Resident Evil Requiem Review: Story, Gameplay, Graphics & Performance
Resident Evil Requiem is the latest mainline entry in Capcom’s long-running survival-horror series. Released on February 27, 2026, the game follows two very different protagonists: FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft and series veteran Leon S. Kennedy. Capcom built the experience around contrasting styles, moving between slower survival-horror exploration and more action-focused sequences.
The result is a game that tries to bring together several sides of Resident Evil rather than focusing on just one formula. Grace’s sections emphasize investigation, puzzles, exploration and tension, while Leon’s sections lean more heavily into action.
Game Introduction
Resident Evil Requiem takes players back into the world of Raccoon City while introducing Grace Ashcroft as a new central character.
Grace works as an FBI analyst and becomes involved in an investigation surrounding the mysterious Rhodes Hill facility. Leon, meanwhile, returns as the experienced agent that longtime Resident Evil players already know.
The two protagonists give the game a deliberately different rhythm. Grace’s sections are generally more focused on atmosphere and survival-horror, while Leon provides a more action-heavy experience. This structure allows the game to move between two distinct gameplay styles without abandoning the series’ puzzle-solving and exploration roots.
Gameplay
Gameplay is one of the most interesting parts of Resident Evil Requiem because the experience changes considerably depending on which protagonist you are controlling.
Grace’s gameplay emphasizes careful exploration, environmental puzzles and resource management. Her sections create longer stretches of tension where the player has to investigate rooms and understand the environment before moving forward.
Leon brings a more aggressive style. His sections contain more direct combat and larger action sequences, creating a noticeable contrast with Grace’s slower approach.
This two-character structure is one of the game’s defining ideas. Reviews have particularly noted the contrast between its survival-horror and action portions, although some have found the balance between the two styles uneven.
Graphics & Visuals
Resident Evil Requiem makes extensive use of Capcom’s RE Engine and delivers highly detailed environments.
The game can move from enclosed interiors to larger Raccoon City locations while maintaining a strong level of environmental detail. Character models, lighting and atmospheric effects contribute heavily to the horror presentation.
The Rhodes Hill facility is particularly effective at creating a tense atmosphere through its enclosed spaces and environmental details, while the wider locations give the game a considerably different visual scale.
Game Informer and Push Square both highlighted the game’s visual presentation, with Push Square describing it as an especially strong showcase for the RE Engine.
Story
The story revolves around Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy, whose separate experiences eventually connect within the larger mystery surrounding the game’s events.
Grace gives the story a new perspective on the Resident Evil universe. Her investigation provides the more grounded mystery-driven side of the campaign, while Leon connects the game to the franchise’s established history.
The story also makes significant use of Resident Evil’s history, particularly its connection to Raccoon City. This can make the experience more meaningful for longtime fans, although some reviews have argued that the game’s reliance on franchise history sometimes limits its sense of narrative freshness.
Performance
Performance is generally strong across the platforms covered by major reviews.
Push Square reported smooth performance on PS5 Pro, including a 60 FPS mode with ray tracing and a higher-frame-rate option with ray tracing disabled. The PC Gamer review was conducted on an RTX 3070, Ryzen 5 5600G and 16GB of RAM.
On PC, players should still pay attention to the game’s graphical settings because modern lighting and visual effects can increase hardware demands.
The overall presentation benefits from the RE Engine’s ability to maintain detailed environments while handling both dark indoor areas and larger outdoor locations.
Controls
The controls are designed around two very different gameplay approaches.
Grace’s sections benefit from deliberate exploration and interaction, while Leon’s gameplay is more combat-oriented and faster paced.
This difference helps reinforce the personalities and roles of the two protagonists. Grace feels more vulnerable and investigative, while Leon is presented as the experienced action-oriented character.
The overall control design fits the series’ modern third-person and survival-horror foundations without making exploration unnecessarily complicated.
Progression
Progression is closely connected to exploration and story advancement rather than being built around a traditional open-world system.
Players move through connected environments, solve puzzles, find useful items and gradually unlock access to new areas.
The game also uses the differences between Grace and Leon as part of its progression structure. Instead of giving both characters exactly the same gameplay tools, Capcom uses their individual strengths to create different types of encounters.
