Resident Evil Requiem: Release Date, Platforms and Tips

Resident Evil Requiem is Capcom's ninth mainline Resident Evil game, a survival-horror story starring FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft and returning agent Leon S. Kennedy that launched February 27, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 for $69.99 (Deluxe Edition $79.99). It is out now — this guide covers what it is, where to buy it, and the basics new players actually need before stepping into the abandoned hotel where it all begins.

What Is Resident Evil Requiem?

Resident Evil Requiem is the ninth main installment in Capcom's long-running survival horror franchise, built on Capcom's proprietary RE ENGINE. According to Capcom's own official Resident Evil Requiem site, it follows two playable characters whose stories and play styles intertwine: Grace Ashcroft, an FBI intelligence analyst investigating a body found at an abandoned hotel in the American Midwest, and Leon S. Kennedy, the veteran agent and Raccoon City survivor who is dispatched to the same scene after a police officer goes missing. As the two investigations converge, the plot pulls back toward the Raccoon City Incident, the zombie outbreak and subsequent missile strike that has defined the series' lore since the original games.

The game won four awards at Gamescom 2025 ahead of release, and Capcom has confirmed it is the fastest title in series history to pass the 6 million unit sales mark, a milestone it reported in a March 2026 investor press release.

Release Date, Platforms, and Price

Resident Evil Requiem released worldwide on February 27, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Capcom confirmed the Switch 2 version alongside the other platforms well before launch, in a September 2025 press release, as part of a broader push to bring recent Resident Evil titles to Nintendo's new console. The PC version is available through both Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Two editions are sold on every platform: a Standard Edition at $69.99, and a Deluxe Edition at $79.99 that adds the Deluxe Kit (extra costumes for both playable characters, weapon skins, screen filters, cosmetic charms, an audio pack, and an in-game document set called "Letters from 1998"). Capcom's own store listings note the Deluxe Kit's individual items can also be purchased separately after launch, so it's worth checking before buying something twice.

*Some digital storefronts unlock slightly earlier depending on local time zone; Capcom's official release date for all platforms is February 27, 2026.

The Story So Far

Resident Evil Requiem opens with a body surfacing at an abandoned hotel in the Midwest — the latest in a string of mysterious deaths across the United States. Grace Ashcroft, an FBI intelligence analyst, is assigned to the case, which happens to be the same location where her own mother was murdered eight years earlier. When a local police officer goes missing at the same hotel, Leon S. Kennedy, a seasoned agent with the Division of Security Operations, is sent in as well. As their investigations converge, both characters are forced to confront their pasts and dig into the cover-up behind the original Raccoon City Incident.

It's a direct continuation of the series' core mythology rather than a reboot, which matters for new players: you don't need to have finished every prior game, but a passing familiarity with the Raccoon City outbreak (covered in Resident Evil 2, 3, and 7) will make the references land.

Meet Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy

Capcom designed the two leads to feel like distinct games stitched into one campaign:

• Grace Ashcroft plays as classic, resource-starved survival horror. She's limited by what supplies she can carry, and the game pushes players to analyze enemies and decide whether to fight or flee. Grace can also craft items, ammunition, and injectors out of infected enemy blood — a new mechanic for the series.
• Leon S. Kennedy plays closer to action-horror. He carries an arsenal of firearms plus a hatchet, and can fight with melee attacks, parries, and even disarmed enemy weapons. His equipment is organized in an attaché case, and his guns can be upgraded with customizable parts.

Both characters' campaign segments can be played from first-person or third-person perspective, and Capcom has said players can switch between the two views at any time, rather than one being treated as the "correct" way to experience the game.

Gameplay Basics: What New Players Need to Know

If you're starting Resident Evil Requiem for the first time, a few fundamentals carry over from the rest of the series and are worth knowing before you boot it up:

• Resource management is the core loop. Ammo, healing items, and crafting materials are limited by design. Pick up everything, and don't be afraid to run past a fight you don't need to win.
• Perspective is a preference, not a difficulty setting. First-person leans into tension and jump scares; third-person makes it easier to see incoming enemies and line up melee hits. You can swap mid-playthrough, so try both early.
• Grace and Leon play differently on purpose. If Grace's scarcity-driven sections feel overwhelming, remember that Leon's chapters are built to feel more like action-horror, with more combat options.
• Photo Mode and quality-of-life options have been added post-launch. Capcom shipped a Photo Mode update in March 2026, accessible from the pause menu, along with a series of bug fixes and balance changes since release.

Difficulty Options and How to Choose

Resident Evil Requiem ships with multiple difficulty settings, following the format the series has used in recent entries. Broadly, that means an easier, more accessible tier with generous checkpointing and combat assistance for players who want to focus on story and atmosphere; a standard difficulty aimed at a traditional survival-horror challenge; and a harder tier for series veterans, with reduced resources and tougher enemies. As in past Resident Evil games, some of the toughest difficulty options only unlock after you've completed the story once, and Capcom has continued to tune difficulty balance through post-launch patches, so exact names and thresholds can shift between updates. If precision matters to you — for example, whether a specific setting changes enemy damage by a fixed percentage — check the in-game difficulty menu directly, since Capcom hasn't published those exact numbers.

