When you think of survival horror, there’s a good chance that Resident Evil comes to mind first. It’s the franchise that practically defined the genre, weaving together jump scares, eerie atmospheres, and stories of bio organic weapons gone wrong for nearly three decades. And just when it seems like Capcom has run out of ways to terrify us, they find a new angle.
Now, with Resident Evil 9: Requiem officially revealed, fans find themselves buzzing with anticipation, fear, and curiosity. This isn’t just another numbered sequel it’s a chance for Capcom to redefine horror again, to strike a balance between the nerve wracking dread of the early entries and the modern polish of recent titles.
But what exactly do we know about RE9 so far, and how does it fit into the long, twisted history of the series? Let’s walk through everything we’ve learned confirmed details, speculative theories, and even some personal observations on why this could be one of the most defining horror games of the decade.
Back to the Beginning: The DNA of Resident Evil
To appreciate where Requiem might be headed, it helps to glance back at where Resident Evil has been.The original game, released in 1996, threw players into a creepy mansion filled with locked doors, undead horrors, and puzzles that felt like they belonged in some gothic fever dream. It wasn’t perfect voice acting was famously awkward but it planted seeds of dread that grew into a global phenomenon.
Over the years, the series evolved. Resident Evil 4 redefined third person action with its over the shoulder camera. Resident Evil 7 switched gears, pulling us into a chilling first person perspective in a decrepit Louisiana mansion. Then came Resident Evil Village, which blended gothic horror with fast paced gunplay and fantastical enemies.
Capcom has always walked a fine line between action and horror, often tilting toward one or the other depending on the era. And with Requiem, they seem to be leaning decisively toward horror again something many long time fans are relieved to see.
The Reveal: Resident Evil 9 is Now Resident Evil Requiem
After months of rumors, whispers, and alleged leaks, Capcom finally pulled back the curtain. At the 2025 Summer Game Fest, they officially revealed the ninth mainline entry: Resident Evil Requiem, set to launch on February 27, 2026.The title alone Requiem carries weight. In music, a requiem is a mass for the dead, a somber composition that honors loss while grappling with mortality. Naming the game this suggests a darker, more mournful story than we’ve seen before, perhaps a meditation on the lingering scars of Raccoon City and the human cost of bioterror.
Instead of familiar faces like Leon Kennedy or Chris Redfield, Capcom is introducing a new protagonist, Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst drawn into a mystery at the Wrenwood Hotel in the ruins of Raccoon City. The setting itself is symbolic returning to Raccoon City decades after its destruction feels like a haunting homecoming, a chance to explore how trauma never fully fades.
A New Protagonist: Grace Ashcroft
Grace isn’t a soldier or a hardened mercenary. She’s not even a traditional “survivor” archetype like Ethan Winters. Instead, she’s an analyst someone who deals in information, deduction, and investigation.That’s a bold move by Capcom. By choosing a protagonist with no military background, they’re stripping away the power fantasy that sometimes crept into recent entries. Grace is vulnerable. She doesn’t carry an arsenal on her back or shrug off injuries like Leon in Resident Evil 4 Remake. Her survival will depend on observation, resourcefulness, and maybe a little luck.
This design choice feels deliberate. It signals a return to survival horror’s roots, where every bullet mattered, every corner was a risk, and every encounter felt like a potential death sentence. Grace isn’t here to gun down hordes of mutants, she’s here to endure, investigate, and escape.
Setting: Raccoon City Revisited
For long time fans, Raccoon City is almost a character itself. Its fall in Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remains one of the most iconic tragedies in gaming. Seeing Capcom return to its ruins, three decades later, is both nostalgic and unnerving.The Wrenwood Hotel where Grace’s story begins offers fertile ground for horror. Hotels are liminal spaces, designed to be temporary, transient. They’re full of long hallways, locked rooms, and echoes of people who checked in but never checked out. Pair that with Capcom’s RE Engine, which is pushing boundaries with path traced lighting (a step beyond ray tracing), and you have an environment primed to ooze atmosphere.
One demo sequence shows Grace navigating a pitch dark hospital wing, using only a flickering lighter to illuminate her way. The catch? The lighter also attracts a terrifying photosensitive monster that can stalk her through walls and ceilings. It’s a clever inversion, light, usually a comfort, becomes a danger. Darkness hides you, but it also blinds you.
It’s this kind of duality safety versus risk that makes Resident Evil so effective. And Requiem seems to be doubling down on it.
Gameplay: A Marriage of Perspectives
One of the most exciting confirmed features is the ability to switch between first person and third person perspectives.First person has been a huge hit since Resident Evil 7, offering immersion and claustrophobic fear. But third person, especially in the RE2 and RE4 remakes, provides a more cinematic and strategic viewpoint. By offering both, Capcom is giving players flexibility to tailor their experience something that could make Requiem accessible to a broader audience while still keeping the scares intact.
Imagine creeping down a corridor in first person, hearing faint breathing behind you, then switching to third person to better judge your surroundings. This mechanic could create new layers of tension and strategy, allowing players to decide not just how they fight, but how they see.
