The complete Resident Evil Requiem guide for making it back to Raccoon City

Following February 27, 2026, we can finally play Resident Evil Requiem, the perfect nostalgia trip for fans of the series. It was a long time ago that a bomb was dropped on Raccoon City, and a lot has happened since, with Resident Evil games stretching the lore out for years. With Requiem, though, we finally head back to where it all started, as Leon S Kennedy himself sets foot back in RPD.

Resident Evil Requiem is the perfect blend of the series, old and new. A natural homage to RE2, there are puzzles galore, but there's also the perfect amount of action-hero Leon, blending the two sides of the franchise. Whether you're stuck on combat or struggling with puzzles, we've got everything you need to know about the game in our ultimate guide to Resident Evil Requiem, including our extensive list of helpful guides.

Resident Evil Requiem guides and walkthroughs

We've played through the latest instalment a number of times now, and have plenty of Resident Evil Requiem guides to show for our time, and to help you make your own way through Rhodes Hill and Raccoon City.

Our walkthrough below is listed in gameplay order, complete with links to every guide you might need.

• How long is it: The first question you might be asking yourself as you consider playing is how long it takes to beat Resident Evil Requiem.
• Safe codes: Naturally, there are loads of locked safes in this puzzle game, While not essential, their contents sure come in handy, so here are all the Resi Requiem safe codes you need.
• Antique Coin locations: In order to purchase various upgrades within the Rhodes Hill clinic, you need to collect as many Antique Coins as possible before heading to the parlor. Find enough, and you can even buy a hip pouch to increase your Resident Evil Requiem inventory space.
• Mr Raccoon locations: He's back! In a true homage to the series (and particularly RE2 Remake), Raccoon City's adorable mascot returns in bobblehead form. Destroy all Mr Raccoon statues to unlock bonus content.
• Lockpick and lock locations: Like safes, locked drawers also contain useful items to improve your chances of survival. Find all lockpick locations and use them on easy-to-pick locks to pick up some extra gear. There are also some cabinets with warped doors, and getting into these also rewards you with extra loot.
• Finding your way out of Rhodes Hill Care Center: Your first major challenge is somewhat reminiscent of the likes of the Spencer Mansion and RPD. Finding important items, keys to locked doors, and puzzle solutions will all get you closer to unlocking three puzzle boxes, opening the Sun Star Moon door, and getting out of the clinic. First, you'll need to find a fuse, before obtaining the West and East Wing keycards. There's a well-hidden pantry key to unlock a kitchen door, and you'll need to find a way through the Level 1 Security lock. Then, there's a nostalgic solution for getting through the unicorn door.
• East Wing puzzles: While the West Wing of the clinic is all classic puzzles and stealth, the East Wing unlocks crafting mechanics and more complex puzzles. To unlock new crafting recipes, you'll need the Analyzer puzzle solutions, and finding the heart and lungs is tricky. To do so, you'll need to open the organ transport box and the Cold Storage door.
• Getting out of the basement: In an effort to save Emily and get out of the clinic, you'll find yourself chasing a terrifying monster into the depths of the care center basement. Once there, you'll need to find three Joint Plugs.
• Navigating Raccoon City: We're so excited to be back in Raccoon City, but you'll need to find all three detonator parts to get in. Despite it being mostly ruins, there's a surprising amount to get through here, but we can help you get fuel in Raccoon City and find the BSAA container key and every container location.
• Exploring RPD: Once inside the ruins of the iconic Raccoon City Police Department building, there's plenty of fan service to uncover, making this a true nostalgia trip for hardcore Resi fans. From notes from Marvin, to the still in-tact 'Welcome Leon' banner, some easter eggs are right under your nose. Others, including Barry's scavenger hunt and the contents of the STARS office case, require a little more effort.
• The end: There are two endings to get to fully experience Resident Evil Requiem, but if you're wondering which to pick first, we can help you answer whether to destroy or release Elpis. Plus, if you're okay with some serious spoilers, find out how to find a secret Resident Evil Requiem character.

Resident Evil Requiem review

Our Resident Evil Requiem review is quite the glowing roundup, and, as one of GamesRadar's Resi aficionados, I wrote it myself, giving a near-perfect four-and-a-half our of five.

