Resident Evil 9 is, for many, a long-awaited promise. Not only because of the number it carries with it, a symbol of a veteran saga that refuses to age, but because of what it represents: a new opportunity to return to one of the most emblematic settings of modern video games. And although I recognize that the mere mention of Raccoon City can make us feel a certain nostalgia, what Capcom has presented at Summer Game Fest 2025 seems to point to much more than a simple memory exercise.
During the event, the Japanese company revealed Resident Evil 9: Requiem, a title that will arrive on February 27, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It did so with a trailer that, without showing too much, made it clear that we are facing an important shift in the tone of the saga. No excesses or excessive spectacles: the focus is on a more contained, psychological, and intimate narrative, with a horror that seems less interested in shocks and more in persistent unease. And above all, in the weight of the past.
The game introduces us to Grace Ashcroft, an FBI agent who returns to the ruins of Raccoon City to investigate the death of her mother, Alyssa. Years after the attack that razed the city—and which seemed to have buried its horrors—something remains. It is not only the biological threat but also a kind of emotional echo, a legacy that has not been fully closed. Grace will face not only what’s left of Umbrella or her experiments but also her own demons. Capcom thus proposes a personal story and, at the same time, one deeply connected to the expanded universe of the franchise.
From a technical point of view, Resident Evil 9 will once again bet on the third person, recovering the visual and playable style that worked so well in the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3 and that had continuity in Village. The RE Engine is once again the technological base, albeit in a significantly improved version, and this delivery is expected to take full advantage of the current generation hardware. There are no details yet about the combat system or the artificial intelligence of the enemies, but the more introspective tone of the trailer suggests that the pace could be slower, focused on atmosphere and narrative rather than constant action.
On a thematic level, the decision to return to Raccoon City has obvious implications. The city is not just a place: it is the rotten heart of the entire saga. Every corner of its destroyed streets, every forgotten basement, every laboratory hidden underground, holds a story that connects directly with the origins of biological horror in this universe. Recovering that space, but doing so from a contemporary perspective and with a new character as a vehicle, allows us to reopen old wounds without necessarily falling into recycling.
In addition, Resident Evil 9: Requiem seems to have the intention of closing several plotlines that the saga has been developing in previous installments, especially since Resident Evil 7. If Village has already hinted at a change of cycle, this installment can confirm it. And although Capcom has not made statements about whether it will be a stage finale, the title chosen —Requiem—and the darker approach of the material shown invite us to think of a work that wants to be something more than a typical sequel.
There may still be much to know, and the unknowns may outweigh the certainties for now. But if one thing is clear, it’s that Capcom wants to return Resident Evil to mature, emotional, and narrative horror territory.. Not just zombies and mutations, but also loss, memory, and redemption. And to do so, moreover, returning to the symbolic epicenter of everything, is a declaration of intent. Personally, I am confident that Resident Evil 9 will not only be a tribute but also a new pillar in the history of the saga. And that, at this point, is saying a lot.
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