Resident Evil 8 Village for Xbox Series X, S and PC: Trailers, recommended specs, release date — Everything you need to know

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.

What is Resident Evil Village?

Source: Capcom

Resident Evil Village is the next Resident Evil game from Capcom. It's the eighth mainline game in the series, with the "VILL" in "VILLAGE" being bolded as a nod to "8" or Resident Evil 8. With that said, the official title 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

Source: Capcom

Here is the announcement trailer for Resident Evil Village, which was shown during Sony's PS5 showcase, The Future of Gaming. You may need to sign in to an account to bypass YouTube's age-rating filter.

At a later showcase, we got to see another trailer showing more glimpses of the horror that awaits:

In the January 2021 showcase, a third trailer focused on what is inside that mysterious castle:

During an April 2021 showcase, Capcom revealed a fourth trailer for the game, showcasing more of the plot and mechanics.

Resident Evil Village story, gameplay and features

Source: Capcom

Ethan Winters, the main protagonist of Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, is the protagonist here again. Resident Evil Village takes place a few years after the events of the Baker Mansion, as Ethan and his wife Mia are trying to live in peace. Chris Redfield shows up and turns Ethan's life upside-down.

Source: Capcom

As Ethan tracks Chris down and attempts to rescue his kidnapped daughter, he finds himself in a mysterious snowy European village with a foreboding castle — Dimitrescu Castle, home of several creepy individuals. The most notorious on social media is known as Lady Dimitrescu, notable for her immense height and vampiric traits. She commands her witch-like daughters (who can shift into swarms of insects) to hunt Ethan down. There's also a house of werewolf-like beings led by a man called Karl Heisenberg, among other antagonists that have yet to be detailed.

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

Source: Capcom

Capcom seems desperate to add some form of on-going service to Resident Evil, despite repeated failed attempts. In any case, maybe they'll get it right this time.

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?

Source: Capcom

While it was rumored that a current-generation version was in development at some point, Resident Evil Village is only officially coming to next-generation hardware: the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS5, and PC. This allows Capcom to take full advantage of the next-generation hardware, including vastly superior graphics and CPU tech alongside ultra-fast SSDs.

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.

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.

When is the release date for Resident Evil Village?

Source: Capcom

After Capcom initially stated a broad "2021" release window, a release date was announced during a showcase on January 21, 2021. Resident Evil Village is currently set to release on May 7, 2021. When it does arrive, it's likely to be one of the best Xbox horror games. We'll have a review up hopefully in time for launch.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets