Resident Evil Requiem beginner guide: how long to beat, which difficulty to pick, tips, PC specs

Resident Evil Requiem is the ninth mainline game in Capcom's series, released on 26 February 2026. The story alternates between two heroes: Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst with no combat training, and Leon S. Kennedy, a DSO agent familiar to fans from earlier games. Grace investigates mysterious deaths among Raccoon City survivors; her chapters are about fear, scarce resources and hiding. Leon's chapters are more action, with weapons and more ammo.

Below is what is worth knowing before your first launch: how long it takes, which difficulty to choose, how saving works and what your PC needs.

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How long it takes to beat

After release, outlets put the campaign at roughly 10 to 16 hours, depending on difficulty and how thoroughly you collect things.

These are estimates from outlets that played the game themselves (Dexerto, Destructoid, Nintendo Life, Space4Games, Gfinity). We could not check HowLongToBeat. The game is not split into rigid chapters: Grace's and Leon's segments are woven into one story.

Which difficulty to choose

There are four modes (names and some saving details differ slightly between sources, so check your menu):

• Casual — the easiest: enemies are easier to kill and aiming is more forgiving.
• Standard (Modern) — the usual pick for a first run. Enemies are a real threat, but you do not need ink ribbons to save and autosaves are plentiful.
• Standard (Classic) — for fans of old-school Resident Evil: Grace saves at typewriters and spends ink ribbons, which you have to find or craft.
• The top difficulty (unlocks after you finish the game; sources call it Insanity or Madness) — enemies hit very hard, and one mistake can kill Grace.

If third-person shooters are not your thing, take Casual. For a first run most people will be happy on Standard (Modern).

Grace and Leon: two different styles

Grace plays by survival horror rules: a small inventory, scarce ammo, puzzles and a creature known as the Girl that stalks her — you avoid it or lure it into the light, where it can be hurt. Grace can crouch, sneak, hide under objects and throw glass bottles to distract enemies. Light attracts the creature. She collects infected blood from enemies and crafts ammo, injectors and healing from it.

Leon is action. He has firearms, melee takedowns and more ammo. His hatchet can parry blows, but it wears down. The story decides when the game switches between the two heroes.

Both can be played in first or third person: Grace defaults to first, Leon to third. Third person is easier, since you can see what is going on behind you.

Basic tips

1. Save. As Grace, use the typewriters until you get used to the game: one mistake there can cost you hours.
2. Conserve ammo. There is not much; according to guides, pistol rounds and shotgun shells are the most common.
3. Knife and hatchet save you. A knife can stagger an enemy so you can finish it off, and a melee weapon helps you break free from a grab.
4. Avoid fights as Grace. Many encounters are built around sneaking rather than shooting.
5. Crafting and healing unlock through analysing blood samples: the first gives pistol ammo and an injector, later ones add med injectors and heavier ammo.
6. Adjust aim assist if shooting is not your strength: you keep the tension without the frustration.

PC system requirements

Both tiers require Windows 11 64-bit and an SSD. According to performance reviews the PC version is generally well optimised; outlets saw problems mostly at 4K with path tracing, which only works on Nvidia GPUs.

What to know before renting

• There is no Ukrainian, neither text nor voice-over. Voice-over is available in English, Russian, Japanese and several other languages; subtitles also cover Polish, Arabic and more.
• The game is single-player, with no online modes.
• Denuvo: the Steam page notes an activation limit of five different PCs per day. Do not switch computers several times a day, launch the game once with internet, and only then switch Steam to offline mode (see how it works).
• Scores: 92 on Metacritic (PC), "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (over 100,000 reviews). IGN gave it 9 out of 10 and GameSpot 8 out of 10. Reviewers praise the mix of horror and action and the alternating heroes, and criticise its reliance on nostalgia and some weaker boss fights near the end.

Sources

• Steam store page — requirements, languages, Denuvo, reviews
• Metacritic (PC)
• Wikipedia: Resident Evil Requiem — characters, mechanics, review summary
• Dexerto: campaign length
• Destructoid: story length
• Nintendo Life: how long to beat
• Space4Games: playtime
• VGC: difficulty modes
• Epic Games Store: 15 survival tips
• Wccftech: beginner tips
• Review roundup (Gamesplanet)
• DSOGaming: PC performance