The TLDR: Despite a recent April Fool’s report of a “Mercenaries Mode” coming to the game, Capcom has not officially announced any Resident Evil Requiem DLC. However, based on the RE: Village DLC cycle, we anticipate a story expansion, potentially landing at the end of the year.
Resident Evil Requiem will not be getting a DLC later this year, despite a number of media reporting otherwise. Earlier this month, it was “‘reported”‘ that Capcom’s latest entry into the illustrious zombie saga would be getting a ‘Mercenaries mode’. However, despite this being picked up by some media, it doesn’t take long to realise that it was all in fact an April Fool’s. Well played, Gamerant.
In fact, there’s absolutely zero confirmation from Capcom of any such DLC coming to the game… at least yet, anyway.
Will there be a Resident Evil Requiem DLC at some point?
Yes, if we look historically, there’s a good chance there will be some sort of DLC coming to Requiem, as this has been the case with nearly all of the Resident Evil games of late. In fact, there are strong rumours circulating that this expansion will be story-focused. Capcom are yet to announce this, and there’s nothing on the dedicated DLC Steam page.
The last entry, 2021’s Resident Evil Village, had the Winters’ Expansion arrive around a year and a half after the game released. It cost $19.99 (or came bundled within the Gold Edition) and featured a 3-4 hour story campaign called “Shadows of Rose”. Elsewhere, it added a third-person perspective and new playable characters for The Mercenaries mode.
Prior to this, Resi 7 also had a substantial amount of DLC content shipped on and after launch, which went down a storm with the community. It consisted of a free adventure, which put you in the boots of Chris Redfield post the game’s conclusion, which was released months after RE7’s launch in December 2017, and a number of paid elements, which came bundled as part of a Season pass. These included the following:
| Expansion Pack | Content / Mode | Gameplay Type | Story Impact |
| Banned Footage Vol. 1 | Nightmare | Survival / Wave-based | Non-Canon (Clancy Jarvis) |
| Bedroom | Escape Room / Puzzle | Canon Prequel (Clancy Jarvis) | |
| Ethan Must Die | Rogue-like / Hardcore | Non-Canon Challenge | |
| Banned Footage Vol. 2 | 21 | Psychological Horror / Cards | Canon Prequel (Clancy Jarvis) |
| Daughters | Narrative / Stealth | Critical Lore (Baker Family Origin) | |
| Jack’s 55th Birthday | Time Attack / Humour | Non-Canon Mini-game | |
| End of Zoe | End of Zoe | First-Person Brawler | Canon Epilogue (Joe & Zoe Baker) |
When could a Resident Evil Requiem DLC release?
Now we know that it’s probably more likely than not that a DLC will be coming to the game; do the historical releases give us an idea of a window? Truthfully, we’d be making an educated guess at this point, but taking Village as perhaps the most likely scenario, we could expect to see some sort of story expansion or DLC arriving towards the tail end of the year. Again, this is based purely on historical launch behaviour, so we’ll have to wait and see.
FAQ:
Most major story expansions for the series, such as Resident Evil Village’s Shadows of Rose or RE4 Remake’s Separate Ways, typically launch between $9.99 and $19.99. Smaller cosmetic packs or weapon vouchers usually range from $1.99 to $4.99.
Capcom generally (but not always) follows a specific pattern:
Day One: Cosmetic “Deluxe Edition” items and treasure maps.
1–3 Months Post-Launch: Free content updates, such as The Mercenaries mode or VR modes.
6–12 Months Post-Launch: Major story expansions that provide a new perspective or closure to the main narrative.
A Gold Edition is a complete bundle that typically releases a year or two after the initial game launch. It includes the base game along with all previously released DLC, such as story expansions, extra difficulty modes (like “Village of Shadows”), and all cosmetic packs in one package.
The Mercenaries mode has appeared in several mainline entries and spin-offs, though its gameplay style has evolved significantly over the years. You can find this popular mode in the following titles:
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (1999): The debut of the mode, originally titled “Operation: Mad Jackal.”
Resident Evil 4 (2005): Standardized the “score attack” format with multiple playable characters like HUNK and Wesker.
Resident Evil 5 (2009): Introduced cooperative play, making it a fan-favourite for duo hunting.
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (2011): A standalone title for the Nintendo 3DS dedicated entirely to the mode.
Resident Evil 6 (2012): Features high-mobility combat and expansive character rosters.
Resident Evil Village (2021): Reimagined the mode with first-person gameplay and “The Mercenaries Additional Orders” DLC.
Resident Evil 4 Remake (2023): A modern reimagining of the classic mode, featuring “Mayhem Mode” special abilities.
Yes, most major Resident Evil expansions introduce new protagonists or playable icons. Past DLCs have allowed players to step into the shoes of Ada Wong, Chris Redfield, Joe Baker, and Rosemary Winters. Additionally, “The Mercenaries” updates often add fan-favourite villains like Lady Dimitrescu or Albert Wesker as playable characters.
Generally, Capcom releases DLC simultaneously across all current-gen platforms, including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. For older titles, DLC is often available on PS4 and Xbox One, though technical Gold Editions are increasingly optimized for newer hardware and the Nintendo Switch (often via Cloud versions).
Yes! Capcom frequently releases free post-launch content. The most common free additions include the above-mentioned Mercenaries Mode, PlayStation VR2 compatibility updates, and occasional crossover items or Extra Aid packs to help players through tougher difficulties.
