Resident Evil 9 January 2026 Demo Has Gamers Seriously Excited

1 week ago 20

resident evil requiem 9 january showcase capcom

Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot.

The full release of Resident Evil Requiem is now less than a couple of months away. However, the wait for more information, much less a hypothetical Resident Evil Requiem gameplay demo, is mere weeks away with the official announcement of a new Resident Evil Showcase scheduled for some time in “early 2026.”

In an interview with Famitsu, Resident Evil 9 director Koji Nakanishi reportedly stated that Leon would receive a gameplay video or demo during the Resident Evil Showcase, slated for as early as this month. The possibility of a playable Resident Evil Requiem demo this close to launch is certainly thrilling, and it wouldn’t at all be out of character for the franchise, either.

Resident Evil 9 Is Getting a New Showcase This Month

What is confirmed to be true by this point is that a Resident Evil Showcase is officially happening, though the precise date has not been clarified. The Nakanishi Famitsu interview only confirmed that it would air in January, which would already place the showcase in proximity to when Resident Evil Requiem will be released.

Furthermore, while the machine translation has supposedly had issues, the Famitsu interview curiously has Nakanishi stating that Capcom will have prepared a “gameplay video of Leon,” suggesting that there is a demo incoming. Because of the tradition Resident Evil has honored of releasing playable demos for its games, it seems inevitable that Resident Evil Requiem will receive at least one of its own.

One such demo could be quite imminent, regardless of what does or doesn’t appear any day now at the Resident Evil Showcase.

Will We Be Able To Play This Demo Ourselves?

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This begs the question of whether or not the theoretical Resident Evil Requiem Leon gameplay demo will be playable. Following tradition, it is highly likely that it would be playable, with an equally high likelihood that it will be shadow-dropped for players within the Resident Evil Showcase.

Of course, there’s a chance that this “gameplay video of Leon” is simply a non-playable demonstration of gameplay (for the purposes of illustrating how Leon’s action-oriented gameplay will look in both first- and third-person perspectives, surely), perhaps with a playable demo being released closer to the game’s launch.

If so, it is still great to know that new details about Resident Evil Requiem are nigh, though some eager fans may be content to go in as coldly as they can and not consume any more pre-release marketing in fear of spoilers. Only time will tell if a playable demo is, in fact, on the way for Resident Evil Requiem, let alone when the Resident Evil Showcase will be.