Resident Evil Requiem is Finally Diving into Uncharted Territory for RE

Summary

Resident Evil Requiem is embracing psychological horror, breaking from many of the series’ previous conventions.
Requiem will feature FBI agent Grace Ashcroft as she investigates disturbing deaths, hinting at a dark and cerebral experience.
The game returns to its roots in Raccoon City years after its destruction due to the original zombie outbreak.

Resident Evil fans can now breathe a sigh of relief, as Capcom has finally broken the official silence that has surrounded the series for the past couple of years. After a period of waiting marked by rampant speculation, leaks, and rumors, the recent reveal of Resident Evil Requiem at the finale of the first day of 2025’s Summer Game Fest was met with rousing cheers. The developer even pulled a bit of an amusing fast one on audiences by promising earlier in the show that the next RE would be announced “when it was ready.”

Not only did the trailer confirm that Resident Evil Requiem is set to release on February 27, 2026, but the studio made it clear that it is taking the upcoming entry firmly into the psychological horror space. While the franchise has certainly had more than its share of tense and terrifying moments, by and large it’s stuck to its patented mix of occassionally campy horror and traditional action. Sometimes it leaned more heavily on one or the other, but most often found a good balance. Now, though, it looks like RE is fully embracing the cerebrally unnerving side of the genre to a previously unseen degree.

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Resident Evil Requiem Is Finally Taking the Full Plunge Into Psychological Horror

Resident Evil Requiem Looks to Live Up to its Bold Reinvention Rumors

Varying information from unofficial channels about what Resident Evil Requiem (formerly referred to as Resident Evil 9) was striving to be surfaced throughout the intervening time since 2023’s RE4 Remake. Among these claims and leaks were that it would be potentially open-world and set on an exotic supernatural-influenced island. Before Requiem‘s reveal, known insider AestheticGamer stated that it would be a “big reinvention” for the series, but had undergone a “reset” sometime during the development process.

Capcom has now dispelled much of the previous speculation, and likely surprised fans in the process, with the direction it’s taking for Resident Evil Requiem. Based on what was shown in the footage, there seem to be more than a few traces and hints of well-known psychological horror works like Seven, True Detective, and The Silence of the Lambs. This certainly can be said to be another ambitious step for RE, and though perhaps one that’s long been in the making, it’s now set to take fans into some frightening new places for the franchise.

Resident Evil Requiem Leaping into Psych Horror Is Shaping Up to be the Perfect Shakeup for the Series

Although some prior rumors claimed that Jill Valentine and/or Leon Kennedy would return to the spotlight, Resident Evil Requiem‘s lead appears to be FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft. Given her surname and interactions in the trailer, Grace is inferred to be the daughter of Outbreak‘s Alyssa Ashcroft, likely connecting the characters and games closely in the newest title. Up until the introduction of Ethan Winters in RE7 and Village, most Resident Evil protagonists were trained professionals or hardened veterans. But Grace’s position and age seem to make her at least a little more vulnerable. Combined with other details from the trailer, Requiem sets up a psychologically terrifying tale as she is called to assist with an investigation of mysterious and gruesome deaths.

The above could still open the door for Leon specifically to appear in Requiem as Grace’s mentor or in a cameo, given his previous assignments and history in Resident Evil‘s ongoing saga.

Along with this, Resident Evil Requiem is literally returning to its roots in its story and setting. The trailer features a bombed-out Raccoon City, with shots of a massive crater and the crumbling remains of the iconic RCPD. As Grace explores the ruins of the city, she finds herself seemingly captured by a menacing figure in a twisted game. Requiem thus looks to continue to experiment with and evolve the franchise by committing to providing players with an intensely psychological horror experience for the first time in the upcoming installment.