Resident Evil Village ESRB rating is gruesome even for a Resident Evil game

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Here's exactly what the ESRB means by "intense violence and gore"

Resident Evil Village demo walkthough
(Image credit: Capcom)

Resident Evil Village's ESRB rating has been published online, and it offers a fairly detailed glimpse into the blood, carnage, and enemies you'll come across in the forthcoming sequel.

Lady Dimitrescu isn't the only enemy standing in Ethan Winters' way in Resident Evil Village. As the game's ESRB rating confirms, you'll also face "werewolves, ghouls, mutants, [and] mechanical humanoids." None of this is particularly surprising if you've been paying attention to the trailers and details, but it's amusing nonetheless to read all the gruesome details listed in such a transactional fashion.

"Some attacks result in decapitation and/or dismemberment of enemies, often accompanied by large splatters of blood; some areas depict large bloodstains and entrails within the environment," reads an explicit portion of the listing from the ESRB's official website. "Cutscenes can depict additional acts of intense violence and gore: a character's heart ripped out of their chest; a person chopped through the shoulder by a machete; a character impaled through the chest by a giant weapon; a person repeatedly shot. The words 'f**k' and 'sh*t' are heard in the game."

Again, if you're a fan of the series, none of this is likely to deter you from playing Resident Evil Village. The good news is that starting May 1 (May 2 in the UK), you'll be able to start playing the Resident Evil Village gameplay demo and continue until May 9, two days after the game officially launches. That means you can move from the demo to the full game without a gap in-between if you like what you play.

Make the most of the 60-minute demo with our Resident Evil Village demo walkthrough.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.