New Resident Evil Village Trailer & Release Date Announced!

Today marked the arrival of the highly-anticipated special showcase for Capcom’s long-running survival horror franchise and with it came more key details, a new trailer and May release date for the eighth installment in the series, Resident Evil Village! The trailer can be viewed in the player below, while special screenshots from today and past announcements can be viewed in the gallery beneath it!

RELATED: New Resident Evil Village Video Shows Gameplay, Environment & More!

Resident Evil Village launches May 7th – and that’s not all. It will be available on PlayStation 5, PS4 (with upgrade to digital PS5 version), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One (with Smart Delivery) and Steam!

The #REShowcase is LIVE NOW:

https://t.co/e4wOPFi45Z pic.twitter.com/U90P8FFFfR

— Resident Evil (@RE_Games) January 21, 2021

Resident Evil Village continues the story of Ethan Winters, first set in motion in the seventh installment Biohazard, and combines pulse-pounding action with signature survival horror gameplay synonymous with the series. In today’s first extensive look at gameplay, the development team revealed several new details including some features which harken back to fan-favorite elements from previous games as Ethan will now be able to purchase and sell items, buy recipes for crafting and customize weapons with a merchant dubbed “The Duke.” Using materials found throughout the game, he will be able to craft invaluable consumables needed to survive the terrors of the village. Utilizing these provisions will also involve more strategic planning, with a revised inventory system based on space management that may be familiar to series fans.

The diverse cast of enemies appearing in today’s digital program are just a few revealed from Village so far. Ethan will face off against many threats such as fast-moving creatures that relentlessly stalk him and Lady Dimitrescu’s mysterious daughters who can transform into swarms of insects. The game’s disparate lineup of adversaries will have their own distinctive ways of attacking, so players will need to adapt their strategies with quick decisions on when to attack, guard or flee in order to survive. Ethan has a new kick move in his arsenal to create distance from enemies and buy precious time to decide his next move.

Starting today, PlayStation 5 owners can get an exclusive sneak peek of the castle area from Village with the Maiden demo. This stand-alone experience is separate, but showcases the stunning visuals and 3D Audio that await in the main game. As the Maiden, players will need to rely solely on their wits to make their escape in this tension-filled demo, as they’ll have no way to fight or defend themselves. A separate new demo for all platforms will be available later this spring.

In celebration of the Resident Evil franchise’s 25th anniversary, which kicks off in March 2021, Capcom announced Village will include access to a free multiplayer experience titled Resident Evil Re:Verse coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC. PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players can access the game through backwards compatibility. This thank you bonus to fans features striking comic-style visuals and sets popular characters against each other in four to six-player deathmatch battles in iconic Resident Evil locations. Players can choose from a fan-favorite roster, each with their own unique skillsets to master. When players are defeated in combat, their character respawns by mutating into a bioweapon to enact revenge on their foes.

Pre-orders for Village start today, with options for digital and physical Standard and Deluxe Editions and a physical Collector’s Edition. The Deluxe Edition includes the base game and a digital “Trauma Pack,” which consists of additional in-game content including a Samurai Edge weapon, RE7: Biohazard-inspired found footage screen filter and tape recorder save point options, immediate access to an especially challenging difficulty setting, and more. The physical Collector’s Edition includes the digital Deluxe Edition content plus a striking statue of franchise veteran Chris Redfield, a SteelBook case, art book, and a cloth map of the village with key art printed on the reverse side.

RELATED: Donal Logue Joins Johannes Roberts’ Resident Evil Origin Story Reboot

The past decade for the Resident Evil franchise started with a mixed bag of entries, including the the poorly-received Resident Evil 6 and generally well-received Revelations spin-offs before nearly coming to a full-stop with the Call of Duty-esque shooter Umbrella Corps in 2016. After the success of RE7, Capcom turned their efforts to remaking Resident Evil 2 and 3 for current-gen consoles, with the latter seeing critical acclaim while the latter received generally favorable reviews.

Resident Evil Village is set to hit shelves on May 7 for the PS5, PS4 with a free upgrade for the digital PS5 version, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Steam!