Resident Evil Requiem PS5 Review: the Return to Raccoon City That Actually Earns It (2026)

Requiem for the dead. Nightmare for the living. Resident Evil Requiem (Resident Evil 9): released February 27, 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC and Switch 2: is Capcom's 30th-anniversary mainline entry, and the fastest-selling in series history with over 6 million copies in two weeks. You play rookie FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft: sent to inspect the derelict Wrenwood Hotel where her mother Alyssa was murdered, and legendary DSO agent Leon S. Kennedy: called in when a missing officer case links to dying survivors of the 1998 Raccoon City incident. Their paths converge on the crater where Raccoon City used to be.

On PS5 it costs $69.99 Standard / $79.99 Deluxe (Brazil physical around R$ 290,97 on Mercado Livre), runs PS5 Pro Enhanced with DualSense haptics and trigger effects: and takes ~12 hours main story, 14–15h with sides, 32h for everything (IGN HowLongToBeat). Scores: OpenCritic 89 Mighty (95% recommend), IGN 9/10 Editors' Choice, Eurogamer 5/5, PC Gamer 92/100, PS Store 4.88/5 from 103K ratings.

Key Takeaways

• Two games in one, done right: Grace = tense first-person stealth-survival in the vein of RE2 / RE7 (hide, scavenge, throw bottles to distract, solve puzzles, stalked like Nemesis / Lady D). Leon = RE4-style action (gunplay, parry, swarms, bosses). The campaign alternates between them in one unified story.
• First-person OR third-person, switch anytime: change camera in Options mid-campaign. First-person = realistic dread; third-person = livelier action and easier horror. Capcom telemetry: ~90% play Leon in third-person, ~60% play Grace in first-person. PC players pick first-person most.
• Do I need to play previous RE games? No, but you'll feel much more. Requiem recaps Raccoon City (1998 missile strike, 28 years ago in-story) and brings back the RPD station. Newcomers get a clean FBI-case entry; veterans get the emotional payoff.
• How scary / how long / is Leon playable? Very scary as Grace (lighter-only corridors, limited ammo), empowering as Leon. Yes, Leon is fully playable co-lead, not a cameo. 12h main, 72.1 GB install on PS5.
• PS5 version specifics: 1 player, offline play, vibration + adaptive triggers, Game Help, Remote Play, PS5 Pro Enhanced, subtitles including Portuguese (BR), English, Spanish, French, German, Russian. Physical PS5 disc + digital both available.
• Buy it if you love survival horror, own a PS5 with DualSense, or want the definitive Raccoon City return. Wait for a sale if you only play multiplayer (single-player only) or hate scary stealth. Leon sections alone won't justify $70.

Full Specification Table

Feature	Resident Evil Requiem PS5 (official)	What it means for you
Title / genre	Resident Evil Requiem (RE9) · Survival Horror · 9th mainline	30th-anniversary flagship, RE Engine, single-player only
Release date	February 27, 2026 (all platforms day one incl. Switch 2)	Available now, patched + Photo Mode (Mar 2026) + Leon Must Die Forever minigame (May 2026)
Platforms	PS5 / PS5 Pro Enhanced, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam/Epic/GeForce NOW), Switch 2	Buy PS5 disc for collecting/resale; digital for convenience. 72.1 GB on PS5
Protagonists	Grace Ashcroft (FBI analyst, daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft) + Leon S. Kennedy (DSO agent)	Stealth-horror chapters alternate with action chapters, Revelations-style
Story hook	Wrenwood Hotel + Rhodes Hill care center → ruined Raccoon City crater; Raccoon City Syndrome deaths	Starts as FBI procedural, ends as Umbrella-truth excavation in the RPD station ruins
Camera	First-person or third-person, toggle anytime in Options	Too scary? Switch to third-person. Capcom added it because RE7 was “possibly too scary”
Length	12h main · 14–15h story+sides · 32h completionist	One tight weekend; two if you hunt files, puzzles and Insanity mode
PS5 features	DualSense vibration + trigger effect, Game Help, Remote Play, PS Portal cloud (Premium), PS5 Pro Enhanced	Feel rain, recoil and heartbeats in your hands; lighter flicker + trigger tension are superb
Rating / languages	ESRB Mature / PEGI 18 · Subtitles PT-BR, EN, ES, FR, DE, RU + more; 1 player, offline enabled	Family-safe? No. Language-safe in Brazil? Yes, full PT-BR subtitles
Editions	Standard $69.99 · Deluxe $79.99 (5 costumes, 2 filters, 4 weapon skins, 2 charms, Raccoon City Classic audio, Letters from 1998) · Pre-order Apocalypse costume · Epic/Fortnite Grace outfit	Standard is enough. Deluxe only for cosmetics lovers; no pay-to-win
Scores / sales	OpenCritic 89 / 95% recommend · Metacritic ~91-92 · IGN 9/10 · Eurogamer 5/5 · PS Store 4.88/5 (103K) · 6M+ in 2 weeks	Rare consensus: critics and players agree, one of the best RE ever

