Resident Evil Requiem Leak Confirms Leon S. Kennedy’s Return

Image via Capcom

A new image that briefly showed up on the PlayStation Store might have confirmed what Resident Evil fans have been waiting for — Leon S. Kennedy is officially returning in Resident Evil Requiem.

Players who pre-ordered the upcoming survival-horror game for PS5 noticed that the PlayStation Store enabled the automatic pre-download option.

However, the real surprise wasn’t the download date — it was the game’s icon, which unexpectedly showed a big returning character.

PlayStation Store Quietly Reveals Leon S. Kennedy

Users who checked the pre-download screen found out that Resident Evil Requiem will start automatic downloads on February 25, 2026, which is two days before the game comes out worldwide. The main picture on the screen shows Grace Ashcroft, the main character, but in the background, fans noticed a big, clear image of Leon S. Kennedy.

Many players shared pictures of this online, and big websites like IGN confirmed that the image is real and can be seen by people who pre-ordered the game.

This discovery ended months of guessing about whether Leon would be part of the ninth main game in the series.

Leon’s Role Still Unclear

Leon has been one of the most famous characters in Resident Evil, appearing in major games like Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 4, and Resident Evil 6. A recent image from the PlayStation Store shows he's part of the game, but it doesn't say for sure whether he will be included.

• be a fully playable second protagonist,

• appear in select chapters, or

• act as a non-playable supporting character.

Capcom has remained silent, leaving fans eagerly waiting for official details.

More Characters Potentially Leaked

Earlier today, another mistake from GameStop made things more confusing. A listing for the Deluxe Edition mentioned special costumes for Rosemary Winters — Ethan Winters' daughter — and another character who hasn't been officially confirmed yet for the game Requiem.

This has caused more questions:

• Will Requiem have three playable characters?

• Are Leon and Rosemary helping other characters in the game? Or did GameStop accidentally use old information?

With two leaks coming out on the same day, fans are confident that Capcom has something big planned for The Game Awards this Thursday. A new trailer might finally show Leon's part in the game, confirm if Rosemary will be in it, and give more details about how the game features multiple characters.

Resident Evil Requiem Release Date and Platforms

Resident Evil Requiem launches on February 27, 2026, and will be available on:

• PS5

• Xbox Series X/S

• Nintendo Switch 2

• PC

Fans won’t have to wait long for answers — but thanks to the PlayStation Store slip, one thing is certain: Leon S. Kennedy is back, and the hype is stronger than ever.