Resident Evil Requiem serves as the ninth mainline entry in the legendary survival horror franchise, marking a major milestone for its 30th anniversary. Set for release on February 27, 2026, the game is being developed for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, Windows, and the Nintendo Switch 2. This installment takes the series back to where it all began, returning to the post-nuclear ruins of Raccoon City approximately thirty years after the original incident.

The story introduces a dual-protagonist system that balances two distinct styles of gameplay. Players follow Grace Ashcroft, a technical analyst for the FBI and the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft from Resident Evil Outbreak. Grace is investigating the mysterious Wrenwood Hotel, where her mother died years earlier. Joining her is the iconic veteran agent Leon S. Kennedy, who has been dispatched to the region to track down a former Umbrella scientist named Victor Gideon.

The game is designed to offer two very different experiences depending on which character is being controlled. Grace’s segments are heavily rooted in traditional survival horror, drawing inspiration from Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 7. Because Grace is an introverted bookworm with limited combat training, her gameplay focuses on stealth, evasion, and resource management. She must sneak through environments, hide under objects like tables, and use items like glass bottles to distract enemies. In a classic touch for longtime fans, playing as Grace on specific difficulty settings requires the use of ink ribbons to save the game.

Leon’s portions of the game lean into the action-driven style seen in Resident Evil 4. He is equipped for intense combat, utilizing a variety of firearms and a new tactical hatchet. This hatchet allows Leon to parry incoming attacks, pin enemies against walls, and perform powerful finishing moves. However, the weapon loses sharpness over time and must be maintained with whetstones. A notable addition to Leon’s combat is the ability to pick up and use weapons dropped by enemies, including chainsaws.

The enemies in Requiem present a terrifying evolution of the classic zombie. These creatures are not entirely mindless; they retain faint echoes of their former personalities and habits. Players might encounter a zombie chef attempting to work in a kitchen or a janitor endlessly polishing mirrors. This behavior adds an eerie layer to the atmosphere and provides tactical opportunities for players who observe their patterns. Additionally, the game features a crafting system where Grace must extract blood from infected enemies to create specialized injectors, some of which can prevent corpses from mutating into even more dangerous forms.

From a technical perspective, Resident Evil Requiem is built on the RE Engine and is the first mainline entry to target current-generation hardware exclusively. This allows for advanced visual features such as path tracing, which provides realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections. For the first time, players can also choose to play in either first-person or third-person perspectives at any time, tailoring the experience to their preferred style of play.

Beyond the digital experience, Capcom is celebrating the launch with various collaborations and collectibles. This includes high-end limited-edition watches modeled after those worn by Leon and Grace, a special Resident Evil themed Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, and the first-ever Resident Evil amiibo featuring Grace Ashcroft. For those playing on the Nintendo Switch 2, the game will launch alongside specialized ports of Resident Evil 7 and Resident Evil Village, ensuring players can experience the series' modern history on a single platform.

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