Resident Evil Requiem: How Long Does It Take to Beat RE9?

One of the first questions any gamer asks before committing to a new title is: how long is it? Resident Evil Requiem (RE9) released on February 27, 2026, and players are already clocking their times across every difficulty and playstyle. Whether you want to rush the story, explore every corner of Rhodes Hill Care Center and Raccoon City, or chase 100% completion across multiple runs — the answer changes quite a bit depending on how you play.

Here’s a full breakdown of every playtime scenario in Resident Evil Requiem, from a casual first playthrough all the way to speedrunning, completionism, and Insanity Mode.

Table of Contents

Quick Answer: How Long Is Resident Evil Requiem?

Playstyle	Estimated Time
Main Story (Casual/Standard)	8–12 hours
Main Story + Some Exploration	10–14 hours
First Playthrough Average	~10–12 hours
Completionist (Single Run)	25+ hours
Full Completion (All Runs)	30–40 hours
Speedrun	3–4 hours

The sweet spot for most players on their first run is around 10 to 12 hours of in-game time. If you’re more of an explorer who hunts for collectibles and reads every file you find, expect that to stretch toward 13 or 14 hours.

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First Playthrough: What to Expect

For a standard first blind playthrough on Standard difficulty, mixing story progression with a healthy amount of exploration, most players are finishing Resident Evil Requiem somewhere in the 9 to 12 hour range. One reviewer came in at just under 9 hours (8 hours and 53 minutes) on a thorough run that included searching for major collectibles. Nintendo Life’s team clocked in just under 10 hours on Standard Classic. PC Gamer’s reviewer finished in around 10 hours while spending significant time looking for secrets and Mr. Raccoon statues.

It’s important to know that Resident Evil’s in-game timer does not count cutscenes, time spent in the inventory menu, or pause time. Requiem reportedly contains close to two hours of cutscenes alone. So if your end screen shows 10 hours, your real-world time sitting with the game is likely closer to 12 to 14 hours — potentially more if you die frequently or spend time thinking through puzzles and resource management.

Your first playthrough will always be your longest run. Once you know every puzzle solution, every enemy patrol route, and every shortcut, subsequent runs get dramatically faster.

How Difficulty Affects Playtime

Resident Evil Requiem launches with four difficulty options, three of which are available from the start. Your choice here directly affects how long the game feels:

Casual — The most accessible option. Enemies go down more easily, both Grace and Leon deal more damage, and you can save freely without Ink Ribbons. Players on Casual will move through the game faster due to fewer deaths and less resource management stress. Expect to land on the lower end of the 8–10 hour range.

Standard (Modern) — The equivalent of a normal difficulty setting in line with recent Resident Evil remakes. Autosaves are frequent and manual saves don’t require Ink Ribbons. This is where most players will clock their first run, landing around 10–12 hours.

Standard (Classic) — Mechanically identical to Standard (Modern) in terms of enemy strength and damage, but with one key difference: Grace’s sections require Ink Ribbons for manual saves, just like the classic RE games. Leon can still save freely at save stations. The added tension of ink ribbon management may slow some players down slightly, pushing them toward the higher end of the time range.

Insanity Mode — Unlocked only after completing the campaign once. This is Resident Evil Requiem’s hardest difficulty, featuring additional enemy spawns, faster and more aggressive infected, and remixed item placements throughout the game. On a raw first Insanity run without bonus items, expect 12 or more hours. However, most players who tackle Insanity will do so with Challenge Points (CP) unlocked from previous runs — including Infinite Ammo and the Infinite RPG — which actually makes this mode manageable despite its fearsome reputation.

Speedrunning Resident Evil Requiem

Resident Evil Requiem has a built-in speedrun challenge called “Speed Demon”, which rewards you for completing the campaign and reaching a specific ending (releasing Elpis) in under 4 hours. This is the in-game timer, not real-world clock time — meaning you have a bit more real-world time than it sounds.

For context, Resident Evil Village’s speedrun trophy required finishing in under 3 hours, and RE3 Remake’s was set at 90 minutes. The 4-hour threshold in Requiem suggests there’s meaningfully more content to get through even on an optimized run compared to those shorter entries.

Players who have beaten the game once or twice should find the 4-hour target very achievable. The recommended approach for chasing Speed Demon is to start on Casual difficulty, use the Koketsu unbreakable knife (purchasable for 5,000 CP from the Bonus Menu), skip the Blood Collector entirely, and avoid picking up or using any healing items simultaneously to target related challenge trophies. Experienced runners are already reporting clear times under 3 hours, which makes the 4-hour window quite generous for anyone who knows the game well.

The Speedrun.com community has also opened a dedicated Resident Evil Requiem leaderboard, with the community actively organizing categories and rules ahead of formal run submissions opening.

Completionist Playtime: How Long for 100%?

Full completion in Resident Evil Requiem is not something you can achieve in a single playthrough. Several challenge objectives are tied to specific conditions that require separate runs — including finishing the game without using any healing items, completing a speedrun, and tackling Insanity Mode. Here’s what going for everything involves:

Collectibles in a single thorough run — Finding all Mr. Raccoon Memoriam statues, all files and documents, all Antique Coins, and all safe codes will push a single playthrough beyond 25 hours.

