Resident Evil 8 - or Resident Evil Village as it's officially called - has been revealed, with a vague 2021 release date on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X. Although the name is causing a little confusion, it's exciting to see what the next Resident Evil game will bring after a duo of (rather glorious) remasters.

"The team behind Resident Evil Village is using its expertise with Capcom’s in-house RE Engine to bring a truly next-generation survival-horror experience to PS5," says Capcom's Kellen Haney.

After the success of Resident Evil 3 Remake, Resident Evil 2 Remake, and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, there's pressure on Capcom to deliver something truly game-changing with Resident Evil 8. So, with that in mind, here's everything we know about the upcoming survival horror sequel below, including all the details on Resident Evil 8 vs Resident Evil Village. Be sure to return to this page regularly for all Resident Evil 8 updates as they arrive.

(Image credit: Capcom)

The Resident Evil Village release date has been set for some time in 2021, and although that might sound like some mythical futuristic date, that's actually next year. Hurrah!

It will be released on Xbox Series X, PS5 and PC when it does arrive next year.

Is it Resident Evil 8 or Resident Evil Village?

(Image credit: Capcom)

Okay, so here's where things get weird. It's technically both. It is Resident Evil 8, but it is called Resident Evil Village. And yet, the number eight is also in the title.

In a recent Famitsu interview, translated by Kotaku, the game's producers Tsuyoshi Kanda and Peter Fabiano explained:

"You could call the actual Village another character in that game, and we did that because we would like players to understand that."

This aligns with the special developer message shared after the game's debut, in which Kanda took charge on the whole "is it 8 or not" question.

"Well, it's still the eighth in the series, and we're treating it as such," Kanda said. "You can even see the roman numeral 8 in the game logo, so it's Resident Evil 8 - just not in name."

So it is Resident Evil 8, just don't call it that, okay?

Resident Evil Village story

(Image credit: Capcom)

It's been confirmed that the Resident Evil Village story is a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. In an interview with Famitsu magazine, game producers Tsuyoshi Kanda and Peter Fabiano revealed that Resident Evil 8 will not only address the cliffhanger set by the Resident Evil 7 ending, but conclude that ongoing story entirely.

Translated by BraveWaveMusic's Alex Aniel, the pair apparently state that "Village is the sequel to Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, and serves as the conclusion to its story."

They also ask fans to "look closely at the trailer [to] see the connections between Ethan's current situation and what happened in Resident Evil 7", suggesting Capcom has let on more than we realise.

In our massive Resident Evil Village trailer breakdown of the debut trailer, we noticed a few things that could be very pertinent to the game's story:

It looks like Ethan and Mia have settled down

The 'He' referred to in the opening could relate to Ethan, but more likely to be Chris

The mummified baby is clearly important. Is it a G-Embryo?

As is the symbol that appears multiple times throughout the trailer

Ethan's baby could be a bioweapon

Umbrella is involved in some way, which is never good news

Or it could be Blue Umbrella

Something is coming with Marguerite's bug powers

Resident Evil 5's Executioner Majini could make a return

As could Luis Sera from Resident Evil 4

Has Ethan lost his hand? AGAIN?

Apparently there are werewolves now

Is Chris Redfield really evil now? Well, he's definitely got a new look

Resident Evil Village gameplay

Although we've get to get a big slice of Resident Evil Village gameplay, it looks to be another first-person Resident Evil affair, based in some kind of village. The exact location is yet to be revealed, but it feels very British countryside to us. The rumours suggested it was based on cults, and it's definitely got that sort of vibe from what we've seen so far. Along with the werewolves of course.

What the leaks are saying

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Resident... uh, Resident Evil leaker AestheticGamer is a pretty trusted source when it comes to any unofficially obtained news about Capcom's future plans for its major franchise, and their latest report about Resident Evil 8 certainly leaves us hungry to know more.

According to rumour, Resident Evil 8 is "first-person, and many purists are going to hate it because it's taking some serious departures in the story/enemies and the like. Hallucinations, Occultism, insanity and not being able to trust others are huge thematics of the game."

The rumours even go so far as to say that Capcom has been internally referring to it as "Revelations 3" for quite some time now, which gives you an idea of where and when the story might be set, and how it fits into the wider Resi picture. Suffice to say, all of this ought to be taken with plenty of scepticism, but it's interesting to consider ahead of Capcom's official announcement nonetheless.

AestheticGamer's latest whisperings also suggest a comparatively lengthy Resident Evil 8 campaign. Apparently, it'll be the "longest RE Engine game to date," beating out Resident Evil 7 and the Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes. That should be encouraging to some who felt the remakes' campaigns - and Resident Evil 3 Remake in particular - were a little on the short side.

What Resident Evil 7 is saying

Image credit: Capcom

Spoilers below, naturally, but let’s not forget that the story of Resident Evil 7 itself, particularly its semi-cliffhanger of an ending, had a lot to tease about what’s in store for this next generation of zombies and super-plagues.

Specifically, we can probably expect Resident Evil 8 to begin answering the many questions posed by Biohazard’s story. What’s happened to Chris Redfield since we last saw him? Who are the Umbrella Corporation these days? What’s going to happen to Ethan now that he's infected with a strain of the Mold virus that caused all of this hoo-ha in the first place?

Of course, both of the recently released DLC packs, Not a Hero and End of Zoe, did shed a little bit more light on some of these mysteries, especially as the former focused on the exploits of Redfield himself. That said, though both took place after the events of the main game, neither offered definitive answers as to what's next for the franchise.

Either way, after Biohazard's intentionally isolated tale, Redfield’s last-minute cameo does signify that the next installment will draw us back further into the lore of Resident Evil’s wider universe, or at least reveal how these separate stories are all tied together.