NVIDIA gave horror fans an early Valentine’s gift at CES 2026 with an exclusive path tracing trailer for Resident Evil Requiem. The 51-second showcase demonstrates what modern lighting technology can do for survival horror, and frankly, it makes Raccoon City look more photorealistic and terrifying than ever. The game launches February 27, 2026 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S with full path tracing and DLSS 4 support from day one.
What Path Tracing Actually Means for Horror
Path tracing represents the next evolution beyond standard ray tracing, and it’s particularly impactful for horror games. While traditional ray tracing simulates light bouncing in linear paths from source to target, path tracing traces light rays that bounce randomly in multiple directions from their point of origin. This creates exponentially more realistic lighting because it mimics how light actually behaves in the real world.
For Resident Evil Requiem specifically, NVIDIA confirms the game will render multiple shadows from various light sources simultaneously, plus complex effects like reflections and refractions through glass with completely natural illumination. In a survival horror game where flickering hallway lights, neon-lit streets glowing at night, and the flame of a lighter illuminating dark corridors are core to the atmosphere, path tracing transforms those moments from good to genuinely unnerving. The technology makes darkness feel deeper and light sources feel more precious, which is exactly what you want when something horrifying is chasing you through abandoned buildings.
DLSS 4 Makes It All Run Smoothly
Path tracing is notoriously demanding on hardware because it requires massive computational power to simulate light bouncing realistically across entire scenes. That’s where DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation becomes crucial. The technology can generate up to three additional frames for every traditionally rendered frame, potentially multiplying performance by up to 8x compared to brute-force rendering.
Resident Evil Requiem will support the complete DLSS 4 suite at launch, including Super Resolution for upscaling image quality, Ray Reconstruction to enhance ray-traced effects, Multi Frame Generation to boost framerates dramatically, and NVIDIA Reflex to reduce input latency. Owners of GeForce RTX 50 Series cards will get the full experience with Multi Frame Generation, while RTX 40 Series users can still benefit from DLSS Frame Generation and Super Resolution. Even older RTX 20 and 30 Series cards will support DLSS Super Resolution to help with performance.
The Open World Raccoon City Question
What makes the NVIDIA trailer particularly interesting is what it potentially reveals about the game’s structure. The footage shows Grace driving through what appears to be expansive city environments with detailed vehicle interiors and exterior street scenes featuring complex lighting on cars and buildings. This aligns perfectly with rumors from prolific Resident Evil leaker Dusk Golem, who claimed back in August 2025 that Requiem would include vehicles and open-world sections where players can explore Raccoon City freely.
According to Dusk Golem, Capcom has been working hard to achieve good performance in open-level designed areas like Raccoon City, specifically mentioning a vehicle for traversal. The leaker has a strong track record with Resident Evil information, having accurately predicted RE9 details months before official announcements. Interestingly, he revealed the game originally started development as an open-world multiplayer title before evolving into the single-player experience we’re getting, but apparently retained some of those open-world mechanics.
Why This Could Change Everything
If true, this would represent the most significant structural departure for mainline Resident Evil since the controversial action-focused RE6 back in 2012. The franchise has traditionally relied on claustrophobic environments, carefully designed corridors, and meticulously crafted spaces where every room serves a purpose. Opening that up to include explorable city sections with vehicles fundamentally changes the survival horror formula Capcom has perfected over nearly three decades.
Not everyone is convinced this is a good idea. Reddit discussions about the trailer show divided opinions, with some fans excited about exploring Raccoon City 30 years after its destruction while others worry the RE Engine and open-world design don’t mesh well together. One commenter suggested the city sequences might just be brief linear sections where you drive straight ahead to your destination rather than true open-world exploration, which would be less risky but also less ambitious.
What We Know About the Game Itself
Resident Evil Requiem follows FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft and returning fan-favorite Leon S. Kennedy as they investigate mysterious deaths connected to the infamous 1998 Raccoon City incident. The story takes place 30 years after the city was destroyed in a missile strike, with Grace discovering that Victor Gideon, a man with ties to Umbrella Corporation, has purchased a building in the ruins and believes Grace is somehow special.
Gameplay-wise, Capcom is offering unprecedented flexibility by letting players seamlessly swap between first-person and third-person perspectives at any time. The studio confirmed third-person mode includes exclusive animations you won’t see in first-person, like Grace tripping and falling during chase sequences with terrifying monsters. One enemy type shown in previews can walk on walls and burrow through ceilings, meaning clear corridors don’t guarantee safety.
