Resident Evil has spent three decades arguing with itself about what it wants to be. Survival horror or action game? Slow resource management or cinematic spectacle? Resident Evil Requiem, the ninth mainline entry in Capcom’s flagship series, released February 27 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC, is the most direct attempt yet to settle that argument by refusing to choose. The result is one of the best games of 2026 — and a game that will frustrate you in precise proportion to how much you love one half of it more than the other.
What it is
Requiem splits its campaign between two protagonists. Grace Ashcroft is a new FBI analyst investigating a string of deaths at an abandoned Midwestern hotel where her mother was murdered eight years prior. Leon S. Kennedy is the series veteran — now approximately 51 years old and still improbably stylish — tracking a mysterious disease connected to the same case. The two storylines interleave rather than run in parallel, with each cutscene time-stamped so the continuity between perspectives stays coherent.
They play almost nothing alike. Grace’s sections are first-person survival horror: limited ammunition, resource scarcity, stalker enemies you run from rather than fight, and a blood-crafting system that lets her create items and one-hit injectors from infected enemies. Leon’s sections are third-person action, closer in feel to the RE4 remake, with abundant weapons, complex boss encounters, and the series’ characteristic gun-fu spectacle. Players can switch freely between first and third-person perspectives at any point, which is a small but welcome addition.
What works
Grace is the stronger half, and she may be the best new character the series has introduced in years. Unlike most Resident Evil protagonists, she is socially awkward and visibly rattled under pressure, which makes her vulnerability feel earned rather than manufactured. Her voice acting reinforces this throughout.
The horror design in Grace’s early sections is exceptional. IGN’s Tristan Ogilvie described it plainly: “Within the hallways of the sinister sanatorium where Resident Evil Requiem’s opening hours take place lies some of the most frightening encounters I’ve experienced in the series to date.” The game’s enemy personality system, where zombies retain behavioral echoes of their former lives and repeat familiar routines, is used cleverly — observant players can read those patterns to sneak past, set ambushes, or conserve resources. It is a small mechanical detail that adds considerable texture to what could have been rote corridor horror.
Leon’s sections deliver on a different promise. Where Grace produces dread, Leon produces momentum. The ESPN review summarized the overall tonal arc well: “hours later I was no longer holding my breath, but holding my fist in the air instead, as I gleefully mowed down masses of undead meatsacks like it was D-Day in World War Z.”
Where it stumbles
The game’s second half is where critical consensus fractures, and the fracture runs along a predictable line. Players who came for the horror find it depletes before the credits roll. IGN noted that “its most potent scares have all been delivered by the time it arrives at its more gloriously gung-ho second half.” Niche Gamer was more pointed: “the more you replay Requiem, the more its flaws become evident, and you’ll resent it for failing to maintain the momentum of Grace’s segment.”
Pacing is the other consistent complaint. Unskippable story-driven segments disrupt the flow, which is a particular problem on second playthroughs. The story itself drew mixed responses — Men’s Journal flagged weak narrative and boss fights as specific criticisms even within an otherwise positive assessment. The absence of a Mercenaries Mode, a beloved replayability staple of the series, was noted across multiple reviews as a gap that leaves the game feeling thin once the campaign ends.
Where it lands
Resident Evil Requiem debuted with a Metacritic score of 88, making it the best-reviewed mainline entry since Resident Evil 4 in 2005 and the best-reviewed game of 2026 at launch. It has remained the best-selling game of the year in the US. The comparison to RE6 — Capcom’s last attempt to split a game between horror and action — loomed over the pre-release period. The Jimquisition addressed it directly: “It’s a move that could’ve gone so wrong and the split focus between storylines has evoked memories of Resident Evil 6 in some minds, but I’m delighted to say they’ve nailed it.” The consensus backs that up. This is not RE6.
The verdict
Resident Evil Requiem is a confident, well-made game that earns its place among the series’ better entries. Grace Ashcroft is a genuine addition to the franchise’s character roster. The horror in the first half is the best the series has produced in years. The action in the second half is polished and fun. The seam between them is visible, the story is thin, and the lack of post-game content is a real gap for a series that traditionally rewards replay. None of that stops it from being worth your time. It is just worth knowing which half you are buying it for.
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC Developer/Publisher: Capcom Released: February 27, 2026 Metacritic score: 88