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Resident Evil 4 Remake, like its predecessors, times how long it takes for a player to complete the game. Completing the game as quickly as possible earns a higher rating after the credits roll, along with some amazing perks for subsequent runs! Achieving the highest ranks, S and S+, requires in-depth knowledge of the game and some impressive skills.
Of course, it’s much easier to earn a higher rank if you know what the requirements are to begin with! Read on to find out what you need to do in order to achieve each rank at each difficulty level - can you manage an S+ rating?
Updated May 12, 2025, by Sean Murray:Lookin' for how to get S+ rank in RE4 Remake? This guide will give you the specific requirements and a few helpful tips for getting there. We’ve also updated this guide’s formatting to be a little easier to read, given it a few more tips, and also more links to other helpful RE4 Remake topics.
How Is Rank Determined?
While the requirements vary between the difficulty settings themost important factor in determining your rating is the in-game clock.The clock starts as soon as you begin a new playthrough and ends when Leon and Ashley escape through the mouth of the Island cave on the jet ski.
Any time you load a previous savefrom the same playthrough, whether it’s because you died or decided to start a section over,the timer carries on without reverting!
The highest rank,S+,has additional restrictionsthat make it even more challenging. If you don’t meet the requirements for any of the listed ranks at your chosen difficulty, the game defaults to giving you a B rating.
All Rank Requirements In Resident Evil 4 Remake
Take a look at the charts below to find out what you’ll need to do in order to achieve each rank! Note that for S+ rank on all difficulties, you muststart a new playthroughwithout carrying over any equipment from a previous run. However,bonus equipment unlocked through Challenges and Deluxe Edition content is allowed.
S+
Assisted Difficulty is best for absolute beginnersto Resident Evil or shooters in general. Aim assist corrects Leon’s aim so that you have fewer near misses, you’ll receive more ammo from crafting, and if Leon’s health bar reaches the red danger zone, he’ll recover automatically if you avoid damage for a while.
Standard Difficulty is the baseline setting for the game. While the game won’t provide you with any help, it also doesn’t throw any curveballs at you either. If you’re having trouble on Standard Difficulty, the game will allow you to switch to Assisted when you receive a Game Over.
Hardcore Difficulty isrecommended for experienced Resident Evil playersor for those who have already completed the game at least once. Enemies are slightly more numerous, deal more damage, and have more health. The Merchant also charges twice as much for some items, notably theFirst Aid Spray.
Professional Difficulty isenough to challenge even the best RE4 Remake players. Not only are enemies even tougher than they are on Hardcore, but you can no longer parry with Leon’s knife unless you perfectly time your input. Furthermore,autosave is disabled, meaning if you die you’ll have to go back to the last manual save you created.
That last part is what makes achieving S+ on Professional such an extraordinary challenge.Limiting the player to fifteen savesmeans that you’re only really allowed to save between chapters, and going back to the beginning of any chapter all but guarantees that you won’t reach the end in under five-and-a-half hours.
Realistically, it means you need tocomplete the game perfectly, without dying, on the highest possible difficulty setting.
Tips For Getting S+ Rank
Getting an S+ rank on any difficulty is worth some serious bragging rights. The only way to pull it off is toignore everything that isn’t essential to completing the game.If you can escape a fight without killing every enemy, do so. If you don’t need a hidden treasure, leave it behind.
It’s best to avoid the Merchant as much as possible and toknow exactly what you’re buying and selling ahead of timewhen you do visit him.
Of course, you’ll need to do some shopping so that you aren’t stuck with Leon’s starting gear for most of the game. We recommendlimiting your treasures tothose that can be sold for full valuewithout taking the time to inlay gems. You’ll also want toignore all Merchant Requests, even the ones that are easily completed along the main path.
Upgrade your preferred weapons as much as possible, but save the rest of your cash for a rocket launcher. Use it toone-shot Saddler in the final battle, immediately ending a long and drawn-out fight.
Accessoriesunlocked in earlier playthroughs,like the Cat EarsorChicken Hat,provide powerful buffsat the cost of looking slightly ridiculous, andthey’reallowed on S+ runs.Use them to reduce your chance of dying, because a single Game Over can keep you from S+, especially on Professional.
If you need to take a break - nature calls, the doorbell rings, or you’re getting dehydrated - be sure togo to the pause screen and not the inventory screen.Thepause screenstops the clock, letting you come back fresh and ready to keep going. It’s really the only bone that the game throws you during an S+ attempt, so don’t be afraid to use it!
You canskip the majority of Ashley’s section in Chapter Nine if youalready know how to set the clocks.This locks Leon out of getting lots of treasure later, but you won’t have time to collect it anyway, so don’t sweat it!
How To Perform The Farm Skip
When you reach the Farmafter the village fightat the beginning of the game, you normally have to climb through the windmill to enter the barn, then fight a Brute to make your escape with the Wooden Cog. With thisclever skip, you can insteadbreak into the barn through the rearandabscond with the cog before the Brute even appears!
When you first see the barn,look for a small window on the right side.If you haven’t alerted any enemies yet, a Ganada will be standing next to it.Quietly eliminate her, then aim through the window with your pistol.
With the correct angle, you canshoot the padlock on the inside of the back door; listen for a metallic sound to know that you’ve made the shot. With the lock broken, you canenter the rear door of the barn.Simply collect the Wooden Cog from the table and climb up the ladder!
The wooden platform outside the upper window leads to the windmill, where you caninstall the cogandoperate the leverto open the gate forward.
