 2026 | HD (the 3DS eShop stopped selling games on March 27, 2023) |
What stays the same
The story and episode structure carried over to HD. You still play 12 episodes split into 26 scenes, switching between Jill and Parker on the Queen Zenobia and Chris and Jessica elsewhere, and the Genesis scanner still turns up hidden items. The campaign is not identical: HD added the Infernal difficulty, which moves enemies and items around. The S-rank clear times on this site are the 3DS ones and have not been checked against HD.
The weapons table has 26 entries for the 3DS game. That count includes the knife and the throwables and lists the regular and infinite rocket launchers separately, so 26 is a table count, not an official gun count. The custom parts page lists 78 parts. Capcom said HD adds more parts and more character skills. The part values here are 3DS values, and HD may differ. New Game+ is on both: the 3DS title menu calls it "Start a new game with all your old weapons and equipment."
Hell on 3DS, Infernal in HD
The hardest difficulty is the biggest gameplay change. The 3DS game has three settings, and the title menu describes them as Casual, "Provides a slight challenge," Normal, "Provides a hearty challenge," and Hell, "Tests the limits of your sanity."
Hell brings tougher enemies and a harder version of the wire puzzle. It is also where the Illegal Custom Parts turn up. There are five kinds of Ammo Case, and they are not limited to Hell. On Normal you can find a Handgun Ammo Case at the bridge in Episode 2-2 and in the casino in Episode 4-1. Hell places extra cases, so your ammo limit can go higher than on the easier settings. The game describes the Illegal Custom Parts as a "Rare case containing strong parts for firearm customization."
HD drops Hell and puts Infernal in its place. Infernal moves enemies and items to new spots and hides Legendary Custom Parts. Neither Infernal nor Legendary parts exist in the 3DS game; both are HD only. If you have already cleared Hell on 3DS, Infernal is the main reason to play the campaign again in HD.
Raid Mode: ten characters on 3DS
The 3DS Raid Mode roster has ten characters: Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Parker Luciani, Keith Lumley, Jessica Sherawat, Quint Cetcham, Raymond Vester, Clive R. O'Brian, Morgan Lansdale and Jack Norman. The connection menu offers solo play, Nintendo 3DS Local Play and Online Play. The shop takes Play Coins as well as BP; its help line reads "Use BP and Play Coins to shop."
HD keeps the stages and adds more: new characters such as HUNK and Rachael, extra skills, more weapon parts and a new enemy type, the Wall Blister. HUNK and Rachael are not selectable Raid characters on 3DS. Rachael is in the 3DS text only as a target, in goals such as "Defeat Rachael" and "Defeat Infected Rachael." Stage lists, drops and the full shop are on our Raid Mode page.
What only the 3DS version has
Stereoscopic 3D
The 3DS version runs in stereoscopic 3D, and its options menu has an extra "Enhance 3D depth" setting with Normal, Strong and Very Strong levels on top of the system slider. HD is flat on every platform. A Nintendo 2DS or New 2DS XL plays the same game in 2D.
Four control types
The options menu offers four control types, A to D. The menu sums up Type A as "Basic controls." Type B lets the Circle Pad strafe. In Type C, "A, B, X, and Y control the camera," and you swap weapons on the Touch Screen. Type D is listed as "Controls for the Circle Pad Pro." When the game recognizes a Circle Pad Pro it says "Controls will be set to Type D," and when you remove it, your previous control type comes back.
| Type | What changes |
|---|---|
| A | "Basic controls." |
| B | The Circle Pad can strafe |
| C | A, B, X and Y move the camera |
| D | Uses the Circle Pad Pro's second stick and ZL/ZR |
On a New Nintendo 3DS or New 2DS XL, the built-in C-Stick and ZL/ZR buttons do the Circle Pad Pro's job, so Type D works without the accessory. The options also cover the gyro sensor, aiming speed and the aiming perspective. In Europe the game was sold in a bundle with the Circle Pad Pro, and outside Japan it was the first game to support the accessory.
StreetPass missions
The Missions menu, "Receive missions (for StreetPass)," lets you pick up missions from other players you pass. The five Infection missions only clear through StreetPass:
| Mission | Requirement in the game |
|---|---|
| Infection: T-Virus | StreetPass with 10 people. |
| Infection: G-Virus | StreetPass with 20 people who have an "Infection" mission. |
| Infection: T-Veronica | StreetPass with 8 people who have the same mission. |
| Infection: T-Abyss virus | StreetPass with 10 people who have an "Infection" mission. |
| Infection: Progenitor | StreetPass with 4 people who have the same mission. |
StreetPass is a local feature, so it still works today. You and the other player both need StreetPass turned on for this game and wireless communication on. The game does not have to be running, and the 3DS can swap data in Sleep Mode. The other mission types, including the kill missions, are on our missions page.
What Revelations HD adds
Revelations HD came out on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PC in May 2013 (May 21 in North America, May 24 in Europe). Capcom's additions for HD were the Infernal difficulty, new costumes, new Raid Mode characters and skills, more custom parts, the Wall Blister, shorter load times, more save slots and reworked textures and lighting. The Wii U version uses the GamePad as a second screen.
The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions came out on August 29, 2017 with all the earlier downloadable content included, and they add a harder Raid Mode stage remix, The Ghost Ship: Chaos. The Nintendo Switch version followed on November 28, 2017. It also includes the earlier DLC and adds motion aiming with the Joy-Con and a short shooting minigame, Ghost Ship Panic, that pays out BP for Raid Mode. Costume details for each version are in our outfits guide.
Raid Mode online and local play after April 2024
Nintendo shut down online play for 3DS and Wii U games at 5 p.m. PDT on April 8, 2024. That ended Online Play in the 3DS Raid Mode and in the Wii U version of HD. Nintendo 3DS Local Play still works because it doesn't use the internet, and so does StreetPass. For online Raid Mode today, play HD on Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One or PC. The PS4, Xbox and Steam store pages still list online play. Whether the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions can still connect is unconfirmed.
How to play each version in 2026
The Nintendo eShop on 3DS stopped selling games on March 27, 2023. If you bought Revelations there before that date, Nintendo says you can still download it again for now. Otherwise you need a cartridge. 3DS systems are region-locked, so the cartridge has to match the console's region. Any system in the family will run it: original 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, New 3DS, New 3DS XL or New 2DS XL.
The 3DS version came out on January 26, 2012 in Japan, January 27 in Europe and February 7 in North America. Metacritic lists it at 82. For a version you can still buy new, HD is sold on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC through Steam.