Resident Evil Requiem release date, leak, trailers, and story

When is Resident Evil Requiem coming out? This year marks the 30th anniversary of Capcom's beloved survival horror series, and the next game in the series is as much a look back at what came before as it is another step forward.

Resident Evil 9, otherwise known as Resident Evil Requiem, takes us back to Raccoon City for the first time following its destruction at the end of RE3. It's one of the most iconic horror game locations and holds a lot of memories for Resident Evil's characters, history, and fans. Prepare for this zombie-infested trip down memory lane with everything we know about the Resident Evil Requiem release date, including the latest trailers, news, leaks, and story predictions.

When is RE9 coming out?

Resident Evil Requiem will release on Friday, February 27, 2026. It's available on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GeForce Now, and also PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Resident Evil Requiem leak

After physical copies of Resident Evil Requiem were accidentally circulated publicly, it was pretty clear that spoilers would no doubt begin to appear ahead of the game's official launch. The latest leaks include core endgame mechanics and the title's dramatic finale - so honestly, we'd be staying as far away from socials as possible. Capcom has since released an official statement, urging players not to "post or share pre-release leaks and spoilers," with the developer's Japanese X account stating that it will be taking "firm action" including "deleting videos or issuing warnings."

Resident Evil Requiem specs

Want to know if your PC will run the game? We've got a guide to the Resident Evil requirements. The headline is that they are much lower than you think.

Resident Evil Requiem trailers

Resident Evil 9 was officially confirmed during Summer Game Fest in a surprise reveal trailer. "When I first got a glimpse of this project last summer, I was absolutely blown away by the scale, scope, and ambition of [Capcom's] vision," host Geoff Keighley said in his preamble to the trailer.

The RE9 reveal trailer was short but sweet, painting the broad strokes of Requiem's story. The three-and-a-half minutes we got were notably without gameplay, but the footage looks to be running in-engine with post-processing effects. This isn't too dissimilar to what we saw for the RE Village announcement trailer, which was followed by a full gameplay trailer several months later.

Gamescom 2025 delivered the RE9 world premiere trailer. This four-minute sequence depicts the relationship between Grace Ashcroft and her mother in an expositional cutscene that transitions into gameplay. As the Ashcrofts attempt to flee from an unknown threat, we witness Alyssa's final moments with her daughter.

The Future Games Show's developer interview with producer Masato Kumazawa offered further insight into Grace's "introverted and fearful character," which Kumazawa remarks is "unusual" for the series. It also includes a demonstration into RE9's shift between third-person and first-person perspectives.

The Capcom Online Program included a fresh look at RE9 Requiem ahead of its appearance at Tokyo Game Show 2025. Alongside a quick overview of the dual-camera perspective, we got a glimpse at the demo footage, which we played prior to public access.

The final RE9 trailer finds Leon mid-investigation at the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Centre, getting up close and personal with Dr. Gideon's experiments until a chance encounter with Grace. The trailer culminates in Leon stepping into the ruins of the Raccoon City Police Department for the first time since its destruction.

Resident Evil Requiem characters

Our latest protagonist is Grace Ashcroft, an FBI technical analyst and daughter of Resident Evil Outbreak's Alyssa Ashcroft. As a survivor of Raccoon City, Alyssa was the investigative reporter who exposed Umbrella's bio-organic weapons testing and was responsible for the Raccoon Trials that eventually buried the company.

Grace is set to follow in her mother's footsteps to the Wrenwood Hotel, where she was supposedly murdered during an investigation. We say supposedly, because it's not like RE characters coming back from the dead doesn't have precedent. We're looking at you, Wesker. And Ada. And Krauser. And - you get the point.

In this case, getting modern audiences reacquainted with Alyssa Ashcroft would be the perfect preamble for a Resident Evil Outbreak remake. Outbreak was the first RE game specifically designed for co-op, but its online functionality struggled, and most players have only experienced it with AI companions. It's unlikely that we'll see dedicated co-op support in Requiem, but Capcom will almost certainly build upon companion behaviours we've seen in Ashley, Carlos, and Jill.

We hear numerous character voice lines during the reveal trailer, so we already know Requiem won't be a lonely affair. Some fans even swear that they can identify those voices as Leon, Jill, Carlos, and even Chris. Plus, if the recent DLC leak is to be believed, flashbacks won't be the last we see of Alyssa Ashcroft in RE9.

Is Leon in Resident Evil Requiem?

Leon Kennedy and Raccoon City go together like viruses and shady pharmaceutical companies, so the PlayStation store box art leak that revealed the beleaguered federal agent appears in RE9 didn't come as a huge surprise.

