The Capcom January 2026 Resident Evil Showcase laid out the teaser of “brand-new gameplay and news,” which instantly drove the fans to embrace their imaginary survival horror scenario.
The fact that Resident Evil: Requiem is only weeks away, where Leon S. Kennedy will have his gun out again, and its open world rumors had fans speculating and getting their knives and theories all set.
Yet, the moment the showcase was over, it felt less of a jaw-dropping reveal, and more of a quiet walk down, as the showcase was a lot more about the stuff you can buy from the game.
Requiem takes hold of difficulty settings
Among the more noticeable unveilings, quite an emphasis was put on the difficulty levels, and this was where Capcom practically showed off a bit.
There will be a Casual mode in Resident Evil: Requiem, which is meant for gamers who wish to experience the story without any hardship. It also features aim assist, and a Standard mode that offers the expected combination of scares and survival.
However, the exceptional feature is the Standard (Classic) one, which reintroduces ink ribbons limited for saving. Also, indeed the modest typewriter is back, which lets the players know that the real horror is not zombies, but it’s the moment you remember you didn’t save.
Blood as a crafting ingredient
The infected blood in Requiem is causing the crafting to take a dark turn, as some objects can solely be created by using the infected blood that has been drawn from the zombies. Grace, who is not the toughest and the most aggressive character around, will be the one to suffer through this horror, as she will be taking out the enemies with her gun (named Requiem).
She will kill the zombies, collect its blood, and craft survival tools for herself. It is a resource management with a side of moral discomfort, which seems very much in line with the series theme.
Capcom Turns into a Shopping Channel
The biggest surprise of the showcase was the large amount of time allocated not to gameplay, but to things you can purchase with real money. Grace and Leon each get a limited-edition Hamilton watch, only 2,000 of each have been produced for sale.
Then there is amiibo, along with a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller with a theme around Requiem, orchestra concerts, figurines, and a deluxe edition. Everything looks great, but the way it was presented turned it into more of a horror shopping channel.
Zombies are not Ordinary Anymore
Zombies in Requiem are not your ordinary corpses. Some of them are a little human, where they retain their lives as humans, like the cleaning lady zombie who is always scrubbing the floor or the man who is repeatedly pressing the buttons of the elevator.
One even converses with Grace as if he is a normal person. This raises difficult issues regarding the controlling virus, and whether these beings are more conscious than humans want to believe or not. It is a nightmare in a silent, psychological manner, and perhaps even more so than the absolute slaughtering.
A Big Unanswered Question
The showcase came to a close with a hidden term “elpis.” What exactly is that? Why does Leon happen to have a secret related to it? And how does it link to the killing of Grace’s mother, the late Alyssa? Capcom played reserved and just left a bit out there.
Theories are already spinning, particularly with fans observing what looks like a bite mark on Leon in earlier trailers. As more curiosity builds around this, it might need further investigation.
Bottom Line
The January 2026 Resident Evil Showcase did not set a new path for the franchise or offer massive shockers, but it did affirm Requiem’s spooky atmosphere and put forth a few captivating concepts.
With the resurrection of the classic difficulty mechanics, morally ambiguous crafting, creepy zombie activities, and a mystery that Capcom is obviously saving for later, the real terror may still be lurking around.
In the meantime, fans can put a big red circle on their calendars and prepare for 27th February 2026, when Resident Evil: Requiem launches on Xbox, PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch 2.
