Now the PlayStation Store has accidentally revealed that a Resident Evil veteran will be coming to Requiem

An image on the PlayStation Store has seemingly gone up early for Resident Evil Requiem, apparently confirming that a veteran Resident Evil character will be returning.

Numerous players who have pre-ordered the game on PS5 were recently given the option to set an automatic pre-download for the game.

According to the pre-download screen, automatic downloads are set to kick in on February 25, 2026, two days before the game’s official release date of February 27.

Of far greater interest to players, however, is the icon for the game in this pre-download screen, which shows protagonist Grace Ashcroft, but also shows a large image of Leon Kennedy in the background.

The image has been shared online and confirmed by numerous players who have pre-ordered the game, and IGN has also corroborated the claims, confirming that the image does indeed appear for pre-order customers.

It has been long rumoured that Leon – who has been playable in Resident Evil 2, 4 and 6 – would be making a return in Requiem, the ninth main game in the series.

The (apparently accidentally early) arrival of this image on the PlayStation Store all but confirms his return, but doesn’t necessarily indicate what his role will be yet – be that a fully playable second character, someone who’s only playable in certain sections, or even a supporting character who isn’t playable at all.

The rumour of Leon’s return was made more complicated earlier today when retailer GameStop posted a listing for the game’s Deluxe Edition, with a description revealing that it contains extra outfits for Rosemary Winters, another as-yet unannounced character (and the daughter of Resident Evil Village protagonist Ethan Winters).

It remains to be seen, then, whether the game actually has at least three playable characters, whether either Leon or Rosemary are non-playable assist characters, or whether the mention of Rosemary was an outdated or inaccurate one.

Either way, it now seems increasingly likely that a new trailer for Resident Evil Requiem will air at The Game Awards on Thursday, seemingly confirming the return of Leon and potentially also Rosemary.

Resident Evil Requiem is set to release on February 27, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2 and PC.