Resident Evil 2 guide for codes, guns, items and more

Resident Evil 2 guide

Welcome to our Resident Evil 2 guide, where you'll find all of the information you need to complete the game and survive the Raccoon City incident, playing as both Leon and Claire. We have a walkthrough that will take you through everything, covering the various weapons, puzzles, keys, items, and more required to complete your assignment without getting chomped in the process.

With some of these items – hip pouches, medallions, safe and locker codes etc – you'll likely find a few of them here and there as you progress, but it's getting everything that's the real challenge. With surprise attacks, the ever-chasing Mr X, and set pieces that can easily make you forget to look for stuff, it's not hard to overlook something vital in the heat of the moment. For that reason, each of these Resident Evil 2 guides will carefully take you through everything you need to know and find, so you won't miss out on anything.

Tips

If you’re after some general Resident Evil 2 tips then this should sort you out. It covers everything from the best ways to deal with zombies, how save ammo and more - things like vital map info you might have missed and a super useful quick turn move that’s perfect for those moments when Mr X appears in front of you without warning and want to [checks notes] ‘give it to you’. 

Safe codes

There are three Resident Evil 2 safes to crack in the game. You’ll want to pop them open as they contain valuable inventory and weapon upgrades that will make life so much easier. Fortunately the codes don’t change during Leon or Claire’s play through so our Resident Evil 2 Safe codes will sort you right out.

Locker codes

The lockers in Resident Evil 2 are like the safes in that they require a code to open, although they generally contain ammo and slightly less important things. Although when you’re down to your last bullet it could make the difference between life and whatever kind of death being a zombie is. Use our Resident Evil 2 locker codes to help you pop those bad boys open. 

Film roll locations 

If you wander around the police station long enough you’re bound to come across a film roll or two in Resident Evil 2 Remake. If you want to know where they are, how to develop them and what the resulting clues you get are for, then use our Resident Evil 2 Film Roll locations to make everything clear. 

Guns

When it comes to guns in Resident Evil 2 you’ve got plenty of choices. That is assuming you can find both the weapons and the upgrades. Do well and you turn a 9mm peashooter into a semi-auto burst fire machine gun. The best Resident Evil 2 guns vary between Leon and Claire’s playthroughs but knowing where to find the best ones and how to max them out is vital to the whole ‘not being dead’ thing. 

Mr Raccoon locations

He’s small, and slightly annoying, but if you can find all the Resident Evil 2 Mr Raccoon locations in the game there’s a trophy or achievement for your efforts. Some are well hidden, and some are only found in a particular character’s playthrough, so use our guide and make sure you don’t miss one.

How to get the shotgun and grenade launcher

Zombies aren’t too much of a problem - they’re easy to dodge and generally about as dangerous as old people complaining. Lickers, though, that’s when you’re going to wish you knew how to get the Resident Evil 2 shotgun and grenade launcher as soon as possible. They are your go to monster killing tools - powerful enough to make problems go away but not so high level that ammo is hard to find. 

Key locations

Resi loves a good door. And it especially loves a good door with a kinky lock. Red Diamond key, Blue Spade key, Green Club key - why open doors normally when you can make it weird? At least with our Resident Evil 2 key locations you can find them all in no time and get out of the police station sooner rather than later. 

Medallion locations 

If you want to get out of the police station in Resident Evil 2 then you’ll have to find three medallions to open a secret passage (again with the weird locks). It’s pretty much the first thing objective you’re given in the game so our guide to all the Resident Evil 2 medallion locations will likely come in handy and save you running down too many dead ends. 

Hip pouch locations 

How much stuff you can carry in Resident Evil 2 Remake is always a big deal. Especially as this is the game that pretty much invented inventory management. For that reason knowing where to find the Resident Evil 2 hip pouch locations should always be a priority. Each one adds two spaces to your carrying capacity and makes the world a better place in general. Pockets!

How to solve the chess plug puzzle

Most of Resident Evil 2’s puzzles involve combinations and inappropriately ornate ornaments. However, about two thirds of the way into the game you’ll find a puzzle involving chess pieces and a riddle. That’s when you’ll really want to know how to solve the Resident Evil 2 chess plug puzzle. Follow our guide and you’ll know how to solve one of the trickiest tests in the game. 

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Leon Hurley
Managing editor for guides

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides, which means I run GamesRadar's guides and tips content. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.