Capcom has revealed the first gameplay tease for its highly anticipated survival horror sequel, Resident Evil Requiem, showing off both first and third-person gameplay and highlighting its new protagonist, FBI Agent Grace Ashcroft.
Shown via the Capcom Spotlight event, brief snippets of the upcoming title were shown, including clips of Ashcroft slowly moving through dimly lit corridors with a lighter in hand, stalked by a giant humanoid creature that’s pure nightmare fuel. On first look, the game does give off similar vibes to 2017’s Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, with its tight, claustrophobic interiors, although this might just be a specific section of the game, and environments might open up as the game progresses, similar to 2021’s Resident Evil Village.
In the trailer, game director Koshi Nakanishi explains the focus on a new protagonist this time around, with the game centred on a new type of character for the series, the introverted and jumpy FBI intelligence analyst Ashcroft. “We wanted someone that experiences horror from the same perspective as the player,” Nakanishi explained, adding that even though the goal was to allow players to witness Ashcroft overcome her fears over the course of the story, she’s not entirely helpless either, being trained with firearms and possessing “calm deductive reasoning”.
Gameplay for both the titles’ first and third-person perspectives were also shown, with the developers explaining how the former makes for “tense, realistic gameplay”, while the latter is “great for people who enjoy action-heavy gameplay”, offering more freedom for players to experience the title in their own way.
Alas, the trailer didn’t feature the big Leon Kennedy reveal fans were expecting, with the developers instead noting why the franchise veteran was actually a “bad match for horror”. “We always thought about making Leon the protagonist,” Nakanishi explained, “but making a horror game based around him is difficult. He wouldn’t jump at a bucket falling. No one wants to see Leon scared by every little thing.”
Despite the statement, Leon’s appearance in the game was not ruled out entirely, adding to fan speculation that he might be the game’s unannounced second protagonist, and would show up in the later portions of the game, similar to Resident Evil Village‘s closing section with Chris Redfield. This follows details spotted in the game’s reveal trailer hinting at Leon’s presence, including the character’s truck parked outside the ruins of the Raccoon City Police Department, the character’s voice actor Nick Apostolides’ online resume, and comments by Resident Evil leaker Dusk Golem.
In any case, it’s still early to say for sure, with more details surrounding Resident Evil Requiem’s plot and characters bound to come as the game approaches its 27 February 2026 release for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
