The Resident Evil 3 Nemesis takes place during the events of Resident Evil 2 in the midwestern town of Raccoon City, which has been overrun with undead created by the T-virus thanks to William Birkin and Umbrella Inc. The player must guide Jill Valentine out of the city alive while interacting with three stranded Umbrella mercenaries who aid or hinder her progress. A relentless killing machine known as Nemesis stands in their way, determined to hunt down and kill the survivors of Resident Evil, including Jill.
The gameplay involves third-person action-adventure elements with polygonal characters on pre-rendered backgrounds using cinematic camera angles. The game improves upon its predecessors with features such as auto-targeting, a 180-degree spin, and a new dodge move that allows Jill to avoid enemy attacks. Another addition is Jill's ability to create different kinds of ammunition by mixing together three types of gunpowder found throughout the game.
The Resident Evil 3 Nemesis features a randomization system that changes the location of certain key items and ammo, as well as two choices for some situations that affect later story and even the game ending. The zombies have been made more diverse, with an increase in the number of polygons in character models. The PC version offers improved graphics, including up to 1600 X 1200 at 32 bits, while the PC and Dreamcast versions include special features such as skip cutscenes and door loading animation.