Capcom uncovers more Resident Evil 9 details, including cementing Grace Ashcroft as the main character

Resident Evil fans on the edge of their seats about the upcoming ninth installment got a lot more clarification yesterday.

The terror returns

There’ve been quite a few rumors surrounding the recently revealed Resident Evil: Requiem, the ninth game in the main line series. Publisher Capcom had been somewhat vague about it to start, so fans were left wondering about its plot, who the main playable character will be, and plenty more.

Some of those questions were answered though, thanks to a showcase event yesterday. And while there were other games discussed, the main event was pretty clearly Resident Evil, and for the most part Capcom didn’t disappoint, taking the wraps off of some (but not all) of the lingering questions.

Set 30 years after the U.S. government deployed the Sterilization Missile to destroy Raccoon City and contain the t-virus outbreak, Resident Evil Requiem is a eulogy to the many characters who were involved in the original outbreak and either lost their lives or were changed drastically as a result of it. With March 2026 marking the Resident Evil series’ 30-year anniversary, Resident Evil Requiem marks its own milestone in the franchise.

Capcom press release

It’s all about Grace

If you didn’t check out the above video, or even if you did, there were a few points in it that hit us as standouts. The first being that FBI agent Grace Ashcroft is indeed the main character, putting the rumors that she’d be sharing time with Leon Kennedy to rest… kind of. As you can see, there were no bones made about Grace being the game’s heroine, but she still might not be alone in her quest, as Capcom didn’t specifically say that there were no other longtime characters involved.

It’d only make sense if there were, since the title of the game is its base theme. Since Requiem is meant to speak to the various characters that have met their end across the series’ events, as well as those who’ve been irrevocably changed, it’d figure that there might be a few cameos at least. There could be some interesting dynamics to play off of there too, with Grace’s family having a direct link to some of the events in the saga.

Change of direction, and view

Another little factoid is that Resident Evil: Requiem will bring back the terror that the early games were known for. Despite her training as a federal agent, Grace is not a superhero, and will be experiencing the terrors of a bombed-out Raccoon City as a more or less average person. That’ll change as the story progresses, but that palpable sense of fear is one of the reasons that the game’s original hero Leon was cut.

Assuredly making every fan smile too, is that the game will indeed allow for switching between first and third-person perspectives. The first-person mode is meant to elicit a higher level of tension, while the classic third-person viewpoint will make “create a more action-heavy gameplay experience.” Sounds like a killer compromise to us, and one that might lend itself to additional re-playability.

All in all, things are looking very good indeed for Resident Evil: Requiem from where we sit, as we tumble towards its February 27th, 2026 release date for consoles and PC. That, by the way, is one that lands just about a month before Resident Evil’s 30th anniversary.