Enemies: Shadows That Hunt
Every Resident Evil game lives or dies by its monsters. The shambling zombies of the early games, the grotesque mutations of Resident Evil 4, the vampire like Lady Dimitrescu of Village each entry introduces horrors that etch themselves into players’ nightmares.In Requiem, one standout enemy is the aforementioned photosensitive stalker. It doesn’t just chase you it adapts, climbing walls and ceilings to close the distance. It reacts to light, turning your own survival tools into potential beacons of death. That’s a fresh twist on the classic “stalker enemy” trope seen with Mr. X in RE2 Remake or Nemesis in RE3.
What’s chilling is how this mechanic changes player psychology. Normally, lighting a dark room relieves tension. But in Requiem, that relief comes with risk. It’s a clever subversion, and one that fits perfectly with the series’ tradition of messing with players’ instincts.
Visuals: Lighting as a Weapon
Capcom’s RE Engine has consistently impressed, but with Requiem they’re pushing further by incorporating path traced lighting.In simple terms, this technology simulates light more realistically than traditional rendering, capturing the way it bounces, scatters, and fades. That means darker shadows, harsher contrasts, and environments that feel tangibly real.
But what makes this exciting isn’t just visual fidelity it’s how Capcom is using light as a gameplay mechanic. When light itself can betray you to an enemy, the atmosphere becomes more than just background dressing, it becomes an active participant in the horror.
Think about it, in most games darkness is the enemy. In Requiem, light itself might be just as dangerous. That kind of inversion is what keeps a decades old franchise feeling fresh.
Narrative Direction: A Fresh Start
One of the biggest surprises is that Requiem isn’t directly continuing the Winters family storyline from Resident Evil 7 and Village.Rose Winters, Ethan’s daughter, was teased as the next potential protagonist at the end of Village. Fans speculated about her mold based powers and how they might shape the future of the series. Instead, Capcom seems to have pressed pause on that thread, choosing instead to start fresh with Grace.
Why? Possibly because the Winters saga leaned heavily into supernatural territory, with mold powers that blurred the line between science and fantasy. By shifting to Grace a grounded, ordinary human they may be steering the series back toward its bio horror roots.
That doesn’t mean Rose’s story is abandoned. Capcom has a habit of weaving loose threads back into the tapestry later. But for now, Requiem seems to be about grounding the horror again.
Comparisons: P.T. and the Return to Dread
Many journalists who previewed Requiem drew comparisons to Hideo Kojima’s canceled P.T. demo, which became a cult legend in the horror community. The claustrophobic spaces, the oppressive lighting, the sense that the environment itself is alive all evoke the same type of dread.This is fascinating because P.T. was never developed into a full game, leaving fans with a hunger for that style of horror. If Capcom can capture some of that atmosphere while layering in their own legacy of monsters and lore, Requiem could fill a void that’s been empty for a decade.
Fan Expectations: Balancing Past and Future
One of the hardest challenges for Capcom is managing expectations. Fans want nostalgia, but not repetition. They want innovation, but not at the cost of identity.So far, Requiem seems to strike a careful balance. Returning to Raccoon City taps into nostalgia, but introducing Grace offers a new perspective. The ability to switch viewpoints honors both first person and third person fans. The focus on survival horror appeals to veterans, while the cutting edge graphics attract newcomers.
If Capcom sticks the landing, Requiem could be the rare sequel that feels both familiar and fresh an achievement few franchises manage after nearly 30 years.
The Personal Element: Why This Matters
I’ll admit, when I first heard rumors about Resident Evil 9 being “open world” I cringed. The idea of wandering across vast landscapes collecting herbs sounded like it could strip away the tight, suffocating tension that makes the series terrifying.That’s why Requiem feels like such a relief. It’s not trying to be a sandbox game or an action blockbuster. It’s leaning back into what makes Resident Evil truly horrifying: being trapped, vulnerable, and hunted.
And on a personal level, I think that’s what survival horror is all about. It’s not the explosions or the boss fights that stick with you it’s the quiet moments. The sound of your footsteps echoing down an empty hallway. The way your heartbeat quickens when you hear a distant growl. The dread of knowing you’re almost out of ammo but still have three rooms to check.
That’s the magic Capcom seems to be chasing again.
Looking Ahead: What We Still Don’t Know
Of course, many questions remain:- Will iconic characters like Leon, Jill, or Chris make cameo appearances?
- How does Grace’s story tie into the broader Resident Evil universe?
- Are Umbrella or The Connections involved, or is this a new threat entirely?
- Will there be multiple stalker enemies, or just one?
- How long will the campaign be, and will Capcom experiment with branching narratives?
Final Thoughts: A Requiem Worth Waiting For
Resident Evil 9: Requiem isn’t just another sequel. It feels like a statement a reminder that horror doesn’t need massive shootouts or sprawling open worlds to make us afraid. It just needs atmosphere, vulnerability, and the right monster in the right hallway.Capcom has the experience, the technology, and the legacy to make this something special. And if early impressions are any indication, Requiem might just be the game that reclaims Resident Evil’s throne as the king of survival horror.
So mark your calendars for February 27, 2026. Whether you play in first person, third person, or with the lights firmly on, one thing is certain Grace Ashcroft’s story is going to stay with us long after the credits roll.