Any lingering concerns that the leak might be an elaborate hoax were dispelled entirely following the third RE9 trailer that debuted during The Game Awards 2026. "I never said he wasn't going to show up," game director Koshi Nakanishi quipped in January's Resident Evil showcase.

We'll switch between Leon and Grace as the story unfolds, with the two eventually crossing paths. Nakanishi says that Grace's gameplay reflects the "terrifying and atmospheric" horror of  RE2 and RE7, whereas Leon's gameplay embraces the "dynamic, high-action" of RE4.

It's an appropriate reflection of their characters. Grace is young and new to this world, whereas Leon has decades of fighting the worst of Umbrella's bioweapons under his belt. Leon relies on a hatchet, pistol, and his martial arts training to take down enemies. He can also pick up weapons discarded by fallen foes, with RE4's chainsaw making a welcome return.

As for what Requiem's story holds for Leon specifically,  speculation that it could spell Leon's end is gaining traction. Insider Dusk Golem claims that RE9 will be Leon's "last major role in the timeline" and constitutes Leon's "send-off game." Nakanishi teases that Leon will be "pushed to his absolute limit" in Requiem.

Still, Kumazawa charges fans not to believe everything they see, debunking a leak ahead of RE9's release. Nevertheless, this sequel could represent a a ceremonial passing of the torch from Leon to Grace as Resident Evil's star protagonist.

Resident Evil Requiem story

But hang on, didn't we see Raccoon City get nuked in the final cutscene of Resident Evil 3? Not quite. While it was engulfed in a mushroom cloud, RE3 writer Yasuhisa Kawamura clarified that it was an experimental thermobaric bomb in the official guidebook. The mother of all bombs, yes, but not a nuclear one. Whether you'd consider this established canon or a blatant retcon, the fact remains that Grace is set to venture into the cratered remains of Raccoon City without a Geiger counter. Sorry, Stalker fans.

It's unclear if the Wrenwood Hotel is even in the vicinity of Raccoon City, but odds are that it'll be the first location we'll visit in RE9 as Grace investigates under FBI SAIC Dempsey's orders. Its dilapidated corridors and exterior suggest a cross between RE7's Baker house and Silent Hill 2's Wood Side Apartments. No doubt that plenty of scares are in store as Grace comes face to face with Resident Evil's shambling hordes for the first time.

RE9's reveal trailer kicks off with Grace is strapped to a gurney, a bloody bandage wrapped around her chest as blood is drawn from her arm with an IV. This tells us three things: whoever has her tied down clearly has a medical background, a vested interest in keeping her alive, and an apparent use for her blood.

The third trailer confirms that our new villain is Dr. Victor Gideon, an ex-Umbrella researcher who founded the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center just outside of Raccoon City. His experiments have led him to Grace, who he believes can help him "free Elpis." More on that below.

Gideon is also responsible for Alyssa's death, executing an assassination during the Ashcrofts' stay at the Wrenwood Hotel. Since we know that Grace's mother was infected by the T-Virus and subsequently cured, there's a possibility that she passed down traces of the virus to her daughter, just like Rose Winters in RE Village. Gideon calls Grace the "chosen one," confirming her blood is essential to fulfill his plans.

Victor Gideon is most likely Requiem's main antagonist, but this doesn't entirely rule out that Oswell E. Spencer is up to his old tricks in Requiem. Sure, we did see Wesker put a knife through his chest, but you know what they say: you can't keep a megalomaniacal bio-terrorist down. Thankfully, Gideon is a person of interest to the FBI, which puts him square in the sights of Leon Kennedy. Grace might be in trouble, but Leon won't be far behind.

Ed, our ex-resident (ahem) expert, has his doubts that Requiem is "rooted in the playful, horror-movie-double-bill tone of the originals." However, like me, he remains hopeful that Capcom won't go too far down the self-serious path laid by RE9's reveal trailer.

We already have some indication of how long Resident Evil 9's story will take to wrap courtesy of its producer. "We're aiming for a playthrough roughly similar to that of Resident Evil 4 Remake," Kumazawa said. To that end, we also expect there'll be plenty of opportunities to extend the horror beyond the standard 12-15 hours for dedicated fans and completionists.

What is Elpis in Resident Evil Requiem?

Whether Elpis is a new virus strain or Tyrant remains to be seen - but given it also refers to the Greek goddess of hope as she appears in Pandora's box, we don't expect it's a codename for anything good for anyone outside Umbrella. Thanks to Nakanishi, we do know that it's related to both Leon and Alyssa.

