‘Resident Evil Requiem’ Returns To The Franchises Horror Roots & Will Allow You To Switch Between First & Third Person Point of Views At Any Time

Source: Capcom / Resident Evil Requiem

Geoff Keighley saved the best for last with the announcement of Resident Evil Requiem, which was easily the biggest announcement of Summer Game Fest. HHW Gaming got to see some gameplay of the next chapter in the famed survival horror franchise.

The trailer announcement didn’t show any gameplay. Still, we did learn that RE9, or Resident Requiem, whatever you want to call it, will see players take control of Grace Ashcroft, a young FBI agent who is also the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, one of the sole survivors of 2003’s Resident Evil Outbreak.

Ashcroft is sent back to the place that started it all before Resident Evil became a globetrotting zombie survival game, Raccoon City, to investigate mysterious deaths at a hotel, which also happens to be the exact location where her mother was murdered.

At Play Days, the three-day event preceding Summer Game Fest, where press gets hands-on with upcoming games, Capcom didn’t allow us to play the game, but they did have someone on hand to play a build of the game, giving a sizable glimpse of what to expect in Resident Evil Requiem.

Resident Evil Requiem Marks A Return To The Franchise’s Survival Horror Roots

Source: Capcom / Resident Evil Requiem

The demo presentation opens up with Grace tied to a gurney, confused, and with her blood being drawn. Scared and alone, she manages to knock down the glass bottle IV and use the broken bottle to cut herself loose.

Source: Capcom / Resident Evil Requiem

Before seeing Requiem in action, the game’s lead director, Koshi Nakanishi, stated in a message that the game would return to the franchise’s survival horror roots, combining it with some action elements.

Based on the footage we saw at Play Days, Nakanishi’s imprint is evident in this game, as it thrusts players back into the first-person mode, which was first introduced in Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, on which Nakanishi also served as the lead director.

It was also used in Resident Evil Village, with a third-person view option added later.

The use of the first-person once again adds to the already lingering fear as Grace navigates around the eerie and at times dark hotel, which is supposed to be abandoned, but we all know is not.

Source: Capcom / Resident Evil Requiem

 The use of sound is key as Grace’s deep breaths as she walks through the halls, trying to figure out what is going on, flicking on light switches only to discover they don’t work, adds to the already thick tension.

Source: Capcom / Resident Evil Requiem

The fear intensity in the demo picks up when Grace picks up an empty bottle to use as a weapon and finds a lighter to provide her with some light so she can find clues, tools like a screwdriver to help her open a case containing a fuse she needs to turn on the power to an area.

A Large Creature Pursues Grace In The Hotel

Source: Capcom / Resident Evil Requiem

We soon learn that Grace is not alone in the building when she starts discovering bodies that appear gorgeously disfigured, showcasing the power of the RE Engine running on the PS5 Pro.

We see our first monster, which resembles a giant zombie, that pops out and devours one of the corpses before chasing Grace down the hotel’s halls.

Source: Capcom / Resident Evil Requiem

To make matters worse, the giant monster can easily navigate around the dilapidated hotel through massive holes, allowing it to pop out at you just when you think you may have gotten away from it.

From there, the demo teases this encounter with this massive creature, just giving us a taste of what to expect when the game arrives on February 27, 2026.

Before the presentation ends, we are teased with one more thing: you are not confined to a first-person view. Requiem will allow players to switch to a third-person over-the-shoulder view as well, giving you the option to change how you experience this new nightmare in the Resident Evil saga.

We can’t wait to scare the crap out of ourselves playing it. For those heading to Gamescom this year, they will have the opportunity to experience the first demo.

Consider us jealous.

You can see more photos from Resident Evil Requiem below.