Resident Evil Requiem, the ninth mainline entry in the Resident Evil series, is just a few months away from release. After its announcement stole the show at Summer Games Fest, we’ve been getting more and more news about the upcoming survival horror game. It’s looking like Resident Evil Requiem is set to provide a mix of series mainstays and fresh additions. In its reveal we've seen classic locations like Raccoon City and references to Resident Evil Outbreak, alongside a totally new protagonist.
From the newest trailers, to the release date, to all the latest updates on the story and gameplay, here are the key details you need to know ahead of your journey to the Wrenwood Hotel (and of course, your return to Raccoon City).
Resident Evil Requiem release date and platforms
Capcom has announced that Resident Evil Requiem will be available February 27, 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. That Raccoon City vacation is coming up fast!
The precise release date came alongside the game’s reveal trailer at Summer Game Fest 2025, which was a welcome change from teasers that often leave you waiting ages to know when a game will be ready.
Resident Evil Requiem trailers
The first trailer for Resident Evil Requiem debuted as part of Summer Games Fest 2025. It’s here that we were first introduced to Grace Ashcroft, the game’s new protagonist (and the only playable character that we've seen so far). Over the course of the trailer she goes from ‘locked in’ at her desk to uhh… literally locked to a spooky medical inversion table. It’s clear that getting to the bottom of her mother’s murder is going to be a lot more dangerous than she anticipated.
Apart from revealing that Requiem is coming to the Switch 2, the second trailer focuses on teenage Grace and her mother Alyssa's time at the Wrenwood hotel. There's also a few more nasty enemies revealed, including the large, lumbering monster from the Gamescomfootage. Oh, and the Umbrella logo pops up again at the end, because of course it does.
Resident Evil Requiem's story
Resident Evil Requiem’s protagonist is Grace Ashcroft, an intelligence analyst for the FBI. Grace is the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, an investigative reporter for the Raccoon Press who appeared in Resident Evil Outbreak (a 2003 PlayStation 2 spin-off).
Grace is assigned to investigate a case involving a victim whose body was discovered in the abandoned Wrenwood hotel: the very same place where her mother was murdered eight years prior. She makes her way to the hotel in search of answers but winds up unearthing more than she bargained for, as the case "leads to uncovering the hidden truth behind the outbreak in Raccoon City." Now that’s a mysterious little hook right there.
So Requiem is obviously going to take us back to Raccoon City. It hasn’t yet been confirmed how long after the Raccoon City Destruction Incident (September 1998) the game takes place, but there’s enough information about the series’ timeline to put together a pretty reasonable estimate.
For one, we know that Grace was born sometime after 1998. She’s seemingly in her mid twenties now but is definitely at least 23, given the minimum age requirement to become an FBI agent. There’s also proof that her mother Alyssa was alive until at least 2016 thanks to a news article from her that appeared in Resident Evil 7. After crunching those numbers, we figure that Resident Evil Requiem is pretty much set in the present day (or 2024 at the very earliest).
To quote the immortal words of RE4’s Ashley Graham, "LEON, HELP! HELP ME, LEON!"
There’s been plenty of fan speculation that Resident Evil Requiem’s return to Raccoon City will coincide with the reappearance of another iconic part of the series: Leon S. Kennedy.
The flames of this theory were only further fanned by easter eggs in the trailer that are believed to show Leon’s jeep outside the Raccoon City Police Station, and a line that sounds an awful lot like it was delivered by Leon’s voice actor, Nick Apostolides. Add to that claims from a notable leaker and I’m just about ready to don my tinfoil hat and hop on the Leon hype train.
Besides, many of the Resident Evil games have two or more playable protagonists. So, who knows? Since Resident Evil Requiem will be playable in first person, we may get to experience what the world looks like from behind those blond boyband bangs—what a privilege.
Resident Evil Requiem gameplay
Requiem seems to be following the Resident Evil 7 formula more than anything else, with a stalker enemy à la Jack Baker and a very dark initial opening, as seen in the care facility gameplay above. I mean dark in the literal sense here, as Grace has to use a lighter to find her way around. And solve puzzles, of course.
But don't worry, there are still guns! This isn't a trip into Amnesia: The Dark Descent territory. Gameplay footage and trailers have confirmed survival horror's trusty handgun is returning, and game director Koshi Nakanishi mentioned that Grace's animations will even change when she's carrying heavier weapons.
So who knows, Requiem might turn out to be more action-focused like Village and RE4, but the only footage and interviews we have so far certainly seems to be indicating that Requiem is focusing more on the series' survival horror roots.
Is it third or first-person?
Both! Capcom claims that first-person is for those who like scares more, and third-person is a more action-oriented experience. As someone who personally likes both types of Resident Evil perspectives, I'm in a bit of a bind. But I'm sure my sicko side will win come release day and I'll go with first-person to give my bowels a test of strength.
If you're in a similar bind, it might help to know that first-person is the default perspective (as seen in the gameplay demo above.)
Is that Lisa Trevor?
Despite some fan theories that the tall, lurching stalker enemy in Requiem was actually Lisa Trevor from the original Resident Evil remake, game director Koshi Nakanishi eventually debunked the rumors. Although Lisa does seem to have been an inspiration for the enemy's look, seeing as Nakanishi revealed in the same interview that Capcom are actually using Lisa's voice right now as placeholder audio.
I can see why Capcom might want to replicate Lisa's design, as her clanking chains and screeching in RE1 were creeeepy—the exact vibe Requiem claims to be aiming for. (I sure want to avoid getting chomped by her, anyway.)
Will there be a lab?
It hasn't been confirmed, but who are we kidding, of course there will be. It wouldn't be a Resident Evil game without a jaunt through a lab infested with some of the most annoying enemies and deep cut lore documents, after all.
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