Resident Evil Requiem has shattered the franchise record to become the biggest launch on Steam. Ever since the first reveal trailer at the 2025 Summer Games Fest, Resident Evil Requiem became one of the most highly anticipated games of 2026. The reveal showed a new protagonist by the name of Grace Ashcroft, the daughter of Alyssa Ashcroft, who fans of the franchise might remember from Resident Evil Outbreak, the online multiplayer game launched for the PlayStation 2 in 2003.
The reveal also shocked fans with the fact that they will be able to visit the ruins of Raccoon City and explore the aftermath of the nuke that destroyed the town in Resident Evil 3. Soon, rumors started that franchise star Leon S. Kennedy would return as a playable protagonist in Resident Evil Requiem alongside Grace Ashcroft. These speculations were put to rest when his appearance was officially revealed in another trailer at the 2025 Game Awards.
Resident Evil Requiem Broke Resident Evil 4 Remake’s Record
Resident Evil Requiem launched on February 27, 2026, for all major platforms and is currently dominating the Steam charts by becoming the biggest launch title for the franchise. The game has already passed 314,000 players at the time of writing, cementing its legacy on the very first day of its release. Previously, this record was held by the highly acclaimed Resident Evil 4 Remake, with a peak of over 168,000 players when it released back in March 2023. This is the second time that a Resident Evil game starring the famous Raccoon City survivor Leon S. Kennedy has become the biggest launch title for the Resident Evil franchise.
A few years before Resident Evil 4 Remake was racking up numbers on the Steam charts, it was Resident Evil Village leading the franchise with 107,000 players in 2020. Before that, it was the slightly disappointing Resident Evil 3 Remake with around 60,000 players on the Steam charts. Combining the concurrent players of the last three game releases in the Resident Evil franchise, it still wouldn't come anywhere near the numbers Resident Evil Requiem has achieved with its release on Steam.
Resident Evil Requiem has brought back Leon after a 14-year hiatus from the franchise, as he was last seen in Resident Evil 6 back in 2012. Ever since then, Leon has been missing from the mainline series, only making appearances in the remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 4, a few animated films, and a miniseries on Netflix. As many fans consider Leon S. Kennedy to be the golden boy of the Resident Evil franchise, Capcom likely wanted to bring him in when it was the right time, considering he is a big draw for players.
Ever since the introduction of the RE Engine through Resident Evil 7 in 2017, Capcom has knocked it out of the park for every game it has released for the franchise. The reviews of Resident Evil Requiem have been largely positive, as it has managed to not only gain a substantial player count for its franchise, but it has also gained the "Very Positive" tag on Steam thanks to the overwhelming response from the gaming community.
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