In a year full of heavyweights like Grand Theft Auto 6, 007 First Light and Fable, Resident Evil Requiem is throwing down the gauntlet as the first big triple-A title of 2026. Launching on February 27th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, the survival horror title promises extra emphasis on horror and a eulogy for the long-running series. Here are ten new things you need to know after its appearance at the latest spotlight.
Set 30 Years After Raccoon City’s Destruction
If you were struggling to piece together where exactly Requiem falls in the timeline, art director Tomonori Takano confirmed that it takes place in 2028, around 30 years after Raccoon City’s destruction. It was previously revealed that Alyssa Ashcroft died eight years before Requiem’s events, which means sometime in 2020. Since a newspaper story was written by her in 2016 (as discovered in Resident Evil 7: biohazard), we can finally confirm that she was alive at the time.
Addictive Fear
The jump from the Summer blockbuster, Endgame-style crossover of Resident Evil 6 to the smaller-scale, scarier Resident Evil 7: biohazard didn’t just feel like a breath of fresh air – it turned the franchise around. Director Koshi Nakanishi said that everything in biohazard was “for the sake of fear,” so it’s perhaps no surprise when he cites “Addictive Fear” as the core concept for Requiem.
It preserves the core of biohazard’s fear but takes things a step further, where even if the player is terrified, they can’t stop playing, to an addictive degree (hence the name). There’s also the motivation to try different things, and when you’ve finally overcome that fear – which also intertwines with Grace’s own journey – the sense of accomplishment is huge.
Grace’s Character
Poor Grace Ashcroft. Haunted by the trauma of her mother’s death, she’s sent to investigate another mysterious death and ends up in a fight for her life. In what Nakanishi considers a series’ first, she’s a character who’s introverted and easily scared. However, she won’t be running away from danger all the time. As seen in the original Creator’s Message (not the extended version), she wields a handgun – which makes sense given her FBI agent training – and the concept art showcases her with a flashlight. Grace’s “deductive reasoning” lets her maintain some semblance of control under pressure, but she’ll still react with fright at things that other series’ protagonists ordinarily wouldn’t. Takano emphasized that she’s not a “superhero” like past protagonists, instead surviving “using her own strength.”
Even More Stalker Sightings
We’ve already discussed how the series’ new stalker, who chases Grace throughout the hotel, is intelligent and massive. It slinks out of openings in the ceiling and even investigates places she may hide in. Even more incredible is how it may not immediately bust into rooms to hunt down the player but instead play mind games, shutting down the lights. The Creator’s Message better showcased the sheer size of the creature as it falls from an opening in the ceiling in one fluid motion, its body blocking the hallway before it even stands up straight. In another scene, the creature slowly pursues her, hunched over as it moves through the hallway. The fact that it’s created such an impression and we still haven’t witnessed its final form is both intriguing and terrifying.
Metal and Noir
Beyond the specific type of fear that the team is going for, Takano outlined the visual concept – Metal and Noir, which combines film noir and its modern suspense with metal and reflections. The “metal” aspect is also a stark contrast to the settings of biohazard and Village since Requiem takes place in a more urban environment. Takano also mentioned there are “many scenarios” set as a “modern drama,” Raccoon City included. Whether this is hinting at other locations that players will visit or not, you can expect a lot of iron and metal as visual motifs.
Graphical Fidelity and Enhanced Realism
The overall fidelity of Resident Evil Requiem is a notch above previous titles, especially when it comes to the little details. Grace’s iris and her cheeks turn red when hanging upside down from the medical gurney, and the eye movement is much more subtle and refined. We’ve already heard about the quality of the skin textures and the “high fidelity sweat droplets,” but there’s another element that really highlights Grace’s character: Her hair.
While walking around with a lighter, the luminescence realistically shines through, but that’s not all. Takano revealed how a professional wig maker was hired to create one specifically for Grace. For scenes where Grace is hanging upside down, the wig was also turned upside down, giving the team a better idea of its in-game look. Interestingly, when they couldn’t hit the desired visual quality, a feature that the Pragmata team was working on called Strand for the android Diana’s hair was used. That same tech allows Grace’s hair to look as impressively realistic.
Where is Leon?
Rumors continue to abound about Leon’s inclusion in Requiem and how he’s just as important as Grace. Nakanishi surprisingly revealed that the team “always thought about” Leon as the protagonist but that “making a horror game based around him is difficult” since he’s a “bad match for horror.” While he revealed this to emphasize the decision to go with Grace as the protagonist, it’s still possible that Leon is being kept under wraps. Perhaps he slots into one of the “many scenarios” that Takano mentioned, but there’s another reason why he (and other familiar characters) could return. More on that shortly.
Experiments With Online and Open World
Perhaps the most unexpected part of the extended Creator’s Message is how Nakanishi confirmed rumors of the team experimenting with online-only and an open world. These were in the works for “some time,” but the team ultimately realized that it wasn’t what fans “wanted to see or play,” so they went back to the drawing board, and Requiem is the result. This is in line with rumors from insider Aesthetic Gamer, aka Dusk Golem, who reported the sequel featuring an open world and “some multiplayer components” before a “heavy reboot” in 2021. Hence the focus is on a single-player offline title.
Why Return to Raccoon City?
In an interview with the PlayStation Blog, producer Masato Kumazawa explained the reason for returning to Raccoon City. While biohazard and Village broadened the universe as a whole, Requiem is about returning to the overarching narrative of the franchise. Raccoon City is the root of so many major events, but Kumazawa also said it’s the most fitting setting since the series celebrates its 30th anniversary in March 2026.
A “Eulogy” for Past Characters
The “Requiem” of the title also means several different things, per Kumazawa. For Grace, it signifies facing her fears and possibly moving on from her mother’s death. However, it’s also a “requiem for all of the people who were caught up in the Raccoon City incident,” with Nakanishi calling it a “eulogy to those who came before.” “Requiem” is thus a milestone for the series and if rumors about it being the last title in this ongoing arc before the next game’s “soft reboot,” we could see other beloved characters return, or at least play some kind of role in the plot. Whatever the case, Kumazawa believes that players will “find even more levels of meaning” after completing the game.