The wait is finally over. Resident Evil Requiem officially launched today, February 27, 2026, marking a monumental return to the ruins of Raccoon City and bringing fan-favorite Leon S. Kennedy back into the fold. As Capcom’s latest flagship title hits digital storefronts worldwide, early player data suggests this may be the most technically ambitious entry in the franchise's 30-year history. While the narrative promises a gripping dual-protagonist storyline featuring newcomer Grace Ashcroft alongside a battle-hardened Leon, the immediate conversation has centered on the game's stunning visual fidelity and its surprisingly robust performance across hardware ranging from high-end PCs to the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch 2.

Leon Kennedy Returns to Raccoon City in 2026

For veterans of the series, the biggest draw of Resident Evil Requiem is undoubtedly the return of Leon S. Kennedy. Set roughly 30 years after the initial outbreak, the game presents an older, grittier Leon who is drawn back to the quarantine zone that started it all. Unlike the remote villages or European castles of recent entries, Leon Kennedy Raccoon City 2026 offers a nostalgic yet terrifyingly modern look at the urban decay of the franchise's most iconic location. The RE Engine renders the crumbling streets with photorealistic detail, making the atmospheric horror palpable.

Critics are already praising the narrative structure, which splits gameplay between Grace Ashcroft’s survival-horror focused segments and Leon’s more combat-heavy missions. This duality allows Capcom to satisfy both purists who crave resource scarcity and action fans who want to unleash firepower on bioweapons.

Resident Evil Requiem PC Launch: Path Tracing & Best Settings

The Resident Evil Requiem PC launch has set a new benchmark for graphical fidelity, largely thanks to the introduction of full path tracing—a first for the series. On high-end NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50-series cards, the lighting implementation transforms the game, with realistic shadows and reflections that heighten the tension. However, this visual splendor comes at a cost. Native 4K performance with path tracing enabled is demanding, even for top-tier rigs.

Optimizing for FPS: Resident Evil Requiem Best PC Settings

If you are looking to balance visual quality with smooth framerates, our initial testing suggests the following configuration. These settings provide the best balance of the game's atmospheric lighting without tanking your FPS:

  • Resolution Scaling: DLSS/FSR Quality Mode (Essential for 1440p/4K)
  • Ray Tracing: Medium (High has diminishing returns)
  • Mesh Quality: High
  • Shadow Quality: High
  • Volumetric Lighting: Medium (Saves significant GPU headroom)

For users with the latest hardware, enabling Capcom RE Engine path tracing is a must-see experience, but ensure you are utilizing the new DLSS 4.5 Frame Generation features to maintain a locked 60 FPS.

Handheld Performance: Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch 2

Perhaps the most shocking revelation of day one is how well the game scales down to portable devices. The Resident Evil Requiem Steam Deck performance is nothing short of miraculous. By targeting 800p with FSR 3 set to Balanced, users are reporting a stable 40-50 FPS experience. Capcom has clearly optimized the RE Engine to be highly scalable, ensuring that the intricate assets of Raccoon City don't bottle-neck the handheld's APU. Textures remain crisp on the smaller screen, and battery life is respectable for a AAA release.

Meanwhile, the Resident Evil Requiem Nintendo Switch 2 version is proving to be a showcase title for Nintendo's new hardware. Utilizing the console's DLSS capabilities, the game runs at a reconstructed 1080p in docked mode with surprisingly high-quality textures. While it lacks the full path-tracing suite of its PC counterpart, the art direction shines through, proving that the Switch 2 can handle next-gen survival horror without compromising the core experience.

Is This the Best Horror Game of 2026?

It is early days, but Resident Evil Requiem makes a strong case for being one of the best horror games 2026 has to offer. By blending the technical prowess of the updated RE Engine with a story that honors the series' roots, Capcom has delivered a title that feels both fresh and familiar. Whether you are exploring the shadows of Raccoon City on a bleeding-edge PC or surviving the nightmare on your commute with a Steam Deck, Requiem is an essential play.