Resident Evil Requiem: Everything we know about Resident Evil 9

Resident Evil Requiem trailer
(Image credit: Capcom)

Resident Evil Requiem is the official title for Resident Evil 9. Yes, that's right, Capcom revealed the next Resident Evil game at long last, and better yet, we even got a release date in 2026. With a reveal trailer dropping during Summer Game Fest 2025, we got to see our first look at the upcoming horror game, and thanks to some previews and more details dropping during the Capcom Spotlight Showcase 2025, it's also ready shaping up to be one of the biggest new games headed our way.

The new entry in the series has been a very long time coming, with Resident Evil Village releasing four years ago in 2021. Ever since a fairly brief announcement last year that Resident Evil 9 would be coming "soon", fans of one of the best survival horror game franchises have been holding out for more. And after two very mean fake-outs at Summer Game Fest 2025, we finally got a glimpse.

With some terrifying monsters that could even outdo the scariest Resident Evil bosses, the option to switch between first or third-person, and a new protagonist in Grace Ashcroft, there's already plenty to dig into, with theories abound about where it will sit in Resident Evil timeline. For a full overview of everything we know so far about Resident Evil Requiem, read on below.

Resident Evil Requiem release date

Resident Evil Requiem trailer

(Image credit: Capcom)

The Resident Evil Requiem release date has been set for February 27, 2026.

The news came as part of the official game reveal at Summer Game Fest Live 2025, where Capcom finally gave us a first look at Grace Ashcroft's journey. There's no sign of pre-orders yet either, but check back soon as we keep learning more about the mysterious new Resi game.

Resident Evil Requiem platforms

Resident Evil Requiem

(Image credit: Capcom)

According to the official Capcom website, Resident Evil Requiem will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC platforms in February 2026.

It's a bummer for anyone still rocking a past-gen console, but I can't lie - it's looking pretty special in the RE Engine, and all that juicy raytracing will likely make all the difference in a horror franchise like this.

Resident Evil Requiem trailer

The first Resident Evil Requiem trailer shown at Summer Game Fest introduces us to Grace Ashcroft, the confirmed daughter of Resident Evil Outbreak File 1 and 2 protagonist Alyssa Ashcroft. She appears to be working as an FBI agent in the wake of a virus outbreak that is sweeping the continent - which should have every Resi fan's skin tingling - as she's urged to face her past.

A series of flashback stills play out as Grace struggles to compose herself, interspersed with shots of a decimated Raccoon City following the events of Resident Evil 2 and 3, before she suddenly finds herself strapped to a gurney and screaming for help. Then, a man sits with his back to Grace, telling her that she's the one he's been looking for - "the special one." Talk about chilling.

The story is still nebulous at best, judging from this trailer, but it's the perfect way to whet our appetites for "a heart-stopping experience that will chill you to your core" according to the official website.

Resident Evil Requiem protagonist

Resident Evil Requiem

(Image credit: Capcom)

As we first saw in the reveal trailer, the Resident Evil Requiem protagonist is Grace Ashcroft, a young . During the Capcom Spotlight showcase 2025, the team gave us a little more insight into the kind of character she is from director Koshi Nakanishi.

"The protagonist this time is an intelligence analyst for the FBI, Grace Ashcroft," Nakanishi says. "She's introverted and easily scared, which is a new type of character for the Resident Evil series. We wanted someone that experiences horror from the same perspective as the player. She learns to overcome her fears throughout the course of the story, but she's also an analyst for the FBI who's trained with guns, and is able to act with calm, deductive reasoning."

In the lead up to Requiem's official reveal, rumors had been circulating that Leon Kennedy may well appear as the protagonist, and while many still believe this could be the case, Nakanishi spoke on Kennedy by saying: "We always thought about making Leon the protagonist, but making a horror game based around him is difficult." Nakanishi points to the fact that Leon doesn't scare easily, which means he isn't the right fit for this experience. Still, we can't help but wonder if he'll still factor into the story in some way. Only time will tell.

