New Resident Evil Requiem Showcase 2026 Reveals More Gameplay Action

Capcom recently announced a gameplay showcase set to stream online today for the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem, releasing on February 27. The showcase was streamed at 2 pm Pacific, 5 pm Eastern, and 10 pm UK time. The event showcased more gameplay, announced many collaborations, and teased more of the story for Resident Evil Requiem, and here’s everything that was revealed at the showcase.

Resident Evil Requiem Showcase

Leon Is Back

Shown live on YouTube and Twitch, I got to watch the official livestream, which starts with a deep dive into Leon’s return to the series. Resident Evil Requiem director Koshi Nakanishi talks about Leon’s return and how the development team ultimately decided on how Leon would return in the series. Here’s what Nakanishi had to say during the showcase:

“I never said he wasn’t going to show up. Seriously, I didn’t say that at all. In fact, I admitted it back then, that we actually tired to make a genuine horror game with Leon. But, sure enough, we thought that people wouldn’t want to see a timid Leon. That was the overwhelming opinion at least.”

So, according to what Nakanishi says, we’ve pretty much always known Leon would be a part of Resident Evil Requiem, and the showcase unveiled Leon in all his glory.

Leon and Grace Gameplay

Nakanishi also dives deeper into Leon and Grace’s very different gameplay styles. With Grace’s gameplay much more amateur and comparable to that of Resident Evil 2 and 7, Leon’s gameplay is just as action-packed as it was in Resident Evil 4. The contrasting gameplays offer an experience completely new to the Resident Evil franchise.

“In this title, it’s like you’re playing completely different games with Grace and Leon. Grace’s parts are more similar to Resident Evil 2 and 7. Really entrenched in the horror aspect of the gameplay. Whereas, Leon’s part is closer to the thrilling tension featured in Resident Evil 4. Full-on action that doesn’t focus so much on the horror aspect.

It may be a survival horror game, but I think we’ve made an experience that suits Leon. By combining Grace’s horror and Leon’s action and allowing you to play them side by side, we created an experience with an emotional range unlike any other Resident Evil title to date.

Dual Perspectives and More Kill Animation Sequences

One of the most interesting things about Resident Evil Requiem is how the devs implemented a game mechanic that allows you to switch between first and third camera perspectives in the game. You can change your perspective in the option menu at any time. This is something really new to the franchise, as most of the games in the series were played in third-person perspective, except for Resident Evil 7 and Village. It’ll be interesting to experience the game like this.

The showcase also revealed many of the kill animations Leon can perform, and I am ready for it. The kill animations themselves are pretty gory and intense, some of them even incorporating Leon’s iconic roundhouse kicks, but this time, heads literally explode. Leon is also able to use enemy weapons, showing him using a chainsaw to cut a zombie in half. Truly epic.

New Game Mechanics

Along with the dual perspectives, the devs have made some pretty unique changes to certain game mechanics we’ve already seen through the Resident Evil franchise. As per Resident Evil fashion, one of the things you can craft is first aid kits with herbs; however, in Resident Evil Requiem, to craft specialized injectors, you will need to collect infected blood, which will require you to kill zombies.

Multiple difficulties will also be available from Casual to Standard (Modern) to Standard (Classic). Casual mode will let you use aim assist to make it easier to kill zombies with headshots. If you choose Standard (Classic), you will need to collect ink ribbons around the map to save the game while playing as Grace, which would definitely make things a lot more intense.

What Is Leon Hiding?

Towards the end of the showcase, it is teased that Leon’s role in this game will be much more intricate, and closely tie into Alyssa Ashcroft’s death at the beginning of the game. From the showcase, it is revealed that Leon is harboring some kind of secret tied to her death, and that Leon may be infected, though that has yet to be confirmed.

Porsche and Hamilton Collab

With the upcoming launch of Requiem happening next month, Capcom has collaborated with some pretty big brands to help promote Requiem. As part of a collaboration with Porsche, Leon is shown to be driving around Raccoon City in a one-of-a-kind custom Porsche designed just for him: the Resident Evil Cayenne Turbo GT.

In another collaboration, Resident Evil has partnered with watchmaker brand Hamilton, who’ve created watches inspired by Grace and Leon. Grace and Leon can be seen wearing them in showcase cutscenes. Leon is wearing the Khaki Field Auto Chrono, while Grace wears the Pan Europ Automatic. In accordance with the collaboration, Hamilton will release these 2,000 pieces of each of these limited-edition watches.

Resident Evil Requiem is set to launch on February 27, proving to be one of the most anticipated games to come out in 2026. With only 43 days left until launch, we can only wait patiently until we get to experience this horror masterpiece.