Resident Evil Requiem Review: A Bloody Good Time

2 weeks ago 14

Published Feb 25, 2026, 10:00 AM EST

Elena Chapella (She/Her) is a current Writer for DualShockers, formerly an award-winning journalist for local news stations and newspapers in central Indiana.

Elena is passionate about writing, playing Dungeons & Dragons with her friends, and, of course, playing video games.

When she's not writing, Elena is actually a high school teacher by day. She teaches students essential life skills for adulthood, including job readiness, financial literacy, and college preparation.

To say that Resident Evil Requiem was my most anticipated game of 2026 is an understatement, and thankfully, spectacularly, it did not disappoint.

I have been a long veteran fan of the Resident Evil series, dating back to when I got started with the Director's Cut ported to my PSP at the ripe age of seven years old -- and played on repeat ever since, just like with the Silent Hill series. Killing zombies was easily my favorite pastime growing up, and it delighted my inner child to see that in the ninth entry of the series, killing zombies is more fun (and dare I say, scarier) than ever.

Meet the Cast of Resident Evil Requiem

Capcom recently revealed the voices behind Resident Evil Requiem's Grace Ashcroft and Leon Kennedy.

The hype for Requiem was immediate, bloodthirsty, even, and Capcom quenches this thirst with an experience that is sure to appeal to every Resident Evil fan -- genuinely, the best of both worlds is here. This is a game that doesn't try to sway one way or another, but instead says: "Let's give it all."

Horror fans have been eating good with these past few releases in the genre, and not only is this game another delectable dinner, it's a whole four-course meal on silver platters – paired with all the blood that we were thirsty for.

This review is based on two playthroughs. For difficulty, I played Standard (Modern) for my first run and Standard (Classic) on my second. I played in third person nearly the entire time as it is easier for me, only briefly using first person for about an hour to get a feel for it.

I also played on my base PlayStation 5 (not a Pro Console). There was no option for performance vs graphics mode, because simply: we get both. And of course, this review will contain NO SPOILERS.

Truly the Best of All Worlds

This isn't even an exaggeration when I say that, mechanically, Resident Evil Requiem is flawless. Not only is this game perfectly optimized (running at a beautifully smooth 60 FPS while showcasing stunning graphics without even a single frame drop on a base PS5), it plays like a hot knife on butter. The gameplay and combat are easily the most fun I've had in the whole franchise, regardless of whichever difficulty you're playing on.

When you start the game, you have three difficulties: Casual, which is described as "relax while enjoying the story and puzzles," Standard (Modern), which is your average, balanced difficulty that's in the modern Resident Evil games, and Standard (Classic), which is the difficulty in the classic Resident Evil games, which the game recommends for long-term fans of the series. After you beat the game, you're able to unlock tougher difficulties.

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And as a long-term fan, I really wanted to go with Classic on my first run, but I was afraid I might miss the full experience of the gameplay to the fullest – and let me say, the gameplay is truly amazing. If you're also a veteran fan on the fence for your first run, however, you'll still get the full gameplay experience, just with a little more challenge and with Ink Ribbons (which you can now also craft), so you won't actually miss out. Go full Classic if you're a veteran fan, it's genuinely a dream.

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There is, in fact, crafting in this game, but it's not really any different to the remakes when you play as Leon – very simple, very flexible to your playstyle and needs, all you need is gunpowder and a dream. Crafting as Grace, specifically, involves blood. Lots and lots of blood. Seriously, between Resident Evil Requiem and Iron Lung, 2026 is clearly the Year of Blood.

But as the developers have showcased early on, Grace's gameplay is reminiscent of the classic survival horror titles we know and love, relying on players to carefully manage their inventory while the game gives you a ton to do and even more to collect. The aforementioned crafting is more prominent as Grace, requiring players to be smart and think on their feet depending on the situation. Don't use Scrap metal as soon as you get it, but rather wait until you need to make something (such as a Hemolytic Injector if you want to do a stealth kill), because you can easily screw yourself over if you're wasteful with your resources.

Resident Evil Requiem Is Changing Survival With Smarter Zombies And Blood Infused Crafting

Playing as Leon, on the other hand, is action horror at its finest — yet, unlike previous RE games that tried to nail this balance, Requiem actually succeeds with one simple detail: by putting the horror first, so that, by the time you actually do play as Leon, it's a power trip that breaks the tension that had been building up until that point. The gameplay itself is structured as its own built-in tension and release.

The game is split about 60/40 between Grace and Leon (which didn't bother me, it is Grace's story after all), and at no point does Grace's gameplay devolve into pure action horror. The most "action" she's even able to do is shove or kick an enemy away from her to buy time to run or unload a magazine into them; the intense action experiences are reserved exclusively for Leon. Even then, regardless of who you're playing as, the combat is structured in a way where you have to be incredibly opportunistic.

