Quick verdict: Resident Evil Requiem is the best mainline Resident Evil since 2005's RE4, and the highest user-scored game in Metacritic history. It blends RE7-style dread (as rookie Grace) with RE4-style action (as Leon) in one campaign. The boss fights are one-note and the villain fizzles, but the highs are so high they're easy to forgive.
Score: 9/10 — buy it.
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Switch 2 · Price: $69.99 · Length: 8–12 hrs
Infographic: Requiem at a Glance
Pros and Cons
What Is Resident Evil Requiem?
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Best visuals and performance in franchise history | One-note boss battles (shoot the glowing spot) |
| Grace's sections are genuinely terrifying | Final villain Victor Gideon underwhelms |
| Leon's action segments are pure catharsis | Tone whiplash between the two protagonists |
| One of the best stories in the series | Relies heavily on nostalgia and fan service |
| First RE with both camera modes at launch | Puzzles lean easy |
| Free "Leon Must Die Forever" roguelite DLC |
Resident Evil Requiem (aka Resident Evil 9 — the "9" is hiding in the title) is Capcom's ninth mainline entry. It launched February 27, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.
It's the 30th-anniversary game, directed by Kōshi Nakanishi (the RE7 director), built on the RE Engine.
It's also a monster success. Over 8 million copies sold as of Capcom's July 2026 financial report. Metacritic score of 89 on PS5 (138 critic reviews).
User score 9.3 — per VGC, the highest user score of any game in Metacritic history. OpenCritic sits at 89 with 96% of critics recommending it.
That makes it the best-reviewed mainline, non-remake Resident Evil since RE4 landed in 2005 — above RE5, RE6, RE7, and Village. If this franchise has burned you before, this is the one that matters.
Story and Setting (No Spoilers)
You play two people. Grace Ashcroft is an FBI analyst who's terrified of everything. Leon S. Kennedy is the grizzled DSO agent who's quipped his way through four outbreaks.
A conspiracy pulls both of them back to where the nightmare began: Raccoon City, 28 years after the original outbreak.
The first half takes place in the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center, an asylum where infected patients "retain characteristics from when they were alive" — the scariest new idea the series has had in years.
Watching a zombie perform the exact routine it had in life is genuinely chilling. The second half opens into a semi-open-world Raccoon City where Leon runs free.
It's a story about memory, grief, and legacy, and it's one of the strongest in the series — though it leans hard on nostalgia. Fans will find dozens of easter eggs reaching back to 1996's original.
Newcomers will still follow the plot fine.
Gameplay: Two Games in One
The dual-protagonist structure isn't window dressing — it's two entirely different games sharing a campaign:
Grace (first-person, survival horror): Limited inventory, item boxes, stealth, and a single pistol. One zombie is a threat. She panics, she runs, she cries. Her sections feel like RE7 with RE2 Remake's puzzles.
An ink-ribbon save option covers the full classic pain.
Leon (third-person, action horror): RE4's attaché case inventory, kill-points that buy weapon upgrades, chainsaw freaks, roundhouse kicks. He's basically John Wick with a health bar. His sections are the palette cleanser after Grace's.
The two characters interact with the world differently — Leon can pry open locked cupboard doors with his crowbar that Grace can only stare at. It's a clever way to make backtracking feel meaningful.
The enemies deserve their own paragraph. The infected react to wounds dynamically — shoot a leg, they crawl; shoot an arm, they swing differently. No more bullet-sponge zombies.
The "Girl" (no spoilers — you'll know her when you meet her) is one of the scariest RE monsters ever designed.
First-Person or Third-Person: Which Should You Pick?
Requiem is the first Resident Evil to ship with both camera modes at launch, and you can switch anytime, even mid-campaign.
The default — Grace in first-person, Leon in third-person — is the intended experience and the right call for a first playthrough.
First-person makes Grace's horror sections far scarier and helps you spot environmental details. Third-person gives Leon the RE4-style battlefield awareness his action set needs. On a second run, swap them for novelty.
The game is fully playable either way, which is more than you can say for Village's bolted-on third-person mode.
Horror vs. Action: Does the Balance Work?
Mostly, yes — and it's the game's most impressive trick. The jump from "sobbing in a dark hallway" to "roundhouse-kicking a chainsaw zombie" should cause whiplash. On paper it does.
In practice, Capcom times the swaps so the action feels like relief rather than a tone-deaf cut. The trade-off: both halves feel slightly abbreviated. Critics (including us) wanted a full campaign in each style.
You get about 30% fresh survival horror and 70% a very confident greatest-hits album. Minor complaint about an otherwise excellent whole.
Graphics, Performance, and the Switch 2 Port
Requiem is the best-looking game Capcom has shipped. The RE Engine finally shows everything it can do — the lighting in the Rhodes Hill corridors, the rain-slicked streets, the character models. PCMag called it photorealistic at times.
Performance is the real story. PC players with mid-range hardware are eating well:
- RTX 4060 at 1080p, DLSS Balanced: ~144 FPS
- RTX 5060 Ti, highest settings, ray tracing on: 120+ FPS (reviews report 104–240 FPS depending on DLSS settings)
- Xbox Series X: locked 60 FPS, zero frame-pacing issues
- PS5 Pro: 4K/60 with ray tracing
The Switch 2 port was a launch-day release — unusual for a modern Capcom game. Digital Foundry notes DLSS is doing heavy lifting there, with visual cutbacks versus the big consoles. Fine for a portable run; not the showcase version.
How Long to Beat
Plan for 8–12 hours on a first playthrough, depending on how much you explore. Our data points:
| Playstyle | Time |
|---|---|
| Speedrun (main story only) | 3–4 hours |
| Casual playthrough | ~8–10 hours |
| Thorough first playthrough (most collectibles) | 10–14 hours |
| 100% completionist run | 25–30 hours |
There's real replay value here: multiple endings ("Hope", "Destruction", "Elpis"), a sub-4-hour Speed Demon challenge, an unlocked Insanity difficulty, and a Special Content shop with infinite-ammo weapons.
The free Leon Must Die Forever minigame (May 8, 2026 update) adds a 20-stage roguelite mode where you race a timer to level 20 and fight Victor Gideon. It's a totally different game and it's excellent.
A paid story expansion is also confirmed in development.
Review Scores Roundup
| Outlet | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRant | 10/10 |
| Newsweek | 9/10 |
| PCMag | 4.5/5 (Editors' Choice) |
| Eurogamer | No score (strongly positive) |
| Windows Central | 4.5/5 |
| Gamekult | 7/10 |
| Region Free | 6/10 |
The 6/10 and 7/10 scores both cite one thing: too much fan service. Fair. If you want maximum nostalgia, you'll love it. If you wanted a bold new direction like RE7 was, you'll notice Requiem plays the hits.
Verdict: Is Resident Evil Requiem Worth $69.99?
Yes — if you like horror, action, or both. This is the first true must-buy of 2026, and it's the safest recommendation the series has produced in 20 years.
- Buy it if: you liked RE7, RE2 Remake, or RE4; you want the best-looking horror game on the market; you want a campaign that's scary and fun in equal measure.
- Skip it if: you're horror-averse (Grace's sections will wreck you), or you demand a revolutionary redesign rather than an excellent greatest-hits package.
- On the fence? It's been on 20–40% sale by mid-2026, and the base game includes everything — no paid DLC wall.
FAQ
Is Resident Evil Requiem Resident Evil 9?
Yes. Requiem is the ninth mainline Resident Evil — the "9" is hidden in the title's lettering. It continues the story after Resident Evil Village.
What platforms is Resident Evil Requiem on?
PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC (Steam and Epic), and Nintendo Switch 2. It launched on all four simultaneously on February 27, 2026.
How long is Resident Evil Requiem?
8–12 hours for a first playthrough. Completionists can stretch it to 25–30 hours, and speedrunners have beaten it in under 4 hours.
Is Resident Evil Requiem scary?
Grace's sections are the scariest Resident Evil has been since RE7 — first-person, limited resources, unkillable pursuers. Leon's action-heavy sections are more thrilling than frightening. If you're a horror lightweight, it's a mixed bag.
Is Resident Evil Requiem first-person or third-person?
Both — it's the first RE game to launch with both camera modes. The default is first-person for Grace's segments and third-person for Leon's. You can switch anytime.
Does Resident Evil Requiem have DLC?
Yes — the free "Leon Must Die Forever" roguelite minigame is out now (May 2026), and a paid story expansion is confirmed in development.
Is Resident Evil Requiem worth it in 2026?
At $69.99, yes — it's the best-reviewed and best-selling RE in years (89 Metacritic, 8M+ copies, 9.3 user score). It's also regularly discounted, so patient buyers can save 20–40%.
Related Reading
- Resident Evil Requiem: 10 Beginner Tips — survive Grace's first hours without rage-quitting
- Resident Evil Requiem System Requirements & Best PC Settings — what you need to run it well
- The Best Horror Games of 2026: 15 That Actually Scared Us — where Requiem sits in this year's lineup
- Resident Evil 9: Requiem — It's Finally Here — our updated explainer on this blog
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