After several major leaks and heavy speculation regarding one of the franchise’s most beloved characters returning to Resident Evil Requiem, The Game Awards finally unveiled what we’ve all been waiting for. Despite several discouraging statements from Capcom about the prospect, Leon is finally making his return in Resident Evil Requiem, and the reaction to the news has been understandably huge.
While it’s hard to go anywhere near a horror or Resident Evil forum without seeing someone talk about the announcement, Reddit users like laxusdreyarligh were quick to share the news online.
With the trailer showcasing that Leon will play a major role in not just the gameplay of Requiem but even its storyline, it’s easy to see why fans are so excited about the not-so-surprising turn of events.
Leon Officially Returns In Resident Evil Requiem
Aside from finally revealing one of Capcom’s worst-kept secrets, the gameplay highlighted in the trailer looks drastically different compared to what we’ve seen from Requiem so far. Leon’s playstyle appears to be the complete opposite of Grace’s, with a showcase of him spin-kicking zombies and chainsawing enemies in half after spitting out a few new one-liners. Reddit user DoctahDonkey summarized the trailer pretty well with a simple “we’re so back.”
The mysterious nature of the trailer might have given the idea that Leon would simply be a smaller segment towards the tail end of Resident Evil Requiem‘s storyline, much like Chris’ role in Resident Evil 8. Capcom, however, had an exciting update to provide just after The Game Awards ended.
Rather than a small combat-focused segment or game mode, Leon will apparently have a roughly even playtime compared to Grace, much like his original appearance alongside Claire Redfield in Resident Evil 2.
The Latest Gameplay Has Fans Losing It
The Resident Evil franchise has changed drastically over the years, with a clear line dividing the more action-focused nature of Leon’s last appearance in Resident Evil 4 Remasteredand the survival horror elements brought back in the first-person gameplay of Resident Evil 7 and 8. All things considered, the split protagonists seem like an excellent way to strike a balance between the two sides of the series.
After a litany of fake Requiem leaks over the past few months regarding Leon’s new appearance, plenty of players like PowerPamaja have shared the sentiment that his design “is fantastic,” which, after watching the trailer, is pretty hard to dispute.
With Leon’s age not slowing him down and Resident Evil Requiem‘s split protagonist Grace tackling the more horrifying aspects of the game, there might even be a chance that more characters like Claire or Chris make another appearance in the full release. We’ll have to wait until February of next year to find out for ourselves.
- Released
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February 27, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases
- Engine
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RE Engine
