Resident Evil Requiem Gets Free ‘Leon Must Die Forever’ Mode

Capcom didn’t send out a press release. There was no countdown timer, no teaser campaign. Fans just woke up, launched Resident Evil Requiem, and found something new waiting for them. The free roguelike minigame Leon Must Die Forever shadow-dropped overnight — and it’s available right now on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, and GeForce NOW.

The mode is exactly what the name promises. Leon S. Kennedy, the fan-favorite agent who’s been surviving impossible odds since 1998, gets put through hell all over again — this time across 20 stages ripped from the main campaign, now packed with stronger enemy variants, randomized weapons, and a ticking clock that does not care about your feelings. The ultimate goal is reaching Victor, the game’s final boss, and taking him down before time runs out.

“Grace made it home safely, but Leon still has work to do,” reads Capcom’s official description. “Use his enhanced abilities to complete this minigame as fast as possible.”

To access it, you’ll need to have finished Requiem’s main story and updated to version 1.300.000 — a 2.1 GB download on PS5. From there, head to the main menu, select Extra Games, and Leon Must Die Forever is waiting. Death is permanent, the mode warns you upfront, though multiple difficulty settings give players room to calibrate the punishment.

More Than Just Mercenaries

A lot of Resident Evil fans had been quietly hoping this update would bring back The Mercenaries — the beloved arcade-style mode that’s been a franchise staple for decades. That’s not what this is. And honestly? It might be better.

Leon Must Die Forever plays more like a structured roguelike than a pure score-attack mode. As you cut through enemies, you fill an Enhancement Gauge that lets you unlock Leon’s exclusive “enhancer abilities” — passive buffs that affect damage output, survivability, and playstyle. The order of areas and the abilities on offer change with each run, which means no two playthroughs feel identical. There are also special rare monsters that extend your timer when killed, adding a layer of resource management to the chaos.

The spiritual predecessor here isn’t Mercenaries — it’s Ethan Must Die, the punishing bonus mode from Resident Evil 7. And it turns out Capcom had been dropping hints about exactly that for months. Game director Koshi Nakanishi was wearing an Ethan Must Die t-shirt in the video where he first teased the DLC, which in hindsight was about as subtle as a zombie through a window.

Players who’ve already gone hands-on are responding well. Reddit user WinterOf98 called it “harder than Resident Evil 4’s Mercenaries and definitely demands a bit more strategy on your part. Pretty fun.”

“The fast-paced action is distinct from the main story mode, and is packed with replay value,” Capcom said. “Can you make it to the end alive and defeat the boss within the time limit?”

New Costumes, Merch, and Amiibo on the Way

The mode also comes with new cosmetics for Leon, including one costume that puts his Porsche on his head like a bicycle helmet (yes, really) and another that gives him wolf ears and a tail. The internet is already reacting accordingly.

Beyond the game itself, Capcom has launched Leon Must Die Forever merchandise — t-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, sweatshirts, and pullover hoodies — available through Amazon Merch on Demand via e-Capcom, with US availability expected to follow. And in a separate announcement bundled with this update, Capcom confirmed the first-ever Resident Evil amiibo figures are coming on July 30, featuring both Leon S. Kennedy and Requiem co-protagonist Grace Ashcroft.

The update also adds PC support for the DualSense wireless controller’s adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and motion sensor features — a welcome addition for PC players who’ve been missing out on those tactile extras — along with various bug fixes across all platforms.

More Content Is Coming — But It’ll Take Time

Leon Must Die Forever is free, and Capcom is being upfront that it’s not the main event of Requiem’s post-launch roadmap. A full story expansion is in development — one that fans are hoping will bring back Ada Wong and Chris Redfield and answer some of the lingering mysteries from the main game, including what’s going on with a certain piece of Leon’s jewelry. Game director Koshi Nakanishi confirmed the expansion back in March but noted that “it will take some time, so we ask for your patience.”

That patience seems warranted given where Requiem stands. The game has sold 7 million copies since launching in February 2026, a number strong enough that Capcom raised its profit forecast for the year. IGN gave it a 9/10, writing that it “successfully splices two separate strains of survival horror together into the one highly infectious new mutation.” Windows Central’s Jez Corden — self-described die-hard Resident Evil fan — scored it 4.5 out of 5, calling it “another win in what could be one of Capcom’s best product slates in recent memory.”

All of this is landing during the franchise’s 30th anniversary year, which Capcom has been leaning into hard. Thirty years after Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine first walked into that mansion outside Raccoon City, Leon Kennedy is still getting absolutely wrecked by monsters — and apparently, we can’t get enough of watching it happen.