For a first playthrough, picking the standard, default difficulty is the safest way to experience the game as designed; you can always restart on something harder once you know the layout.

Safe Codes and Puzzles: How They Work

Like most Resident Evil games, Requiem uses environmental puzzles, including combination safes and locked doors, as a way to pace exploration and reward players who read notes and documents carefully. Codes and solutions are generated from in-game clues — torn notes, engravings, photographs, or dialogue — that are placed near the puzzle itself, and they can differ based on difficulty settings or even be randomized in some cases, which is standard practice for the series going back to the original games.

Because of that, this guide won't list specific safe codes or puzzle solutions: codes that are accurate for one difficulty, save file, or randomization seed can be wrong for another, and publishing unverified numbers does more harm than good. The reliable approach is the same one the series has always rewarded: read every document you pick up, check item descriptions for clues, and search the immediate area around a locked safe before searching elsewhere.

Standard vs. Deluxe Edition: What's Included

Both editions include the full game. The Deluxe Edition's Deluxe Kit adds cosmetic and convenience content rather than extra story, including:

• Additional costumes for both Grace and Leon
• Weapon skins
• Screen filters
• Cosmetic charms (including a Mr. Raccoon charm)
• An audio pack ("Raccoon City Classic")
• An in-game document set, "Letters from 1998"

A physical Deluxe Edition with a SteelBook case is also sold through retailers like GameStop and Best Buy, separate from Capcom's digital storefront listings. None of the Deluxe content is required to finish the story, so it's a reasonable one to skip if you'd rather save the $10.

DLC, Updates, and Post-Launch Content

Capcom has continued supporting Resident Evil Requiem since launch rather than treating it as a one-and-done release. Confirmed post-launch updates include:

• March 2026: A Photo Mode update, plus assorted bug fixes and cutscene polish.
• May 2026: A free additional minigame, "Leon Must Die Forever," which unlocks automatically once you finish the main story. On PC, this update also added DualSense adaptive trigger, vibration, and motion-sensor support.
• June 2026: Balance adjustments to the "Leon Must Die Forever" minigame's difficulty and skill system.

Capcom's March 2026 sales announcement also confirmed plans for "ongoing support and additional game content" beyond what's already shipped, tied to the Resident Evil series' 30th anniversary in March 2026. Specifics on any future paid story expansion have not been detailed in Capcom's own press materials as of this guide's publication, so treat anything more specific you see elsewhere as unconfirmed until Capcom posts it on the game's official page.

Early Reception and Sales

Resident Evil Requiem launched to a strong critical and commercial response. Capcom's own investor relations announcements confirm the game passed 6 million units sold worldwide within weeks of release, which the company says is the fastest any Resident Evil title has reached that milestone. If you're deciding whether it's worth picking up, that combination of sales performance and the game's broad, generally positive critical reception across major review aggregators is a reasonable signal, though as with any game, your mileage will depend on how much you enjoy slower, resource-management-driven horror paired with Leon's more action-oriented sections.

What's Next for Resident Evil Requiem

With the base game out and the "Leon Must Die Forever" minigame added as free post-launch content, the next things to watch for are any additional paid story content Capcom has said is in the works, further balance patches, and the series' ongoing 30th anniversary celebrations through 2026, which include a collaboration with Universal Studios Japan and orchestral concerts in Japan, the US, and Europe. If you're deciding what to play next, Pandromeda's Pokemon Legends Z-A beginner's guide covers a very different kind of adventure, while our breakdowns of Final Fantasy Resonance's release details and One Piece Grand Gourmet's price and platforms are good starting points if you're tracking other upcoming releases.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is Resident Evil Requiem out yet? Yes. It released worldwide on February 27, 2026, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.
• Do I need to play older Resident Evil games first? No, but Requiem builds directly on the Raccoon City Incident storyline from earlier entries (especially Resident Evil 2, 3, and 7), so some character and location references will mean more if you've played them.
• Is Leon S. Kennedy actually in the game? Yes, he's one of the two playable protagonists alongside Grace Ashcroft, confirmed on Resident Evil Requiem's official site and store listings.
• Can I switch between first-person and third-person at any time? Yes. Capcom built both perspectives in from the start for both characters' campaigns, and you can change your view whenever you like.
• Is there a demo? Capcom has released demo content for the game; check the game's official platform store pages for current availability, since demo windows can be limited-time.
• How much does it cost? $69.99 for the Standard Edition and $79.99 for the Deluxe Edition on every platform, per Capcom's own digital storefront listings.

Written byJonah Reyes

Jonah Reyes leads Pandromeda's gaming coverage: console and handheld hardware, release dates, pricing changes, patch notes and the business moves behind the biggest franchises. He sources every date and price from the platform holders and publishers themselves, and says plainly when something is still only a rumour.

More from Jonah ReyesAll Gaming coverage