Grace's ongoing investigation into an "unidentified disease" in the reveal trailer places more emphasis on the Progenitor Virus as a form of bio-terrorism, rather than just a fun excuse to pit our human heroes against zombies, mutants, and tyrants. RE9's threats are billed as a "new breed of infected" that retain some semblance of who they were when they were alive.

We got a more intimate look at RE9's focus on undead consciousness in the live-action short film Evil Has Always Had A Name. It follows a mother and daughter trying and failing to flee Raccoon City at the start of the outbreak.

"If anyone finds this, tell them I tried. Tell them I was still me right up until the end," the narrator says, as her undead self shambles up to her child's grave. She stares down at the simple crucifix and raccoon plushie, traces of grief and melancholy on her expression - before a bullet pierces the back of her skull, robbing her of what little consciousness she has left.

Could this echo of life before death be a consequence of Elpis, and if so, does this present a bold new ethical challenge in Resident Evil? We've spent three decades blowing the heads off zombies with little regard for who they were, but perhaps Requiem wants to challenge that attitude… at least until the next martial arts finisher.

Resident Evil Requiem gameplay

The RE9 reveal trailer might have been light on gameplay, but the Resident Evil formula is long-established by now, and we don't expect there to be any major divergence in Requiem. We don't need to see a gameplay trailer to know there'll be enough inventory management, esoteric puzzles, and speedrun potential to satisfy the most casual RE fan.

Danielle went hands-on with Resident Evil Requiem in a final preview that included four hours of gameplay in the Rhodes Hill Clinic. This new location is "vast and complex, full of dead ends and elaborate puzzles." It's a promising precursor to our return to Raccoon Police Department in the full release, especially with the reprisal of ink ribbons and Mr. Raccoon. Danielle concludes that Requiem is "a true return to form" in a series that has long favored action over survival horror.

Jamie's RE9 gameplay preview at Summer Game Fest also offered a 20-minute glimpse into what awaits us on Requiem's release date. "There's not much in the way of fighting back," Jamie says. "Grace is an FBI agent who's no doubt a dab hand with a firearm, but it's clear that […] she's going to have to rely on cunning, perseverance, and the ability to run faster than whatever terrifying creature is pursuing her." Brace for jumpscares.

If Leon is all about taking the fight to enemies, then Grace is all about stealth. She wields the Requiem large-caliber assault revolver, but its limited ammo makes it a fallback rather than a frontline weapon. Grace can also execute finishers with a knife, though these moments involve more of a struggle than Leon's equivalent animation.

While the extended presentation was predominantly in first-person, a "surprise mic-drop moment" revealed that there is an optional third-person mode that the player can switch to at any time. We also got a look at the giant woman that stalks Grace through the house she finds herself in at the beginning of the preview. Could this be Alyssa?

Requiem includes three difficulty modes. An easy mode with aim-assist and autosave functionality offers a gentle first playthrough for new fans, while higher difficulties feature the classic ink ribbon save system and a more challenging adventure.

Danielle's RE9 Gamescom preview delves into a short demo that sets up Requiem as a "loving ode to Resident Evil's past." This sequence, confined to a building that bears some resemblance to the Spencer Mansion, is a "return of Resi's horror and puzzle origins." It also doubles as an introduction to Grace Ashcroft as a protagonist that's "perfectly placed to join the likes of Jill, Ada, and Claire."

In a remarkable close call, Nakanishi disclosed that RE9 was almost a live service open-world game. "We spent some time experimenting," he explains in a Capcom Spotlight. "We realized it wasn't what fans wanted to see or play." After Capcom's previous attempts at RE multiplayer, we wholeheartedly agree.

We also got a brief snippet of RE9 gameplay in a clip from Legendary Games Chronicle: Biohazard documentary. It shows Grace taking pot-shots at a classic Resident Evil zombie, confirming that they'll still be a prominent threat in RE9. Nakanishi later defended the poor player aim in a follow-up Instagram story. "Japanese television can't broadcast headshots," he clarified.

For all the hardware heads out there, Gamescom also brought us confirmation that RE9 path tracing and DLSS 4 support is coming. Nvidia offered us a closer look in an exclusive trailer that shows off the visual and framerate benefits. If you've got a top-spec rig that you want to push to its limit, now's the time.

Even more intriguing, Nvidia's trailer features a sprawling urban environment, hinting at a semi-open level design. However, this might just be a precursor to the main story before we're funnelled into the confines of the typical small-but-dense levels we usually see from Resident Evil. Either way, we don't have long to wait to find out.

Now that you're prepared to return to Raccoon City in RE9, hop into some of our favorite zombie games to get the next best thing before it arrives. We've also got a complete list of the best PC games to play while you wait.