Capcom’s Technical Ambitions
The decision to implement path tracing represents Capcom’s commitment to pushing visual boundaries with the RE Engine. Previous Resident Evil games have featured various forms of ray tracing, particularly the next-gen versions of RE2, RE3, and RE7 that received official ray tracing patches. But path tracing takes that several steps further by rendering all lighting, shadows, reflections, and global illumination with physically accurate light simulation.
Capcom specifically referenced learning from Monster Hunter Wilds’ performance issues, stating Resident Evil Requiem would avoid those pitfalls. The game reportedly experienced an internal two-year delay from its original 2024 release window, possibly to incorporate the latest RE Engine improvements and optimize performance with path tracing enabled. That extra development time seems focused on ensuring the technically ambitious features actually run well rather than just looking impressive in trailers.
Release Day is Almost Here
With just over seven weeks until the February 27 launch, anticipation is building rapidly. Outside of GTA 6, Resident Evil Requiem ranks among the most anticipated games on the immediate horizon. The combination of returning to Raccoon City, dual protagonists including Leon Kennedy, seamless perspective switching, potential open-world sections, and cutting-edge path tracing technology makes this feel like Capcom swinging for the fences.
NVIDIA’s exclusive trailer serves dual purposes: showcasing their new DLSS 4.5 technology announced at CES while demonstrating how far survival horror visuals have come. The game will also be available on GeForce NOW for cloud gaming, with Ultimate members getting access to RTX 5080-class performance for immersive ultra-smooth gameplay across devices with full DLSS 4 support.
FAQs About Resident Evil Requiem Path Tracing
When does Resident Evil Requiem release?
Resident Evil Requiem launches worldwide on February 27, 2026 for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. The game will be available day one on GeForce NOW cloud gaming service.
What is path tracing and how is it different from ray tracing?
Path tracing is an advanced form of ray tracing where light rays bounce randomly in multiple directions rather than following linear paths. This creates more physically accurate lighting with realistic shadows, reflections, and global illumination but requires significant GPU power.
Do I need an RTX 50 Series card to play with path tracing?
Path tracing will work on various RTX cards, but DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation that generates up to three extra frames requires RTX 50 Series GPUs. RTX 40 Series cards get DLSS Frame Generation, while RTX 20 and 30 Series cards support DLSS Super Resolution.
Will Resident Evil Requiem have open-world sections?
Unconfirmed rumors from credible leaker Dusk Golem suggest Raccoon City will feature open-world sections with vehicles for traversal. The NVIDIA path tracing trailer shows driving sequences, but Capcom hasn’t officially confirmed these mechanics.
Can you switch between first-person and third-person views?
Yes, Capcom confirmed players can seamlessly swap between first-person and third-person perspectives at any time during gameplay. Third-person mode includes exclusive animations not visible in first-person, like tripping during chase sequences.
Who are the playable characters in Resident Evil Requiem?
The game features two protagonists: Grace Ashcroft, an FBI analyst investigating mysterious deaths, and Leon S. Kennedy, the fan-favorite character returning to Raccoon City 30 years after its destruction in 1998.
What performance can I expect with path tracing enabled?
With DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation on RTX 50 Series cards, NVIDIA claims players can achieve 4K resolution at 240Hz refresh rates with full path tracing enabled. Older cards will have lower performance but can use DLSS Super Resolution to improve framerates.
Is this connected to previous Resident Evil games?
Yes, the story directly connects to the 1998 Raccoon City incident from Resident Evil 2 and 3. The game takes place 30 years later, investigating how that disaster continues to have consequences decades after Umbrella Corporation’s downfall.
Conclusion
The Resident Evil Requiem path tracing trailer demonstrates how modern graphics technology can elevate survival horror beyond just being a visual showcase into something that fundamentally enhances atmosphere and dread. Photorealistic lighting makes dark corners feel genuinely threatening while every light source becomes a lifeline in hostile environments. Whether Raccoon City actually features explorable open-world sections or just impressive linear driving sequences remains to be seen, but either way, this looks like Capcom’s most technically ambitious Resident Evil yet. With DLSS 4 support ensuring the demanding path tracing runs smoothly on compatible hardware and a February 27 release date rapidly approaching, horror fans won’t have to wait much longer to see if Requiem lives up to its terrifying potential. Just make sure your graphics card is ready, because this one is going to push systems hard.