Requiem's fan service is frequent but not over-the-top, but it does mean this isn't an entry point to the franchise. That said, I praised Requiem as "the most cinematic, bloody, surprisingly emotional moment for the franchise to-date," with "bombastic combat and strong set pieces amping up the nostalgia without feeling gimmicky."

Resident Evil Requiem platforms

Resident Evil Requiem is available on PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

It's a bummer for anyone still rocking a past-gen console, but I can't lie - it looks pretty special in the RE Engine, and all that juicy raytracing makes all the difference in a horror franchise like this.

Resident Evil Requiem protagonists

As we first saw in the reveal trailer, one of the Resident Evil Requiem protagonists is Grace Ashcroft. During the Capcom Spotlight showcase 2025, the team gave us a little more insight into the kind of character she is from director Koshi Nakanishi.

"The protagonist this time is an intelligence analyst for the FBI, Grace Ashcroft," Nakanishi says. "She's introverted and easily scared, which is a new type of character for the Resident Evil series. We wanted someone that experiences horror from the same perspective as the player. She learns to overcome her fears throughout the course of the story, but she's also an analyst for the FBI who's trained with guns, and is able to act with calm, deductive reasoning."

Leon's back in the picture, too, giving us a dual protagonist experience once again. While Leon's return didn't come as a surprise, per se, Capcom did their best to keep it a secret. At one point, Nakanishi spoke on Kennedy by saying: "We always thought about making Leon the protagonist, but making a horror game based around him is difficult." Nakanishi points to the fact that Leon doesn't scare easily, which means he isn't the right fit for this experience. This is countered and complemented by the addition of Grace, offering the perfect balance between Resident Evil's survival horror roots and more recent action stylings.

Resident Evil Requiem story and setting

Resident Evil Requiem brings us back to the series' roots: the Raccoon City disaster. To be precise, the story takes place "about 30 years after the missile strike on Raccoon City" in the Resident Evil timeline.

Speaking with GamesRadar+ during Gamescom 2025, game director Koshi Nakanishi shed some light on what it was like to approach bringing the city back to life in the aftermath of the disaster, when years have passed by.

"I won't say we went into a physics simulation of exactly how it was affected by the bomb," Nakanishi began, "but we were like, 'Okay, well, this is where the bomb landed in the city. Then this would be the blast zone, you know, the shock wave would maybe travel into these areas, and that's how they'd be affected.'" While the director kept quiet about the exact locations we'll get to visit in the city, the team did "essentially start with the existing design and layout of Raccoon City" that was seen in the Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes. We know now our story takes place across four settings, with a travel segment in between as well. We'll leave you to discover them all for yourself, though.

In terms of the story, Grace Ashcroft, our protagonist, is the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft from the Resident Evil Outbreak games on PS2. As Grace delves back into her own dark past to confront personal demons, specifically regarding her mother's death at the Wrenwood Hotel eight years earlier, she discovers more about herself and the part she plays in the continued story of the T-virus. As for Leon, he has his own demons to battle as he makes amends for lingering regrets while trying to save himself from the repercussions of past events.

Resident Evil Requiem gameplay

Resident Evil Requiem's gameplay is mix of all of the series' greatest hits. Players are able to fluidly swap from first to third person perspectives as both Grace and Leon, while the default setting - and intended experience - is first for Grace and third for Leon.

Whether you opt for a more Resident Evil 2 and 4 vibe or go in Baker House style of Resident Evil 7, Resident Evil Requiem still features a lot of survival horror gameplay staples. I'm talking about chases, of course, with a grotesque humanoid wall-walking creature pursuing Grace through narrow hallways before our heroine finally makes her escape. It's great to see RE9 riffing off the cat-and-mouse likes of Mr X, Jack Baker, Lady Dimistrescu, and Nemesis, a heavily RE-coded move that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Another key aspect of Resident Evil Requiem's gameplay? Puzzles galore, as seen in all the best Resident Evil games, to balance out combat and narrative beats. The combo is emblematic of survival horror at its finest, and with Leon's fancy shooting and melee skills complementing Grace's survival-puzzle segments, Requiem is pretty much every fan's dream come true.

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