Multiple playthroughs for challenges — Challenge Points (CP) carry over between runs, and unlocking everything in the Bonus Menu requires accumulating tens of thousands of CP across at least two or three playthroughs. A typical path is a thorough first run, followed by a Casual speedrun targeting Speed Demon and other challenge trophies, then an Insanity run with Infinite Ammo unlocked.

Unlockable weapons and bonus content — Leon’s full weapon collection and all concept art and model galleries require substantial CP investment from multiple completions.

All said and done, total completion sits in the 30 to 40 hour range across all runs. It’s worth noting that Resident Evil Requiem does not have a traditional New Game Plus mode — however, files, Mr. Raccoon collectibles, and items purchased from the Bonus Menu carry over between playthroughs, which meaningfully reduces time spent on repeat runs.

There’s also no free-roam or chapter select available after finishing the campaign. The workaround Capcom has built in is that the game supports 12 manual save slots and 3 autosave slots, so experienced players recommend spreading manual saves evenly across each major area of the game to simulate chapter select for trophy cleanup.

How Does RE9’s Length Compare to Other Resident Evil Games?

Resident Evil Requiem sits comfortably within the franchise’s modern era in terms of length. For reference:

Game	Average Main Story
Resident Evil 3 Remake	~6 hours
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard	~9–10 hours
Resident Evil 2 Remake	~9 hours
Resident Evil Village	~10 hours
Resident Evil Requiem (RE9)	~10–12 hours
Resident Evil 4 Remake	~16 hours
Resident Evil 6	~20+ hours

Requiem is slightly longer than Village and RE7 for most players, and noticeably shorter than RE4 Remake. Producer Masato Kumazawa initially compared it to RE4 in scope, while the game’s director noted that playtime is difficult to predict due to individual playstyle variance. Well-known RE insider Dusk Golem framed it most accurately: longer than Village, but a bit shorter than RE4 — which aligns perfectly with what real-world playtimes are showing.

Grace vs. Leon: Do Their Sections Feel Different in Length?

Yes — and this is worth knowing going in. Grace’s sections of Resident Evil Requiem lean heavily into survival horror. She carries limited ammo, relies more on stealth and her knife for combat, and moves through environments at a slower, more methodical pace. Players less familiar with stealth-based horror may find her sections take longer, especially early in the Care Center.

Leon’s sections shift toward action-oriented gameplay, with a larger arsenal and a more aggressive combat style. Players who prefer action will likely move through his portions faster and more fluidly.

The two protagonists alternate throughout the story rather than offering completely separate campaigns, so the pacing varies naturally across the runtime. For puzzle-heavy sections in the Care Center, guides for things like the Corpse Puzzle in the Examination Room or the Chairman’s Office Puzzle Box can save you significant time if you get stuck.

Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Playthrough

Don’t rush your first run. The collectibles, files, and environmental storytelling are a big part of what makes Resident Evil Requiem worth the price of entry. Many unlockables and challenge trophies are tied to things you’ll naturally encounter on a thorough first playthrough.

Spread your manual saves. With no chapter select, keeping saves in each major area gives you flexibility for trophy cleanup later without starting over.

Plan your CP spending carefully. Don’t blow your Challenge Points on concept art or cosmetics before you’ve unlocked the items that will help you on your Insanity and speedrun playthroughs. The Koketsu unbreakable knife for Grace (5,000 CP) is a particularly smart early purchase.

Use guides for locked doors and puzzles. The Care Center is dense with optional rooms and locked content that can eat up time if you’re stuck. Guides for things like the Bar Lounge Safe Code, the Examination Room Safe Code, how to open the Pantry, and how to open the Organ Transport Box will keep you moving without frustration.

Learn the Level system early. Doors and access points tied to your security clearance level are a recurring mechanic. Understanding the Level 1 ID Wristband location, how to open Level 3 doors, and where to find the East Wing Keycard early will save you significant backtracking time.

Is Resident Evil Requiem Worth the Price for Its Length?

10 to 12 hours is a legitimate question at a $70 price point, and it’s one the gaming community has been debating since launch. The honest answer is that Resident Evil has always been a series built around tight, replayable campaigns rather than sprawling open-world runtimes — and RE9 delivers on that tradition. There’s no padding, no filler fetch quests, and no moment that feels like it’s there just to artificially extend the clock. Every room, every puzzle, and every encounter has purpose.

Factor in the Insanity Mode, the speedrun challenge, the collectible hunt, and the bonus content unlocked through CP, and Resident Evil Requiem has well over 30 hours of content for players who want to see everything. For those who love the series, that’s more than enough to justify the investment.

Play Resident Evil Requiem on Your Platform

Wondering if your PC can run RE9 before buying? Check out our full Resident Evil Requiem PC Requirements guide to see where your rig lands.

More RE9 Guides to Help You Through Every Hour

Make the most of every minute with these guides for the Care Center and beyond: