Affiliate Discount on Green Man Gaming
Capcom is set to unleash one of the most anticipated survival horror experiences of 2026 with Resident Evil 9: Requiem, officially launching on February 27, 2026. After years of speculation and anticipation, the ninth mainline entry in the legendary Resident Evil franchise promises to deliver a terrifying return to Raccoon City, the iconic location where the series' most devastating biological disaster unfolded nearly three decades ago. For fans eager to dive into this nightmare, Green Man Gaming is offering an exclusive 18% discount on PC pre-purchases, making it the perfect time to secure your copy of this groundbreaking horror experience.
The Story: Two Protagonists, One Nightmare
Resident Evil 9: Requiem introduces players to a compelling dual-protagonist narrative that interweaves two distinct perspectives into a single cohesive horror experience. At the heart of the story is Grace Ashcroft, an FBI intelligence analyst dispatched to investigate a series of mysterious deaths at the condemned Wrenwood Hotel in Raccoon City. This assignment carries deeply personal significance for Grace—it's the same location where her mother, legendary investigative journalist Alyssa Ashcroft, died eight years prior.
Grace's investigation transforms from a routine assignment into a harrowing journey of survival and discovery as she uncovers generational secrets, unresolved trauma, and the dark legacy that connects her family to Raccoon City's catastrophic past. The narrative brilliantly layers personal horror with the franchise's broader mythology, creating a story that resonates on both intimate and epic scales.
Running parallel to Grace's investigation is the mission of veteran D.S.O. agent Leon S. Kennedy, who returns as a co-protagonist with equal gameplay time. Leon is sent to the Midwest to investigate a series of incidents tied to former Umbrella scientist Victor Gideon, the game's primary antagonist. At this point in the timeline, Leon is significantly older and more experienced, having spent decades fighting bioterror threats that never seem to end. His sections serve as the action-packed counterbalance to Grace's more vulnerable, horror-focused gameplay.
The game is set approximately 30 years after the catastrophic destruction of Raccoon City in 1998, making it a significant milestone in the franchise timeline. This temporal distance allows Capcom to explore how the sins of Umbrella Corporation continue to haunt the world decades later, while simultaneously introducing new threats born from the city's buried past.
The Villain: Victor Gideon, The Burned Man
Victor Gideon represents a return to the classic, man-made horror that defined early Resident Evil games. As a former Umbrella Corporation virologist, Gideon survived the company's bankruptcy in 2003 and purchased the Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center, where he conducted sinister experiments for years. His obsession centers on "Project Elpis," a classified U.S. government serum connected to the Sterilization Strategy that destroyed Raccoon City in October 1998.
Gideon's connection to the Ashcroft family is tragically personal. In 2018, he tracked down and fatally attacked Alyssa Ashcroft at the Wrenwood Hotel when she got too close to uncovering his operation. During the attack, young Grace pushed him onto an oil lamp, causing severe burns that transformed him into "The Burned Man". Now, eight years later in October 2026, Gideon has realized that Grace's blood is the key to freeing Elpis, setting him on a relentless hunt for the daughter of the woman he murdered.
Gideon's terrifying design as a gothic slasher combined with his role as a calculating puppet master creates a villain that feels both physically threatening and intellectually menacing. His presence throughout the game serves as a constant reminder that sometimes the most horrifying monsters are the ones that started as human beings.
Gameplay: A Tale of Two Perspectives
One of Resident Evil Requiem's most innovative features is its consciously designed dual gameplay structure that delivers what director Akifumi Nakanishi describes as "almost like having 2 games" mixed together. This deliberate contrast creates a unique rhythm that keeps players oscillating between intense action and pulse-pounding horror.
Grace Ashcroft: Pure Survival Horror
Grace's sections lean heavily into investigation, puzzle-solving, stealth, and heightened vulnerability. As an FBI analyst unequipped for direct confrontation, Grace must rely on resourcefulness and evasion to survive encounters with evolved zombies and other bioweapons. Her gameplay emphasizes the classic survival horror elements that made the franchise legendary—limited resources, environmental puzzles, and the constant dread of being hunted.
Players controlling Grace will use throwable bottles to create diversions, manipulate light sources to shape visibility, and employ limited investigative gadgets to uncover clues. The evolved zombies in her sections exhibit predatory intelligence, crawling along ceilings and cutting off escape routes with precision. These encounters demand patience, stealth, and careful resource management, creating the isolated and genuinely scary horror sections that producer Masato Kumazawa describes as terrifying players to their core.
Leon Kennedy: Action-Oriented Combat
Leon's sections, by contrast, deliver intense, adrenaline-pumping action that showcases his decades of experience fighting bioterror. His gameplay incorporates the refined combat mechanics from Resident Evil 4, allowing players to engage threats directly with veteran fighting skills. After a scary segment with Grace, Leon's action feels even more exciting and liberating, providing a sense of empowerment that contrasts sharply with Grace's vulnerability.
Director Nakanishi explains this design philosophy: "We're really emphasizing the difference in their experiences this time. After a scary segment, the action feels even more exciting. And after an action segment, the horror feels even more terrifying". This creates what he describes as an exhilaration and satisfaction that past Resident Evil titles didn't offer, giving players a combined experience only possible by merging two completely different gameplay styles.
Dual Perspective System
The most exciting gameplay innovation is arguably the option to seamlessly switch between first-person and third-person camera perspectives. This flexibility allows players to tailor their experience based on personal preference or tactical needs, with first-person offering heightened immersion and third-person providing better spatial awareness during combat encounters. The dual perspective system represents a bold evolution for the franchise, giving players unprecedented control over how they experience the horror.