This keeps the campaign moving between investigation, puzzles, exploration and action.
Replayability
Resident Evil Requiem is primarily designed as a focused single-player campaign rather than an endlessly repeatable open-world experience.
The campaign’s relatively structured design makes replaying it useful for players who want to revisit story moments, discover things they missed or experience the different gameplay sections again.
Capcom’s Resident Evil Portal also tracks player statistics and global completion data through Resident Evil.NET. As of September 28, 2026, the service reported more than 39 million plays and more than 25 million clears worldwide.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong combination of survival horror and action
- Grace provides a fresh perspective for the series
- Leon brings the familiar action-focused side of Resident Evil
- Detailed environments and strong visual presentation
- Puzzles and exploration remain important
- Strong atmosphere throughout the campaign
Cons
- The balance between horror and action can feel uneven
- Some story elements rely heavily on previous Resident Evil history
- Players looking for a consistently slow survival-horror experience may find the action sections very different
Who Should Play Resident Evil Requiem?
Resident Evil Requiem is aimed primarily at players who enjoy survival horror but also appreciate more action-focused gameplay.
Longtime Resident Evil fans will find plenty of connections to the series’ history, while Grace provides a new protagonist and a different style of gameplay.
Players who prefer puzzles, exploration and atmospheric horror may particularly enjoy Grace’s sections, while those who prefer faster action will find Leon’s gameplay more familiar.
Final Thoughts
Resident Evil Requiem is an ambitious attempt to combine several eras of Resident Evil into one campaign.
Its biggest feature is the contrast between Grace and Leon. Grace brings slower investigation, puzzles and survival-horror tension, while Leon delivers the more action-oriented side of the franchise.
That combination does not create a perfectly uniform experience, but it gives the game a distinctive structure. The detailed visuals, strong atmosphere and mixture of gameplay styles make it a substantial addition to the series.
For players interested in seeing where Capcom takes Resident Evil after its recent run of major releases, Requiem provides a campaign that combines familiar franchise elements with a new protagonist and a different survival-horror perspective.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Resident Evil Requiem?
Resident Evil Requiem is a single-player survival-horror game developed and published by Capcom. It features Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy as its two main playable characters.
When was Resident Evil Requiem released?
Resident Evil Requiem was released on February 27, 2026.
Who are the main characters?
The game features Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy as its main protagonists.
Is Resident Evil Requiem single-player?
Yes. The game is designed as a single-player experience.
Does Resident Evil Requiem have both horror and action?
Yes. Grace’s gameplay emphasizes survival-horror, puzzles and exploration, while Leon’s sections focus more heavily on action.
Is Resident Evil Requiem open world?
No. It is structured around a focused campaign and connected environments rather than a traditional open-world format.
Does Resident Evil Requiem have puzzles?
Yes. Puzzle-solving and environmental exploration are important parts of the campaign, particularly during Grace’s sections.
How long is Resident Evil Requiem?
Reported playtime varies by player and playstyle. PC Gamer described its own review playthrough as around 10 hours, while Capcom’s global statistics page reported a worldwide average first-playthrough completion time of 19 hours 14 minutes as of September 28, 2026. The difference reflects how completion-time measurements are calculated and how much players explore.
Is Resident Evil Requiem demanding on PC?
Its detailed visuals and modern rendering features can make it demanding on PC, so the experience will depend on your hardware and chosen graphics settings. PC Gamer reviewed it using an RTX 3070, Ryzen 5 5600G and 16GB RAM.
Is Resident Evil Requiem connected to previous Resident Evil games?
Yes. The game continues the wider Resident Evil storyline and makes significant use of established series history, including Raccoon City and returning character Leon S. Kennedy.
Conclusion
Resident Evil Requiem brings together investigation, puzzles, survival horror and action in a campaign built around Grace Ashcroft and Leon S. Kennedy.
Its two-protagonist structure gives the game a varied pace, while the detailed RE Engine visuals and return to important Resident Evil locations strengthen its presentation.
Whether you are more interested in atmospheric exploration or action-heavy encounters, Requiem offers both styles within the same campaign, making it a notable chapter in the modern Resident Evil series.
