According to long-time and often accurate CAPCOM leaker Aesthetic Gamer aka Dusk Golem, Resident Evil 9 is planned for a 2025 reveal and 2026 launch. Here’s what they wrote on X:
“It’s almost 100% for sure being revealed this year and releasing next year. Doubt they’ll delay more. The question comes if it’s being revealed this summer or at TGA for example this year, & if it’s releasing this fiscal year (ending March 31st, 2026) or next fiscal year late 2026.”
Dusk Golem had indicated a while back that Resident Evil 9 is likely going to take place in and around a rural town on an island inspired by Singapore, This rural town setting has been utilized in both Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Village, but with RE4 taking place around the lakes and forests of Spain, and RE8 taking place in the snowy mountains of Romania, this shift to a Southeast Asian island town will probably allow for a new and unique experience.
CAPCOM is reportedly “reinventing” the series as they have somewhat done just about every three games for the last nearly 30 years. We’ve had third person fixed camera survival horrors, third person over the shoulder action adventures, first person shooters, on rails arcade shooters, online asymmetrical multiplayers, squad-based spin-offs, co-op campaigns, and now apparently a new turn; Open world horror.
Sometime last year, Aesthetic Gamer aka Dusk Golem claimed that Monster Hunter Wilds and Resident Evil 9 would both be open world gaming experiences, and MHW, which released back in February was infact an open world game. This increases the likelihood that Dusk will be correct about the next RE title too, but if true will also explain why the game has taken so long to be developed. A change of format to an open world release will very likely have many obstacles that CAPCOM will have to navigate to put out a product on par with the quality of one of its most popular franchises.
With hype building around the game and many fan theories suggesting the possibilities of returning series’ favorites like Leon Scott Kennedy, Chris and Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, Ada Wong, and perhaps even a long awaited return of Barry Burton and Rebecca Chambers, it is especially exciting to me as a life-long fan of the series to see where they take Resident Evil next.
As far as the optimal time to announce the upcoming release of Resident Evil 9, CAPCOM has the opportunity to tease or showcase the game at Summer Game Fest which takes place next month, Gamescom later in August, or maybe even Tokyo Game Show which is happening in Spetember. Then again, CAPCOM could always wait until The Game Awards in December to either announce a late 2026 release or hopefully surprise everyone and announce that the game is done and will be launching at the start of 2026. One can dream.
Regardless of when it is announced, RE9 will surely be a new and exciting adventure for fans of the series to undertake, furthering the rich narrative, building upon the stories of the characters we’ve grown to love and hate, and the allowing for a deeper exploration into the bioweapon filled world that CAPCOM has built in the series.