Technical Excellence: RE Engine at Its Peak
Resident Evil Requiem is powered by Capcom's cutting-edge RE ENGINE, harnessing the full capabilities of PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC platforms to deliver spine-chilling realism like never before. The game will not launch on previous-generation consoles, allowing developers to push technical boundaries without compromise
The visual fidelity achieves new heights with complex character details including lifelike facial expressions, realistic skin textures, and even high-fidelity sweat droplets that enhance the palpable tension. Ray tracing technology creates atmospheric lighting that transforms every corridor and abandoned room into a potential nightmare, while advanced physics and particle effects bring the decaying environments of Raccoon City to disturbing life.
The psychological horror elements are enhanced by the engine's ability to render subtle environmental details and character reactions that convey fear and desperation without relying on jump scares alone. This technical sophistication supports Capcom's goal of creating a more immersive and genuinely frightening experience that keeps players on the edge of their seats throughout the entire journey.
The Return to Raccoon City
For longtime fans, returning to Raccoon City represents more than nostalgia—it's a confrontation with the legacy of Umbrella's sins and the ripple effects that still haunt the world decades later. The game allows players to explore a devastated Raccoon City reimagined in grotesque and unfamiliar ways, with familiar locations transformed by three decades of decay, government quarantine, and nature reclaiming urban spaces.
The Wrenwood Hotel serves as one of the primary locations, a decrepit and isolated establishment that carries deeply personal significance for Grace. This gothic setting combines classic haunted house horror with the biological terror the franchise is known for, creating an atmosphere thick with dread and anticipation. The hotel's labyrinthine corridors, forgotten patient records, and dark secrets provide the perfect backdrop for both investigation and survival.
Beyond the hotel, players will trek through condemned city blocks, abandoned research facilities, and underground passages that reveal how Raccoon City has evolved in the decades since its official destruction. These environments aren't just visually impressive—they're integral to the storytelling, each location revealing pieces of the larger conspiracy that connects Alyssa's death, Gideon's experiments, and Project Elpis.
Director's Vision and Franchise Legacy
Game director Koshi Nakanishi, who previously helmed the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 7 and Revelations, has stated that Requiem is even better than those landmark titles. This bold claim from a director with such an impressive pedigree suggests that Capcom is confident they've created something truly special—a game that honors the franchise's survival horror roots while pushing the series forward in meaningful ways.
The decision to feature two protagonists with radically different gameplay styles reflects Capcom's desire to appeal to both longtime fans who crave pure horror and players who enjoy the more action-oriented entries. By consciously designing this contrast, Nakanishi and producer Kumazawa have created a structure that satisfies multiple playstyles within a single cohesive experience, making Requiem potentially the most accessible and varied mainline Resident Evil game yet.
Pre-Order on Green Man Gaming with 18% Discount
For PC gamers looking to experience Resident Evil 9: Requiem on launch day, Green Man Gaming is offering an exclusive 18% discount on pre-purchases. This significant savings makes the already compelling horror experience even more attractive, allowing players to secure their Steam key at a reduced price while supporting a trusted digital retailer.
The pre-order discount is available for a limited time before the game's February 27, 2026 release date. Given the high demand expected for this highly anticipated title, securing your copy early at the discounted rate is recommended. Green Man Gaming provides instant digital delivery, meaning you'll receive your Steam key and be ready to dive into Raccoon City's nightmare the moment the game launches.
Release Details and Platform Availability
Resident Evil Requiem will launch simultaneously on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam on February 27, 2026. The decision to focus exclusively on current-generation platforms and PC ensures that Capcom can deliver the full potential of their vision without technical compromises, though it does mean players still using PlayStation 4 or Xbox One will need to upgrade to experience this entry.
The February release positions Requiem as an early contender for 2026's best horror game, giving it the entire year to dominate discussions and potentially sweep awards categories. The timing also places it approximately nine months after the initial reveal at Summer Game Fest 2025, providing Capcom ample time to polish the experience and generate anticipation through gameplay reveals and marketing campaigns.
Why Resident Evil 9: Requiem Matters
Resident Evil 9: Requiem represents a pivotal moment for the franchise. By returning to Raccoon City—the birthplace of the series' mythology—while introducing new protagonists and gameplay innovations, Capcom is simultaneously honoring the past and building toward the future. The dual protagonist structure allows the game to serve as both a traditional survival horror experience and an action-packed thriller, potentially attracting the widest audience in series history.
For fans who have followed Leon Kennedy's journey since Resident Evil 2, seeing him as an older, battle-worn agent confronting the city where his nightmare began carries significant emotional weight. For newcomers, Grace Ashcroft provides a fresh entry point into the franchise with her own compelling personal stakes and investigative perspective. Together, they create a narrative that respects long-time fans while remaining accessible to those experiencing Resident Evil for the first time.
The emphasis on psychological horror combined with the technical capabilities of modern hardware suggests that Requiem could redefine what survival horror means in 2026. As the industry continues to evolve, having a flagship franchise like Resident Evil push boundaries and take creative risks is essential for the genre's continued vitality and relevance.
Final Thoughts
Resident Evil 9: Requiem arrives on February 27, 2026, as the culmination of decades of survival horror evolution. With its dual protagonist structure, seamless perspective switching, stunning RE ENGINE visuals, and return to the franchise's most iconic location, the game promises to deliver an experience that honors the series' legacy while charting new territory. The 18% discount available on Green Man Gaming makes this the perfect opportunity to secure your copy and prepare for one of 2026's most anticipated releases.
Whether you're drawn to Grace's vulnerable investigation through psychological horror or Leon's veteran combat experience, Resident Evil Requiem offers a meticulously crafted experience that director Nakanishi believes surpasses even Resident Evil 7. As the countdown to launch continues, one thing is certain—Raccoon City's nightmare is far from over, and this February, players worldwide will discover just how deep the horror goes.
