Capcom played it safe with Resident Evil Requiem. Players love it anyway
Four months after release, the ninth mainline Resident Evil is quietly surging again — not on a sale or a patch, but on word of mouth that won't quit.
Resident Evil Requiem is Capcom's latest survival-horror entry: scarce ammo, lurking monsters, and a slow-burn descent split between two playable leads, the newcomer Grace and series stalwart Leon.
Reviews are loud and not unanimous — rapturous on one side, a 'played it safe' shrug on the other. Either way, the positive verdicts keep stacking up and pulling in new buyers.
What this game is
Resident Evil Requiem is the ninth mainline entry in Capcom's long-running survival-horror series. Like its predecessors, it trades action-game power fantasy for scarcity and dread: limited ammo, dwindling healing items, locked doors that force backtracking, and monsters you often want to avoid rather than fight. The campaign hands you two playable leads, the newcomer Grace and returning hero Leon, and leans on the photorealistic RE Engine to build its claustrophobic spaces. This is horror by careful design, not jump-scare spectacle.
What happened
The notable thing is the timing. Requiem launched earlier this year, and most games settle into a slow fade a few months out. This one is doing the reverse, climbing back toward the top of Steam's most-played and best-reviewed lists. No blockbuster sale or major patch obviously explains it. The momentum looks organic: a steady, overwhelmingly positive reception and persistent "best of the year" chatter, pulling in players who waited for the verdict before buying.
Player voices
The enthusiasm is loud. One day-one buyer put the game in elite company:
"Resident Evil Requiem will very likely be in the conversation for Game of the Year … a successful celebration of one of gaming's horror staples." — a player about 29 hours in
The dissent is consistent about why it exists. A player who finished it wanted more risk-taking:
"Devs tried to play it safe, but it wasn't satisfying for me … 5/10." — a player with about 18 hours
Verdict
✅ For anyone who loves Resident Evil, or survival horror generally, this is an easy recommendation: polished, gorgeous, and confident in what the series does best. Just calibrate expectations. The recurring criticism is the fair one to keep in mind: Requiem refines the formula rather than reinventing it. If you were hoping for a bold rethink of what Resident Evil can be, temper that. Come for a superbly executed classic-style horror game, not a revolution.
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