Everything you need to know about Resident Evil Village
The Resident Evil franchise as a whole is experiencing a revival, something that began with the success of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard in 2017. That game forsook a lot of the action-oriented elements that later games had taken and run with. Since then, Capcom has seen great success with the Resident Evil 2 remake receiving critical acclaim and outselling the original title. The Resident Evil 3 remake was released in April 2020, and while it had some action, it was still very horror-focused.
As a result, the recent (and-long rumored) announcement of Resident Evil Village came as no surprise. This game appears to be taking some significant departures from past titles while still retaining the strong horror element of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. Resident Evil Village is currently slated to arrive on May 7, 2021. Witches, werewolves, a snowy village, and an absolutely beefy Chris Redfield are just some of everything that we know so far.
The next chapter
Resident Evil Village
Ethan can never catch a break
Resident Evil Village follows Resident Evil 7 and Ethan Winters’ story, who has to enter a mysterious castle in search of his kidnapped daughter. You’ll get to contend against horrific creatures, including Lady Dimitrescu and her insect daughters.
What is Resident Evil Village?
Resident Evil Village is ultimately a first-person survival horror game, tasking players to fight monsters with various weapons and scavenge for supplies in a dark setting. Resident Evil 7 was the first in the series to flip to first-person, and the tradition continues for Resident Evil Village, which follows the same protagonist as the previous game.
Resident Evil Village Trailers
Resident Evil Village story, gameplay and features
Here’s everything else we know about the story, gameplay, and new features.
- The game is being developed using the RE engine.
- It’s being developed for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, and PS5.
- There are what appear to be werewolves (called Lycans), vampires, and witches.
- The game is a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, though Capcom states it will have more action elements.
- The press release from Capcom describes the village as being almost one of the characters.
- It uses a grid-based inventory system like in Resident Evil 4.
- There’s a merchant known as “The Duke.”
- There is a cooking system, where Ethan can harvest animal meats and cook to regain health and stat bonuses.
- Chris Redfield from Resident Evil 1, 5, and other entries will appear in the game.
- Resident Evil Village will also feature post-game Mercenaries mode, returning from previous games. Mercenaries is an arcade-style mode which lets you rack up points and gear for taking on repeatable gauntlets against waves of enemies.
Resident Evil Village Multiplayer RE:Verse
Resident Evil Village will come bundled with a separate RE:Verse mode, which is essentially a five-minute deathmatch mode for 4-6 players. In RE:Verse, you play as iconic characters from across the series. When your character is killed, you can respawn as one of the game’s iconic bioweapon charactrers, in “revenge”-style gameplay.
Will Resident Evil Village be on Xbox One?
With all that said, Capcom recently stated at Tokyo Game Show 2020 that the team is looking into a version for Xbox One and PS4 but that “no promises” are being made. At the January 2021 showcase, Capcom confirmed that Xbox One and PS4 versions were coming. The Xbox One version supports Smart Delivery, meaning you’ll get a free upgrade to the higher-generation version.
Resident Evil Village PC requirements
Resident Evil Village runs on the RE Engine like its predecessor, which proved to be quite performant in general. In terms of PC specs, Resident Evil guns for 60 FPS across all systems as a baseline, but also lists a range of additional visual enhancements you can achieve with ray tracing and higher-end cards for 4K. Capcom notes that more intense scenes may degrade performance, as you might expect.
Minimum PC Specs | Requirement |
---|---|
Operating System | Windows 10 64-bit with DirectX 12 |
CPU | Intel Core i5-7500 AMD Ryzen 3 1200 |
RAM | 8GB |
GPU | Nvidia Geforce GTX 1050 Ti AMD Radeon RX 560 (1080/60fps, performance priority mode) |
Ray-Tracing | Nvidia Geforce RTX 2060 AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT required |
Storage Space | TBD |
Recommended PC Specs | Requirement |
---|---|
Operating System | Windows 10 64-bit with DirectX 12 |
CPU | Intel Core i7 8700 AMD Ryzen 5 3600 |
RAM | 16GB |
GPU | Nvidia Geforce GTX 1070 AMD Radeon RX 5700 (1080/60, visual priority mode) |
Ray-Tracing | Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT |
Recommended GPUs for 4K | Nvidia GeForce GTX 2070 (4K/60fps) AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (4K/45fps) AMD Radeon RX 6800 (4K/45fps) AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (4K/60fps) |
Storage Space | TBD |
Resident Evil Village Xbox performance
Resident Evil Village will match the PS5 on Xbox Series X, but also offer a range of other performance modes and resolutions across the entire Xbox portfolio. Here’s what Capcom is estimating for performance, although exact capabilities will have to wait for a more thorough analysis. Capcom estimates an average 45 FPS for systems running ray tracing dynamic lighting modes, but the frame rates will be unlocked, so it may prove to be more performant than what has been listed.
We have no information on what type of sound features will be supported, but we expect you’ll want one of the best Xbox headsets to take advantage of this game, for the maximum spook factor.
Console Target | Spec |
---|---|
Xbox Series X | 4K HDR/60 FPS |
Xbox Series X (Ray Tracing) | 4K HDR/45 FPS (unlocked) |
Xbox Series S | 1440p/45 FPS |
Xbox Series S (Ray Tracing) | 1440p/30 FPS (unlocked) |
Xbox One X (Performance Mode) | 1080p/60 FPS |
Xbox One X (Resolution Mode) | 4K HDR/30 FPS |
Xbox One S | 900p/30 FPS |
When is the release date for Resident Evil Village?
The next chapter
Resident Evil Village
Ethan can never catch a break
Resident Evil Village follows Resident Evil 7 and Ethan Winters’ story, who has to enter a mysterious castle in search of his kidnapped daughter. You’ll get to contend against horrific creatures, including Lady Dimitrescu and her insect daughters.
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