REVIEW: Resident Evil Requiem (PS5 Pro)

Let’s be honest, the PS5 Pro has had a bit of a hard time justifying its premium price since launch. There have been plenty of games that look and run better on it, sure, but very few that make you feel like you genuinely needed the hardware upgrade. Resident Evil Requiem is one of those rare exceptions. Capcom has delivered a survival horror experience that is confident, creepy, and relentlessly well-crafted, and on PS5 Pro it looks absolutely stunning. This is the series firing on all cylinders, and it is well worth your time.

Story

Requiem takes the bold decision to go back to Raccoon City, and not just as a nostalgic nod. The game actually sits down with the aftermath of what happened there and asks some uncomfortable questions. What does it mean for the people who survived it? Who is responsible? It is a smart move that gives the story genuine weight, and long-time fans are going to get a lot out of it.

You play as two characters across the campaign. Grace Ashcroft is an FBI analyst who finds herself thrown into a nightmare she is completely unprepared for, and she is a brilliant lead. She feels vulnerable in a way that most Resident Evil protagonists do not, and her sections carry a real sense of dread. Then there is Leon S. Kennedy, older and more worn down than we have seen him before, doing his best to hold things together while clearly carrying a lot of baggage. The two complement each other well, and swapping between them keeps the pacing from going stale.

The writing is strong for the most part. Characters feel real, motivations make sense, and there are some genuinely emotional moments tucked in throughout. If there is a criticism, it is that the second half leans a little too heavily on Leon’s side of the story, which means Grace’s quieter, more frightening sections get less room to breathe than they deserve. The ending will land hard for series veterans, but newcomers might find it a touch abrupt.

Gameplay

The dual-protagonist setup is not just a story device, it genuinely changes how you play. Grace’s sections are classic survival horror. Resources are tight, enemies are threatening, and every room you enter feels like a potential problem. You will be counting bullets, rationing herbs, and thinking carefully before engaging anything. It is tense in the best possible way.

Leon’s sections sit at the other end of the scale. They are fast, fluid and action-heavy, with the kind of polished third-person combat that Capcom has been refining since Resident Evil 4. It feels great to play, responsive and weighty, and the set-pieces are well-staged throughout.

The mix of the two styles is largely a success. Puzzles, which are mostly Grace’s territory, are clever without ever feeling unfair. Exploration is rewarding, with the environments packed with details and items that make thorough investigation feel worthwhile. The RE Engine’s combat is as good as it has ever been, with every weapon feeling distinct and every encounter demanding a bit of thought.

The one issue is balance. By the time you reach the back half of the game, Leon’s action sequences start to dominate, and if you came to Requiem primarily for its survival horror atmosphere, that shift can feel a little disappointing. It does not derail the experience, but it is noticeable. The campaign runs to around fifteen hours, which feels about right, though a slightly more even split between the two protagonists would have made for a stronger overall package.

Visuals

This is where Resident Evil Requiem really earns its place as a PS5 Pro showcase title. The RE Engine has always been impressive, but Capcom has pushed it further here than ever before. Character models are extraordinary, with facial animation so detailed that the line between cutscene and gameplay genuinely blurs at times. Grace in particular is brilliantly realised, with subtle expressions that do as much storytelling as the script does.

The environments are gorgeous and oppressive in equal measure. The Rhodes Hill care centre, which makes up a large portion of Grace’s early sections, is the kind of location that gets under your skin. Every corridor feels deliberate, every shadow feels loaded with threat. Raccoon City itself, when you eventually get there, is a spectacular and haunting piece of environmental design.

On PS5 Pro you get a real choice in how you want to experience it. The 60fps mode with full ray tracing enabled is stunning, with lighting that transforms every room into something that looks almost cinematic.

If you would rather prioritise performance, the 120Hz mode with PSSR 2.0 handling the upscaling is also excellent, with surprisingly little visual drop-off. The base PS5 version is perfectly fine, but if you do have a Pro, this is exactly the kind of game it was made for. The 3D audio deserves a mention too. Play this one with headphones on and you will be jumping at sounds two rooms away.

Conclusion

Resident Evil Requiem is one of the best games Capcom has made in years, and that is saying something given the run they have been on. It is smart, scary, and genuinely moving in places, with a dual-protagonist structure that gives it real variety across its fifteen-hour runtime.

It stumbles a little in the second half when the survival horror atmosphere takes a back seat to action, and the ending might not fully satisfy everyone. But the highs here are very high, and on PS5 Pro it is an outright technical achievement. If you are even a casual fan of the series, this one is not to be missed.

Resident Evil Requiem Pricing & Availability

Resident Evil Requiem is available now on PS5, Xbox Series  X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC, starting at €69.99 on Steam.