Resident Evil protagonist Leon S. Kennedy performing one of his classic kicks. (Resident Evil Requiem. Image: Capcom)

Resident Evil Requiem, the long-awaited ninth main entry in the Resident Evil horror game series, was released Feb. 27, 2026.

Thirty years ago, video game company Capcom set a new standard for the survival horror genre with Biohazard, later renamed Resident Evil outside of Japan. The game was widely praised for its distinct, slow-burn approach and tense encounters with the series staple: zombies.

Capcom went on to deliver hit after hit with the franchise, releasing a new installment roughly every two years, eventually breaking their own sales record with Resident Evil 4 in 2004.

With that release, the studio completely reinvented the formula—abandoning much of the series’ traditional horror elements in favor of a more action-driven experience starring no-longer rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy. The action genre was permanently changed, and Resident Evil 4 is still cited as an all-time great video game, even 22 years later.

Leon made a brief return in the often-maligned Resident Evil 6. Despite strong sales, fans criticized the sixth game for fully embracing action over horror, and many began to wonder if this would be Leon’s final outing.

2017 brought little comfort for Leon fans. The franchise rebooted with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, adopting a first-person perspective in line with contemporary horror titles like Outlast. The game largely ignored the series’ classic cast, featuring only a brief cameo from another protagonist, Chris Redfield. Leon was notably absent.

Gradually returning to the series roots, Capcom included Leon in remakes of the franchise’s earlier entries. Yet after Resident Evil Village launched with no sign of him, concern grew that Leon’s story might have quietly ended with the sixth edition.

Then, on June 6, 2025, a glimmer of hope emerged. After two years without Resident Evil news, Resident Evil Requiem was revealed. Players would once again explore Leon’s old stomping grounds: Raccoon City. Surely, he couldn’t stay away this time.

Over the following six months, rumors ran rampant. Leaks on sites like Reddit and 4chan claimed that Leon would return as a second protagonist, alongside the already-announced newcomer Grace Ashcroft. Capcom remained tight-lipped, refusing to confirm anything, not even whether another character would join Grace.

Fast forward to Dec. 11, 2025, at the annual Game Awards. Every year, host Geoff Keighley leads a three-hour ceremony celebrating the year’s gaming achievements, debuting trailers and announcing new projects. It was here that fans finally got the moment they had been waiting for: Leon stepped out of his car, back into the streets of Raccoon City.

Evidently, the marketing worked. It’s too early for definitive sales numbers, but based on the numbers from SteamDB.info, the previous most popular game, Resident Evil 4 Remake, had a peak count of 168,000 concurrent players at launch.

Requiem hit 344,000.

The most widely-cited review aggregator for video games, Metacritic, currently scores the game at 88 among critics and 9.4 among users, based on thousands of reviews and still counting.

True to the franchise’s legacy of reinventing itself, Capcom once again shook up the formula. Grace’s sections embrace the classic 90s-style horror that defined the series’ early days, while Leon’s chapters draw inspiration from his most iconic, action-packed adventure: RE4.

“Grace feels so terrified and out of her depth that I can't help but also feel fear, not just for me but also for her,” said David Dang ’28, who played the game at release. .

Upon finishing a later horror section of the game, Dang said, “Requiem is so f’ing good. Chills.”

Fans quickly picked up on the stark contrast between Grace and Leon’s gameplay, often joking that the real horror in Leon’s sections is Leon himself.

“Leon is an 80’s action movie hero in a horror video game,” said TikTok user deioking999.

“My favorite part is probably the first Leon section, where he chases the main antagonist through the streets. Leon truly feels powerful,” noted Dang.

Riding the wave of what may be their biggest success yet, Capcom continues to chart the future of their most popular series of the past decade. With three mainline games and three remakes released since the reboot—all selling exceptionally well—only time will tell what the inevitable Resident Evil 10 has in store.