Resident Evil Requiem story and setting

Resident Evil Requiem trailer screenshot of Raccoon City Police Department, destroyed following the events of Resident Evil 2

(Image credit: Capcom)

It looks like Resident Evil Requiem is bringing us back to the series roots: the Raccoon City disaster. Grace Ashcroft, our protagonist, is the daughter (or other relation, presumedly) of Alyssa Ashcroft from the Resident Evil Outbreak games on PS2. It seems Grace will have to delve back into her own dark past to confront personal demons, specifically regarding her mother's death at the Wrenwood Hotel eight years earlier, though what the gameplay itself might look like is yet to be seen.

We don't know much about the story just yet, save that Grace certainly has a lot of trauma to unpack. There are also suggestions that we might have some kind of split timeline in Resident Evil Requiem, given all the shots of Raccoon City interspersed with indoor locations that certainly don't look nuked, as well as various voices referring to an ongoing catastrophe. In short, these conversations sound what the initial survivors of the Raccoon City Disaster might have discussed as they grappled with the unravelling events.

At this early stage, though, that's about all the RE9 speculation we can go on. Paired with Capcom's dedication to technological advancements, we're told to expect "a story with rich characters and gameplay that's more immersive than ever before." Some eagle-eyed fans have managed to spot Requiem references in Resident Evil 7, so whatever's coming our way on February 27, RE9 has clearly been thought out for a long time now.

Resident Evil Requiem gameplay

Resident Evil Requiem gameplay demo screenshot of protagonist Grace walking through a dim room using a lighter to illuminate her surroundings.

(Image credit: Capcom)

Resident Evil Requiem's gameplay looks like a mix of all of the series' greatest hits. Capcom has confirmed that players will be able to fluidly swap from first to third person perspectives as Grace Ashcroft, as seen in our hands-off Resident Evil Requiem preview, off the back of a popular post-launch RE8 update that let players do the same during Ethan's last adventure and that of his daughter, Rose, in the DLC.

This was also reiterated during the Capcom Spotlight Showcase 2025, with producer Masato Kumazawa saying, "you can either experience the horror up close, with tense, realistic gameplay through first-person perspective, or an over-the-shoulder camera in third-person perspective".

Whether you opt for a more Resident Evil 2 and 4 vibe or go in Baker House style of Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil Requiem will still feature a lot of survival horror gameplay staples. I'm talking about chases, of course, with a grotesque humanoid wall-walking creature pursuing Grace through narrow hallways before our heroine finally makes her escape. It's great to see RE9 riffing off the cat-and-mouse likes of Mr X, Jack Baker, Lady Dimistrescu, and Nemesis, a heavily RE-coded move that's got me psyched to be scared all over again.

Another key aspect of Resident Evil Requiem's gameplay? Puzzles galore, as seen in all the best Resident Evil games to balance out combat and narrative beats. The combo is emblematic of survival horror at its finest, and although we've yet to see any RE9 gunplay at this early post-reveal stage, we'll keep you posted as Capcom inches closer to its February 27 release date.

Can I pre-order Resident Evil Requiem?

Sadly, pre-orders for the new Resident Evil game are not available just yet. With the game only recently announced, expect to wait quite some time for the opportunity.

Jasmine Gould-Wilson
Staff Writer, GamesRadar+

Jasmine is a staff writer at GamesRadar+. Raised in Hong Kong and having graduated with an English Literature degree from Queen Mary, University of London in 2017, her passion for entertainment writing has taken her from reviewing underground concerts to blogging about the intersection between horror movies and browser games. Having made the career jump from TV broadcast operations to video games journalism during the pandemic, she cut her teeth as a freelance writer with TheGamer, Gamezo, and Tech Radar Gaming before accepting a full-time role here at GamesRadar. Whether Jasmine is researching the latest in gaming litigation for a news piece, writing how-to guides for The Sims 4, or extolling the necessity of a Resident Evil: CODE Veronica remake, you'll probably find her listening to metalcore at the same time.

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