Main Characteristics

Grace gameplay, pure dread: you snoop the Wrenwood Hotel with just a lighter, inspect toolboxes in classic RE close-up, manage a deliberately tight inventory, and decide constantly: spend scarce bullets to harvest blood from zombies or sneak past? A hulking stalker hunts you through grand hallways, throw glass bottles to divert it, run, stumble (Grace is inexperienced and it shows in third-person animations), hide. IGN's hands-on: “for exploration and dread, first-person is the way to go; for monster encounters, third-person feels livelier.”

Leon gameplay: pulse-pounding action: DSO veteran arrives (yes, in a Porsche collaboration intro) with full arsenal, RE4-style gunplay, melee/parry and boss arenas. It refreshes pacing exactly when Grace tension peaks. The contrast is intentional. Capcom calls it “intense fear × exhilarating action.”

Raccoon City return: the crater, the RPD station from RE2/RE3, fan-service done with craft, not just nostalgia. Zombies retain fragments of human memory (butlers, doctors, bellhops), a new humanity that makes kills land harder. Dynamic gore + atmospheric RE Engine lighting carry the horror.

PS5 DualSense: adaptive triggers tighten when aiming/low ammo, haptics pulse with heartbeats, rain and Rumble-like rumbles. Combined with 3D Audio on Pulse headsets, the hotel corridors are unbearable. In the best way.

Requiem vs Village vs RE4 Remake. Which to Buy First?

Game (PS5)	Style	Length	Camera	Best for
Requiem (2026)	Grace stealth-horror + Leon action	~12h	First OR third, anytime	Best all-rounder; start here in 2026
Village (2021)	First-person gothic horror + action 2nd half	~10h	First (third via DLC)	Lady D fans, cheaper backlog pick
RE4 Remake (2023)	Third-person action-horror	~16h	Third only	Action-first players who fear stealth

Pros and Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Resident Evil Requiem worth it on PS5 in 2026?

Yes for horror fans. It splices RE2/RE7 dread with RE4 action, earns its Raccoon City return, and holds 89 OpenCritic with 95% critic recommendation plus 4.88/5 from 103K PS Store ratings. Brazilian buyers praise excellent gameplay, impressive graphics and the Raccoon City story as a must for fans. If you hate stealth or only play multiplayer, wait.

First-person or third-person. Which should I choose?

Start with Capcom default: Grace in first-person, Leon in third-person. Too scary? Pause → Options → switch to third-person anytime: it works like an intensity slider. 90% keep Leon in third-person; Grace splits 60/40 first/third.

How long to beat? Is Leon playable? Do I need old games?

~12h main, 14–15h with sides, 32h platinum. Yes. Leon is a full co-lead with his own chapters, weapons and bosses. No prior RE required, but RE2/RE3/RE4 knowledge deepens every reveal.

Standard vs Deluxe, which edition?

Standard ($69.99). Deluxe (+$10) adds only cosmetics: 5 costumes, filters, weapon skins, charms, classic audio pack and files. No gameplay advantage. Pre-order Apocalypse costume and Fortnite Grace outfit are cosmetic too.

How does it run on PS5 / PS5 Pro? Physical or digital in Brazil?

PS5 Pro Enhanced, DualSense haptics + triggers, Game Help, 72.1 GB. Performance is polished RE Engine throughout. In Brazil the PS5 physical disc (around R$ 290,97 via Mercado Livre) is ideal: resellable, collectible, no PSN lock, same content as digital.

Is it multiplayer? Is there a demo? What's next?

No multiplayer, pure single-player. A free demo (opening hotel chapter) went live May 2026 on PS Store/Steam. Capcom already shipped Photo Mode and the free Leon Must Die Forever challenge mode, with a paid story expansion announced.