Pay attention to button prompts, since there will be plenty of different ways you can handle an infected enemy without having to simply shoot it, especially if you're low on bullets. Pay attention to your resources to see what you might be able to make on the fly. Pay attention to the surrounding environment, since there can be things that you can use to your advantage (such as throwing random discarded weapons while playing as Leon) and tip the scales of combat into your favor.

Seriously, pay attention to everything, and not only will combat become more intuitive, but it'll also just feel so much cooler. The magic of this gameplay is opportunity, so you just need to find that open window.

So, regardless of when you jumped into the Resident Evil franchise, regardless of which game(s) are your favorite, there will be genuinely something for everybody here regarding gameplay. If you're a die-hard fan of the classics, you're going to love playing this game. If you're a die-hard fan of the new, modern titles, you're going to love playing this game. Simply put, if you've liked any Resident Evil game before for one reason or another, you're going to love playing this game.

It's not just the best of both worlds for action fans and horror fans, it's the best of all worlds for all Resident Evil fans, period.

Fear Forms from the Uncanny Valley

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RE9 appears to be the real deal, boasting improved visuals, gruesome monsters, and options to view horror from a new perspective.

Now to answer the big question: is Resident Evil Requiem scary? The answer is a simple and resounding: absolutely.

Grace's sections are meant to be the horror sections in the game, and let me tell you, they actually are horrifying. Not only was I right in that Grace's displays of fear would make the fear contagious to those of us playing, but also in the fact that this is the scariest that Resident Evil has ever been. Fear being contagious plays a role in that, sure, but the main reason comes from the fact that these infected are smarter, more lifelike, and fall right into the uncanny valley.

Requiem really hones in on the uncanny valley with these zombies — not only do they mimic habits and behavior from when they were human, but they also talk as if they still were. Through gurgled blood and ripped vocal cords, these zombies will say all kinds of phrases that will easily be the most horrifying thing you ever witnessed. One zombie, for example, hiccuped a broken sob as it bit me, trying to hold back and announcing "I'm sorry," before lunging right back in for seconds.

One particularly horrifying moment came after I had already killed two zombies in a hallway. As I turned to leave, I heard another zombie (a maid, hidden away in the bathroom that I didn't notice) collapse to her knees in front of the corpses and yell out through gurgled words, "Who made this mess?"

She then proceeded to try and clean the mess, but she didn't have a sponge or any other material, so she was just scratching at the blood on the floor — that is, until she looked up and made direct eye contact with me. After about four seconds of silence, of simply staring, she leaped up, lunging at me while screaming, "Why the mess?!"

Yeah, no wonder Grace is on the verge of hysterics the whole game (I would be too after witnessing that). It's genuinely terrifying.

It's not just the best of both worlds for action fans and horror fans, it's the best of all worlds for all Resident Evil fans, period.

So not only will you have to deal with zombies that wander and mutter to themselves (The Butcher, for example, keeps reminding everyone that dinner will be ready at six), but you'll also have moments like this, as a direct result of your actions, where the zombies are intelligent enough to make a situation ten times scarier. Have you ever seen two medical staff zombies try to mimic having a full work conversation with each other? It's as disturbing as you'd think.

Even when playing as Leon, while it's meant to be a power-trip, there's still a healthy amount of tension and anxiety, especially since this game knows how to properly deploy jump scares. Resident Evil has always been known for its well-timed jump scares, and Requiem takes the cake in how they're best served.

Plus, this anxiety doesn't leave even when you know what to expect. In my second playthrough, I was still fighting the tension and nerves that were trying to hold me back from progressing. In fact, I'd argue that knowing what's coming makes subsequent playthroughs more anxiety-inducing, regardless of who you're playing as. The atmosphere still lingers, permeating the game with a sense of dread and melancholy that doesn't waver in the slightest.

With that in mind, horror fans can rest assured knowing that they're in for a good scare, and Resident Evil fans can celebrate knowing that Requiem walks a perfectly fine line of uncanny horror, suspense, and thrilling action. It doesn't even tip too far in one way or another, delivering an experience that's as riveting as it is terrifying.

The Devil is in the Details

There are so many little details in this game that continue to add layers of realism — you can count each individual bullet Leon is carrying on his person (which will vary depending on how much ammo you're actually carrying), the gun mechanics are as real as target practice, and there are countless other details in the graphics and gameplay that just make you all the more immersed.

With that being said, I wish there were some more details in the game's story. It's not a bad story, but it's incredibly surface-level, almost lackluster when compared to other games' stories, even in the RE franchise. While the characters and acting are fantastic, there are several directions (and tropes) that the story takes on that could easily irritate people who care more about story than gameplay. I have my own complaints about the story and ways it told that story, just as other reviewers also have their own distinct gripes.

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I'm obviously not going to talk about specifics, but there were a couple of moments that made me do a gentle eyeroll with a dismissive chuckle, not thinking anything too extreme about it, while other aspects of the storytelling I found to be outright lazy.

This is especially true when we get to the ending, which wound up feeling just rushed when compared to how strong this game started. It's not a bad ending, it's not even a bad direction that the ending went in, but it definitely needed just a little more time cooking. I can understand, though, how developers were excited to get this out and done; and it's typically better to start strong than end strong (when it comes to writing, anyway). Just don't go in expecting a narrative masterpiece.

Long-term fans of Resident Evil (including myself) typically understand going in that the story isn't the forefront (and even then, to expect a healthy amount of camp and B movie vibes), but if you're someone like me who genuinely cares deeply about a game's story (especially if you were like me and have been completely spoiled with Silent Hill f), you might be underwhelmed by it.

Sure, story has never been the main focus when compared to the gameplay and scares, but if you were to compare Requiem's story to any other Resident Evil game, quite frankly, it falls flat. Plus, there's a good amount of fan service that doesn't necessarily have to be there, and it can annoy some players who aren't too keen on those kinds of things.

It's all the little details that add so much realism to the game, but a few of those details could have been spared for a stronger story, especially as we get towards the end. Again, Requiem's story wasn't terrible, but it wasn't anything to write home about, either.

Then again, the game is just so fun and addictive to play through, I really don't care in the long run.

Perfected the Resident Evil Formula

If you were to think back on all the Resident Evil games, you'd notice that there are patterns in place that create a formula for the franchise. This formula consists of gameplay staples, story beats, key fear factors, and other components, and Requiem has taken all of these little aspects and perfected them.

Authenticity is a huge deal for me, and it makes me so happy (and frankly, relieved) that Resident Evil Requiem doesn't try to stray too far away from the things the series does so well. It introduces new concepts and ideas, but keeps the formula present and familiar, allowing players to enjoy it to the fullest; so not only is Requiem a great horror game, it's a great Resident Evil game. Give it a few years, and I can wholly see Requiem on the same podium of icons as Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4, referred to as the Resident Evil game for the modern era.

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The "worst Resident Evil game" isn't even that bad in the first place.

It's intense, immersive, incredibly fun, indisputably Resident Evil in all the best ways, and well worth a playthrough if you have even an inkling of a wanting to do so. Not to mention, something tells me it's not going to end here (despite all the rumors that this is the concluding chapter), nor will it end anytime soon.

Requiem leaves a lot of room for more (I'm fully anticipating a Shadows of Rose-type DLC with how this game leaves off), but at the same time, concludes a lot of what's already been established and unanswered. I am genuinely curious to see what direction the series will go in after Requiem's canon, because it spells out nothing but uniqueness and unbridled joy for every RE fan eagerly waiting for what's in store.

Because for this Resident Evil fan, Resident Evil Requiem didn't just feel like having unlimited funding in a candy store, but it simply like coming home.

Resident Evil Requiem is everything that RE fans could want out of the next entry in the series and more. It walks a tightrope of horror and action, but has perfected this balance in a way that delivers a heart-stopping, adrenaline-pumping good time, regardless of what kind of RE fan you are. While the story is a little basic with a rushed ending, the game sets itself up so strongly in the first half, with perfect gameplay and scares, that it doesn't really matter. Requiem has not only revitalized the Resident Evil formula, but perfected it in the most anxiety-inducing and melancholy entry the series has seen yet, giving players more than enough to satisfy their hunger and bloodthirst, but also leaving room for more down the road, leaving us excited for what's in store for Resident Evil's (very bright) future.

Released February 27, 2026

ESRB Mature 17+ / Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases

Pros & Cons

Literally perfect optimization, not a single frame drop while running at a smooth 60 FPS with stunning graphics, even on a base PS5
The fear factor is incredible; Grace's sections are particularly horrifying
Masters the blend of horror and action, plus it actually nails jumpscares
The most fun gameplay Resident Evil has ever had; the gameplay and mechanics are truly 10/10 with countless little details that just keep adding to the game
Ties up a lot of loose ends, but still leaves room for more in the future

The ending felt rushed when compared to the first 3 quarters of the game
The story itself is pretty surface level ? the focus is definitely on gameplay
Encountered one (1) cosmetic glitch (floating ammo that fixed itself upon a reload), which looks like it could be easily patched
There is a lot of fan service that doesn't really need to be there, which might annoy some players