Resident Evil Requiem, Capcom’s latest entry in its iconic survival-horror franchise, arrives at a pivotal moment: the series’ 30th anniversary. The game, released in late February 2026, is a bold, action-packed, and at times deeply reflective installment that seeks to unite the franchise’s storied past with its future. But does it succeed in harmonizing three decades of horror, action, and lore, or does it merely play it safe by revisiting familiar territory?
At the heart of Requiem are two protagonists whose lives are forever altered by a single catastrophic day. Grace Ashcroft, an FBI agent haunted by her mother’s unsolved murder, is called back to the Rhodes Hill Care Center in Raccoon City—a place that witnessed her mother’s death. According to Game Informer, this return sets off a harrowing journey as Grace is thrust from the safety of her office into the undead-infested depths of Raccoon City, forced to confront both literal monsters and the ghosts of her past. Meanwhile, Leon S. Kennedy, a series veteran, finds himself racing against time to cure a mysterious illness, all while battling waves of zombies and unraveling a conspiracy that seems to stretch back decades.
The intertwining stories of Grace and Leon form the backbone of Requiem’s narrative. Their paths cross in unexpected ways, and together they must save themselves, a young girl, and perhaps the world itself. As Kotaku notes, "Requiem is a dueling story starring both frightened newcomer Grace Ashcroft and grizzled veteran Leon Kennedy, both of whom find themselves tied up in the remnants of the Umbrella Corporation’s bioterrorism." This dynamic allows Capcom to explore both the vulnerability and resourcefulness of a newcomer and the battle-hardened resolve of a returning hero.
The gameplay itself is a masterclass in genre fusion. Requiem seamlessly blends the tense, claustrophobic horror that made the original Resident Evil famous with the bombastic action that has defined its more recent entries. Players will find themselves solving absurd puzzles involving sparkling gems, scavenging for detonator parts, and engaging in physics-defying motorcycle chases. The review in Game Informer describes the experience as "goofy, schlocky, and excessive, but it is also a masterclass in refinement, a tour de force of gameplay that arrives only after 30 years of lessons learned."
One of Requiem’s most intriguing innovations is its approach to the undead. Gone are the mindless, shambling corpses of previous games; in their place are zombies who retain their memories and fragments of their former lives. This change breathes new complexity into enemy encounters. As Game Informer observes, "These zombies are the soldiers who died with a machine gun in hand but still have a mission to accomplish, the doctors performing surgery who will use their scalpel prowess on you, and the lone police chief still looking for a donut, I assume." The result is a world where every enemy feels like a tragic figure rather than just another obstacle.
In terms of structure, the game divides its time between Grace and Leon, each offering a distinct play style. Grace’s segments are grounded in survival horror, with limited inventory and constant danger, while Leon’s are more action-oriented, allowing players to wield an arsenal of weapons and take on hordes of enemies. According to Kotaku, "Grace’s inventory is much more limited, her safety reliant on crafting whatever tools she can piece together from things you find in your surroundings... Her segments are gripping, as her lack of raw power means that even a low-level zombie is a threat." Leon, on the other hand, is described as "a walking arsenal that tanks through zombie attacks that would one-shot most humans."
The interplay between these two perspectives is one of Requiem’s greatest strengths. Actions taken as one character can affect the world for the other, creating a sense of interdependence and continuity. "How thorough you are as Grace or Leon in one section may help the other when you switch perspectives; you might, for instance, walk through an area as Leon and have fewer enemies to face in a brawl because you took some of them out as Grace," Kotaku notes. This duality keeps the gameplay fresh and encourages multiple playthroughs, a feature Capcom seems confident players will embrace thanks to a wealth of post-game rewards and unlockables.
On the technical front, Requiem has made headlines for its performance on the Nintendo Switch 2. As detailed by Gaming Trend, the game targets 60 frames per second in both docked and portable modes. While the Care Center section runs close to this target, more open areas see frame rates dip into the mid-50s. Visual compromises are evident, with the Switch 2 version lacking advanced features like ray tracing and suffering from occasional blurry text and pixelated close-ups. However, the reviewer was "thoroughly impressed that the game can look and run this good on a portable console," and praised the addition of motion control aiming, which adds a welcome layer of precision—though it must be enabled in the options menu.
Not every aspect of Requiem has been universally praised. Some critics, such as those at Kotaku, have questioned whether the game’s heavy reliance on nostalgia and callbacks to previous entries is a sign of meaningful reflection or simply fanservice. "Requiem is a polished fusion of nearly every era of Resident Evil Capcom has ever devised, but it can’t quite decide if it’s reflecting on those eras in a meaningful way or merely playing the hits for those who want to point at the screen and nod at every reference." The game’s narrative, while robust, is seen by some as ultimately playing it safe rather than pushing the series in a bold new direction.
Still, even these critics concede that the core gameplay remains as engaging as ever. The scares are real, the action is thrilling, and the characters—especially Leon and Grace—are compelling. The split between the two protagonists is slightly lopsided, with Leon’s playtime ultimately overshadowing Grace’s, but both bring something unique to the table. As Kotaku puts it, "The stuff you like is still good, mostly!"
For longtime fans, the return to Raccoon City and the reemergence of familiar faces and locations will feel like a homecoming. For newcomers, Grace’s journey offers a fresh perspective on a world that has been terrifying players for three decades. Whether Requiem is a requiem for the series’ past or a prelude to its future is a question that lingers long after the credits roll. What’s clear is that Capcom has crafted a game that honors its legacy while delivering a refined, exhilarating, and at times deeply human experience.
Resident Evil Requiem stands as both a celebration and a summation, inviting players to lose themselves once more in the labyrinthine horrors of Raccoon City—and to wonder, as they emerge into the light, what new nightmares Capcom might conjure next.