Resident Evil Requiem’s Setting is a Dream Come True For Longtime Fans

After just over four years since Resident Evil Village’s debut, fans of the hit survival horror game series were pleasantly surprised on Friday, June 6th with the announcement of the ninth main installment in the Resident Evil series, Resident Evil Requiem. Formally announced at the end of the 2025 Summer Games Fest, Resident Evil Requiem is slated for a late February 2026 release date in coordination with multiple celebrations for Resident Evil’s 30th anniversary. While little is currently known about Requiem‘s story or gameplay, fans worldwide are already excited about one crucial aspect of the upcoming game: the return to Raccoon City post-Resident Evil 3.

Resident Evil 9 Confirms Shock Return to Raccoon City and Surprise Main Character

Capcom caps off the latest Summer Game Fest event by revealing Resident Evil Requiem, also known as Resident Evil 9.

A Brief History of Resident Evil’s Raccoon City

Raccoon City is the most prominent setting in the Resident Evil franchise, with the city and its outskirts having appeared in multiple games including:

Resident Evil 1
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
2002’s Resident Evil
Resident Evil Zero
Resident Evil Outbreak
Resident Evil Outbreak: File 2
Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
2019’s Resident Evil 2
2020’s Resident Evil 3
Resident Evil: Resistance

Set in the United States’ midwestern region of Arklay County, Raccoon City is ground zero for much of Resident Evil’s events and catastrophes, with the villainous pharmaceutical company, the Umbrella Corporation, developing the zombie and monster-producing T and G-viruses in Raccoon City.

In Resident Evil 1, Raccoon City’s Special Tactics and Rescue Service (STARS) agents are sent to the city outskirts to the Spencer Mansion to investigate reports of cannibalistic encounters. Here, STARS agents Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Barry Burton, and Rebecca Chambers encounter zombified city residents and mutated animals and plants as they discover a secret Umbrella research facility beneath the mansion. While most STARS agents die in the Spencer Mansion incident, they were able to stop the zombie outbreak from spreading beyond the mansion’s grounds. However, mere months after the surviving STARS agents returned to Raccoon City, Dr. William Birkin inadvertently starts a new zombie outbreak in the city after infecting himself with the G-Virus and accidentally causing the T-Virus to infect rats and the city’s water supply.

The Fall of Raccoon City

Within a matter of hours of Birkin’s infections, most of Raccoon City is overrun with zombies, mutant creatures, and rampant experiments from Umbrella’s several research facilities beneath the city. To prevent information about the Spencer Mansion incident and the Raccoon City outbreak from getting out, Umbrella deployed a modified Tyrant mutant designated Nemesis to wipe out STARS. Meanwhile, another Tyrant called Mr. X was deployed to eliminate the Raccoon City Police and track down samples of the G-virus. Despite the overwhelming odds, a few city residents such as Leon Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Sherry Birkin managed to escape the city just before the U.S. government deployed a missile to destroy Raccoon City and the monsters therein.

The Potential Role of Raccoon City in Resident Evil Requiem

In Resident Evil Requiem’s reveal trailer, it primarily follows the new protagonist, FBI agent Grace Ashcroft, daughter of investigative journalist Alyssa Ashcroft from Resident Evil Outbreak, as she’s assigned a new mission to investigate a pathological crime scene at a location called the Wrenwood Hotel. The location of this hotel is currently unknown, but it’s stated to be the place where Alyssa Ashcroft was murdered eight years ago. Grace is then shown to be captured at an unknown location before eventually revealing the burnt-up remnants of Raccoon City and ground zero of where the missile impacted the city in 1998.

While other unknown characters and monsters are briefly shown in Resident Evil Requiem’s trailer, it’s unknown if these scenes are taking place in the hotel, somewhere in the city’s ruins, or in an entirely different location. However, little is known about what happened to Raccoon City in the years following its destruction, so Grace’s investigation into a new unidentified disease could lead her to the Wrenwood Hotel, which could be located near the border of Raccoon City. This could in turn lead Grace to travel to Raccoon City’s ruins to discover a connection between the disease and potential mutated remnants of the T or G-virus. At the very least, the trailer suggests Grace may explore the ruins of the Raccoon City Police Department to possibly begin retracing her mother’s steps.

While Alyssa Ashcroft is best known for appearing in the Resident Evil Outbreak games, she is mentioned a few times in Resident Evil 7, having investigated disappearances and mysteries tied to the Baker family incident.