Resident Evil 9: Requiem Review
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Release Date: February 27, 2026
Main Story Length: 12 hours
Developer: Capcom
Reviewed on PS5
Some games come in with impossible expectations attached to them, and Resident Evil 9: Requiem had that pressure on it immediately. As someone who has played every Resident Evil game, I came in excited… but honestly a little skeptical too. Before jumping into this one, I replayed Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 to catch back up on Leon and refresh myself on some of the series’ best moments. Both are incredible games. Somehow though, Resident Evil 9 still managed to completely catch me off guard.
The opening scene alone immediately shows just how far gaming graphics have come. Standing in a dark street with rain pouring down, reflections bouncing off the pavement, and ray tracing doing absolute magic — I genuinely sat there for a second and just looked around. Within the first five minutes I already had that feeling of: “Oh no… Capcom might have done it again.”
Then around twenty minutes in… I had to literally put the controller down and take a breather.
This game is SCARY.
Not “cheap jump scare” scary. Not “one creepy hallway” scary. I mean genuine anxiety-inducing, lights-off, headphones-on, “I don’t know if I want to open this door” scary. I’d compare the fear factor to Resident Evil 7, but honestly? This one got me even more. The graphics are so insanely detailed and realistic that everything feels more intense. Every shadow matters. Every sound matters. Every hallway suddenly becomes a bad idea.
It’s a terrifying return to survival horror that proves Resident Evil still knows exactly how to scare us.
The craziest thing is that it isn’t just the horror carrying the experience. The story hits. The gameplay hits. The missions hit. The controls feel great. Everything just works. Capcom somehow managed to make Resident Evil NINE feel fresh this deep into the series, which feels quite ridiculous to say out loud.
That said, it isn’t perfect. There are a few slower moments that drag a bit, and the biggest issue is honestly that I wanted more. I would’ve loved a few extra action sequences with Leon and some additional time with certain story beats. When a game leaves you wanting more, that can be a compliment… but it can also make the ending come faster than you wanted.
Maybe Capcom still isn’t done.
Because if Resident Evil 9 is what they pulled off this far into the franchise… what in the world does Resident Evil 10 even look like?
Only time will tell.
But they absolutely have a Game of the Year nomination on their hands with this one.
