- Primary Subject: Resident Evil 9: Requiem (Launch Version)
- Key Update: The game is launching as a next-gen exclusive with day-and-date parity on the Nintendo Switch 2, demonstrating surprisingly high performance in docked mode.
- Status: Confirmed (Preview/Hands-on)
- Last Verified: February 3, 2026
- Quick Answer: Resident Evil 9: Requiem launches February 27, 2026, featuring Grace Ashcroft and Leon Kennedy. The Switch 2 version offers impressive performance and visual parity with next-gen consoles.
Resident Evil 9: Requiem, or Resi 9, is mere weeks away from release. Making the jump to next-gen-only is a welcome move from Capcom, as it should propel the franchise forward without the shackles of less powerful systems. You have all seen or read the demo previews, but I got to try out the game running on the Nintendo Switch 2.
I was sceptical of the game's parity with the other systems’ launch date, given that Switch 2 doesn’t have quite as powerful hardware as the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. However, after getting some time with it on Nintendo hardware, saying I came away impressed would be putting it lightly!
Resi 9 is the long-awaited next mainline entry to the horror saga. Taking place years after the initial Racoon City incident in 1998, Requiem has players take control of a brand-new character and a returning poster boy. FBI Analyst Grace Ashcroft will be our eyes into the horrors that await, while fan-favorite Leon Kennedy is back for what I assume will be action-focused reprieves from the tense moments we will share with Grace.
Playing the demo with tense breath as I selected my options (normal and third person, of course - I’m no sadist), I expected a slightly lesser version, obviously scaled down from the existing previews already online. But, I was happily proven wrong - Resident Evil 9: Requiem on the Nintendo Switch 2 has thrown Nintendo back into the ring of ‘mainstream’ games with just how damn good it is.
Now that bold statement comes with an asterisk - the Switch 2 version does have some niggles that I will get to.
I had around an hour total with the game, playing around the hospital as Grace avoids the eyeline of the horrific, shuffling stalker monster, who is Requiem's Mr. X or Nemesis. A stalker in Resi is a tried and tested formula to raise the stakes, sure, but I really hope we don’t spend another chunk of a Resi game running away from an unstoppable foe - it’s time to move on.
Throughout the demo, the lighting and frame rate blew me away, while the real test of fps will be outdoors in better-lit areas. In the dark and gloomy abandoned hospital, the Switch 2 held its own, and what may not have been a solid 60fps was much more than playable. Close up, there are some jagged edges around the scenery and character models, but sitting at a comfortable distance away from the screen, they are less obvious.
Now, there is a caveat: we did not get to see or play the game in handheld mode; we only saw it in docked mode. While it looked superb docked, handheld mode could be where we run into some optimisation issues. A huge game like this is unlikely to hold anywhere close to 60fps off of docked mode - but we will wait and see on that one.
We only got to play as Grace in this demo, so I can’t comment on how Leon handles for now. After losing all my items a few times due to being eaten alive, I took time to soak in the fact that this next-gen wonder is working as expected on what is, at its core, a Nintendo handheld. Yes, we have seen Resi grace Nintendo systems since Gaiden on the Game Boy Color - but seeing a new one release alongside the other systems run so well was very impressive.
For me, my takeaway was frustration. Not because I didn't enjoy my time with the game, but because I am now stuck with a dilemma: which system should I pre-order it on?
Besides some jagged edges and my concern that we did not get to see it running on handheld, my decision now boils down to trophies or portability.
Being unsure of which platform to buy on is not a problem I expected to come away with, as my Resi playing is usually done on PlayStation, as it feels at home there. However, Resident Evil 9: Requiem is a sheer showcase of what the Switch 2 can do, and the portability may have swayed my hand on this one.
Resident Evil 9: Requiem will release on February 27, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.