After a few borderline cruel misdirects at the 2025 Summer Games Fest, Resident Evil Requiem was finally revealed, taking us all the way back to Raccoon City years after its destruction. Following an entirely new protagonist to the series, Requiem's story follows an investigation into a mysterious and deadly illness, likely tied to the fateful series of events put into motion by the Umbrella corporation. While there aren't many gameplay details revealed just yet, the setting for the story offers several unique implications for Resident Evil Requiem.
Scheduled for a release date of February 27, 2026, it will still be a significant amount of time before we get more details about Resident Evil Requiem and its story or gameplay. Despite the lack of details, there is still plenty to infer from the trailer, with Requiem likely to take a similar approach to Resident Evil 7 and 8, emphasizing a more horror-themed approach. Regardless of what direction Resident Evil Requiem ultimately takes, it's unlikely the series would bring back such an iconic location without also incorporating relevant characters into the narrative of the new entry.
10 Claire Redfield Has More Than One Connection To Raccoon City
Revisiting The Location That Started Her Series Of Unfortunate Events
Originally finding herself in Raccoon City in search of her brother, Claire has fewer reasons to revisit its desolate ruins, but still has the expertise needed to survive. Working to uncover any traces of bioweapons activity remaining, Claire could find herself revisiting the past in more ways than one.
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Appearing in only two mainline entries in the franchise, Claire has still built up a considerable level of popularity in the series, on top of inheriting the zombie-killing prowess of her brother Chris. Featuring a more comionate personality that helped her build trust with Sherry Berkins as a child, Claire could potentially provide a mentor role for Grace in Resident Evil Requiem.
9 Jake Muller Could Get A Second Chance To Shine
A Unique Character From The Black Sheep Of The Series
Being the son of Albert Wesker, Jake Muller is an incredibly unique character for the series, being a long-lost son to the villainous Albert Wesker. Even though Resident Evil 6 is far from a must-play for the series, Jake Muller's character was one of the more interesting aspects of the controversial sequel, struggling to move past the shadow of his father while forging new bonds.
Jake Muller is an incredibly unique character for the series, being a long-lost son to the villainous Albert Wesker.
Having immunity to the C-virus and a plethora of combat abilities to put him on par with the protagonists of the series, he could provide a vital asset to lesser-experienced fighters like Grace. It's easy to see Jake aiding in the fight against Umbrella's remnants to make up for his father's actions, with his journey in Resident Evil 6 just asking to be continued.
8 HUNK Would Provide Some Excellent Backup For Grace
A Legendary Force To Squash Anything Left Undead In Raccoon City
Originally serving as a ruthless operative for Umbrella's security crew, HUNK quickly evolved into his own silent character, playing a key role in the background of several Resident Evil games. With HUNK currently spending his time as a mercenary, the ex-alpha team leader would be the first pick for a special forces unit being deployed to Raccoon City, thanks to his unique experience.
HUNK has all the tools and experience needed to help defeat anything left over in Raccoon City.
While a large part of HUNK's charm is his incredibly mysterious nature and unknown identity, a new entry set in the dreaded Racoon City could offer the perfect chance to explore the character in more depth. Even if it was just through Stoic actions rather than speech, HUNK has all the tools and experience needed to help defeat anything left over in Raccoon City.
7 Ada Wong Is A Perfect Fit To Explore The Mysteries Of Raccoon City
Adding More Layers Of Intrigue For Requiem's Storyline
The beloved morally grey spy has had a significant number of appearances across the Resident Evil franchise, being quick to follow after or before any major biohazard-related disaster. With Requiem exploring a new disease spreading from Umbrella's research, it wouldn't be a far stretch to imagine Ada Wong close behind, and ready to sell the information to the highest bidder.
Ada Wong is still around and involved with the same bioweapon espionage as in her previous appearances.
Making Ada Wong's appearance in Requiem even more likely is that she was originally planned to be included as a key NPC in Resident Evil Village, seen in early concept art for the game. While this crossover was eventually scrapped, it's confirmation that Ada Wong is still around and involved with the same bioweapon espionage as her previous appearances.
6 Sherry Birkins Could Be An Unwilling Patient For Experimentation
Reliving The Past With The Dreaded G-Virus
If someone is lurking in the ruins of Raccoon City for any traces of Umbrella's past bioweapons, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Sherry Birkins getting caught in the crossfire once more thanks to her unique genetic compatibility. Having first appeared in Resident Evil 2's Raccoon City, alongside several of the series' most iconic characters, it would be great to see Sherry Birkins get a second chance to shine in Resident Evil Requiem.
Sherry could have more personal reasons for getting involved with Raccoon City again.
Having grown from the helpless child in Resident Evil 2 into a fully capable special agent with regenerative abilities, Sherry could have more personal reasons for getting involved with Raccoon City again as well. Compared to the stacked cast of Resident Evil 6 characters from across the series, Sherry didn't get as much of a chance to shine on her own, being the easy choice for Resident Evil Requiem.
5 Going Back To The Series' Roots Wouldn't Be The Same Without Jill Valentine
The Character That Started It All For The Resident Evil Franchise
Jill has experience dealing with Umbrella longer than most characters in the franchise, and was already investigating the pharmaceutical-turned bioweapons company before the Raccoon City incident. Being one of the most highly requested characters for a return, Jill's inclusion would also make sense from a narrative standpoint, doing her best to ensure any traces of Umbrella remain long forgotten by the world.
Being completely absent from the stacked roster of Resident Evil 6 protagonists, Requiem could provide the perfect opportunity for Jill to show her skills once again, long after her recovery from the events of Resident Evil 5. While I doubt she would be a playable character, it would be interesting to see how Jill has changed over the years, much like Leon's jaded personality in the more recent film adaptations.
4 Leon Kennedy Still Has A Score To Settle With Raccoon City
Requiem Could Offer Some Closure For Leon's Past Wounds
There's no doubt that Leon Kennedy is one of the most popular characters in the Resident Evil franchise, making him even more likely to appear when combined with Requiem being confirmed to revisit his first introduction to the series, the RPD. Although Jill Valentine has a stronger connection to Raccoon City compared to Leon, there have already been rumors of Leon Kennedy's taking a starring role in the next Resident Evil entry.
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If the leaks are true, Leon might play an even larger role in the storyline than Grace, with Raccoon City merely being one of many locations visited throughout the game's story, as reported by The Gamer. While I'm taking these leaks with a grain of salt, Leon Kennedy does feel like a great fit for the latest installment, especially if he takes more of a backseat like Chris Redfield in RE: Biohazard & Village.
3 Grace Bears Striking Plot Similarities To Rose Winters
A Perfect Match Up Depending On Where Requiem Falls On The Resident Evil Timeline
While the exact timeline for Resident Evil Requiem might end up making the crossover impossible, it would be a massively missed opportunity not to include Rose Winters in the next Resident Evil game, even if it's just by name. Although I would rather see Rose as the protagonist of her very own Resident Evil game in the future, her unique abilities and similarities to Grace are hard to ignore.
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Following Koshi Nakanishi's confirmation that he would be returning for Resident Evil 9 this past July, fans have been clamoring for more information on the sequel, namely who will be the protagonist after Ethan Winters' death in Village. Considering the game set up a powered Rose to carry on the story, as well as a potentially revived Ethan, I do think Rose will likely be the protagonist for the next game, though personally, I would almost prefer to see a new game focused on Chris to catch us up on what's been going on with him since RE6. His sudden appearance in the final act of Biohazard and nearly villainous turn in Village really left me wondering why the creative minds took such a drastic shift with him, and a midquel being centered on a particularly dark mission would go a long way to helping give me some semblance of closure and understanding for this development.
Both Grace and Rose had parents who were previously infected with mutating viruses in the past, with Grace potentially gaining some unnatural abilities similar to Rose herself that make her desirable for the game's antagonists. Several undeniable similarities between Rose and Grace could easily see a bond forged between them, even if it's just as a post-credits scene, or potentially a future installment that could avoid timeline inconsistencies.
2 Survivors Of Resident Evil Outbreak, Like Yoko Suzuki
A Direct Link Between Resident Evil And Requiem's Protagonist
The most obvious choice for a recurring character would be any of the fellow survivors of the original Raccoon City, featured as the main protagonists in Resident Evil Outbreak. With Resident Evil Requiem following the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft from the same Outbreak spinoff, it would be a great way to tie the story back full circle, without relying on overused protagonists.
A great way to tie the story back full circle, without relying on overused protagonists.
Although the full extent of Resident Evil 's gameplay and story is still unknown, Alyssa's backstory is likely to be an important focus for Grace as she ventures back to the origins of the outbreak. Out of all the survivors themselves, Yoko Suzuki is one of the more likely to appear as an NPC, playing a prominent role in the Racoon Trials against Umbrella, whose similar insights could have led to the murder of Alyssa Ashcroft before Requiem's story.
1 Chris Redfield Is The Most Likely Candidate For A Resident Evil Requiem appearance
Taking Care Of All Your Bioweapon Disposal Needs
Appearing in more Resident Evil entries than anyone else in the franchise, I would be more surprised if Chris Redfield didn't make an appearance in Resident Evil Requiem. Even if he might be somewhat overused for the series, Chris played an unforgettable role in both Resident Evil: Biohazard and Village as the head of his own BSAA task force.
I would be more surprised if Chris Redfield didn't make an appearance in Resident Evil Requiem.
Leading the fight against the remnants of Umbrella and any bioweapons they come across, Chris Redfield's realization at the end of Village could directly play into the storyline of Requiem. Having the organization Chris Redfield worked with for so long come under question would be an excellent way to expand the Resident Evil narrative, while still leaving plenty of room to tell the story of Grace in Resident Evil Requiem.
Resident Evil Requiem
- Released
- February 27, 2026
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Engine
- RE Engine
- Franchise
- Resident Evil
- PC Release Date
- February 27, 2026
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- February 27, 2026
- PS5 Release Date
- February 27, 2026
