Last Updated on December 15, 2025 by Angel Melanson
Following an unofficial leak from the PlayStation store making the rounds over the last couple of days, Capcom has officially announced the return of series golden boy Leon S. Kennedy as a playable character in the upcoming Resident Evil Requiem, as well as first footage of his new look.
Launching on February 27, 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, Resident Evil Requiem is set 30 years after a missile strike destroys Raccoon City, and mainly follows investigate reporter Grace Ashcroft, daughter of Resident Evil Outbreak‘s Alyssa Ashcroft. The ninth title in the mainline Resident Evil series is directed by Koshi Nakanishi, who also helmed the utterly terrifying Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, hinting at Requiem‘s return to pure survival horror after the more fantasy-focused Resident Evil Village. And, in a first for the series, in Resident Evil Requiem, players are able to shift, at any point in the game, between first and third-person perspective, so you can decide how close you want to come to the game's terrifying new stalker enemy.
While fans have suspected that Leon, who first appeared in the Resident Evil universe in 1998's Resident Evil 2 and has been a key part of the series up to Resident Evil 6 and the recent remakes, would be part of the game, especially given its Raccoon City setting, Capcom has remained coy, with director Nakanishi previously trying to throw us off the scent by suggesting that Leon is now too grizzled and tough to convincingly feel the sense of fear that Requiem is clearly trying to convey. Canonically, Leon is also in his fifties at this point, so don't maybe expect to see him doing too many Resident Evil 4-style roundhouse kicks, although from today's new look, he's still kicking plenty of ass. Plus, clock the chainsaw. Man's still got it.
While Leon might be back for Resident Evil Requiem, don't expect to see him in Zach Cregger's upcoming Resident Evil movie – the Weapons director has already confirmed he's “not going to tell Leon's story”, and will instead focus on original new characters.
Watch the official Resident Evil Requiem reveal from tonight's Game Awards below, and stay tuned for more on the iconic survival horror game as we get it.
