⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: This guide contains major story spoilers for Resident Evil Requiem (RE9). Read on only if you want full details on both endings.

Resident Evil Requiem pushes the series into bold new territory, pairing FBI agent Grace Ashcroft with veteran survivor Leon S. Kennedy as they dismantle the remnants of Umbrella Corp and unravel conspiracies spanning decades. Like most entries in the series, Resident Evil Requiem features two distinct endings that completely rewrites the story’s meaning and both hinge on a single choice Grace makes in the ARK facility. Here is your complete breakdown of every outcome.

What Is Elpis in Resident Evil Requiem?

Throughout Resident Evil Requiem, Elpis appears to be a dangerous and mysterious device created by Oswell Spencer one that both Grace and Leon desperately try to keep out of the hands of the game’s villain, Dr. Victor Gideon. Spencer’s “Connections” group, including Zeno Wesker, believe Elpis to be a weapon capable of reshaping the modern world.

However, the truth is far more significant. Elpis turns out to be an antiviral cure Spencer’s final act of atonement, designed to neutralise virtually any bioweapon infection. This revelation drives the entire emotional and narrative weight of both endings.

The Choice: Release or Destroy Elpis

Near the end of Resident Evil Requiem, Grace and Leon face Zeno Wesker in the Pandora section of the underground research facility, the ARK. Grace reaches the central console and must enter a code to either release or destroy Elpis. The terminal has only one correct password “Hope” and entering any other code, including “Destruction”, triggers the facility’s self-destruct sequence.

The game allows you to experience both endings. After reaching either outcome, you can reload from your last autosave and try the alternative. Both endings are worth seeing, and this guide explains exactly what happens in each one.

Ending 1: Destroy Elpis (The Bad Ending)

To trigger this ending, Grace enters “Destruction” as the terminal code a deliberate choice to activate the self-destruct sequence and ensure Elpis never falls into the wrong hands.

What Happens:

Before entering the code, Grace experiences a mental flashback in which players hear Oswell Spencer’s regrets and Leon’s voice urging her to end this once and for all. Driven by those words, she types “Destruction” and commits to the destruction of Elpis.

The device loses power and an eerie silence takes over the control room. Zeno immediately realises something is wrong and demands to know what Grace has done. She looks at him and says she did what she “had to” making clear she was determined to eliminate Elpis and whatever horrors it might unleash. Explosions begin rocking the central platform, destabilising the entire area.

Leon realises what is happening and tells Grace to get out immediately. However, Zeno grabs hold of Grace, desperate for revenge against the person who just destroyed his dream of world domination. Leon rushes forward and buries his axe into Zeno’s body, giving Grace just enough time to break free. He pushes her onto the bridge and tells her he will follow.

Grace turns back to reach for Leon but the platform gives way beneath him. She screams at him to follow her, but before he can respond, Zeno tackles the already-weakened Leon to the ground and continues to beat him down. Despite repeated efforts, Leon cannot land a meaningful blow against Zeno’s mutated form.

Zeno’s assault takes a devastating toll on Leon’s infection-ravaged body. Leon falls to the ground, coughing up blood and clutching his chest. He looks up at Grace and says:

“At least… I could save you.”

The weight of this line carries decades of Leon’s pain his inability to save Kendo’s daughter during the Raccoon City outbreak, and his long-carried grief over Kevin Branagh, Adam Benford, and Annette Birkin. The flashback sequences throughout Resident Evil Requiem build toward this exact moment, making Leon’s final words one of the most emotionally charged scenes in the entire series.

Zeno then shoots Leon in the head. Leon dies as the facility collapses around them.

Grace escapes via helicopter and laments: “I wish I could have saved you, Leon.” The credits roll with no final boss, no post-credits scene, and no resolution. The story simply ends, leaving Elpis’s true nature forever unknown and the world no better off than before.

Outcome Summary:

Character	Fate
Grace	Escapes; survives with deep survivor’s guilt
Leon	Dies of infection and headshot by Zeno
Zeno Wesker	Dies in the platform collapse
Elpis	Destroyed; true antiviral nature never discovered
Emily	Stays dead
Sherry Birkin	Likely succumbs to her infection

Ending 2: Release Elpis (The Good / True Ending)

To trigger this ending, Grace enters “Hope” as the terminal code, which activates Elpis and reveals its true nature.

What Happens:

Before entering the code, Grace experiences a different flashback this one showing her mother Alyssa Ashcroft, followed by a vision of Oswell Spencer himself holding baby Grace and whispering “my hope.” These visions make it clear that Grace herself is bound up in the meaning behind Elpis.

Grace enters “Hope” and the device activates, causing vials to emerge from the unit. Grace grabs one. Zeno, believing Elpis to be a power-boosting weapon, immediately injects himself with a vial only for the opposite to happen. His superhuman powers begin to fade and his mutation reverses entirely. Elpis does not enhance bioweapons; it cures them, neutralising any virus in the host’s body.

Crucially, this also means Elpis has the potential to trigger global destabilisation by rendering bioweapon-based military programmes useless overnight the true scope of Spencer’s final design and atonement.

Before Grace can explain what has happened, Dr. Victor Gideon enters. He kills the now-powerless Zeno who, as a member of “The Connections” group, had outlived his usefulness and then moves to destroy Elpis himself. Grace uses one of the vials to cure Leon’s Raccoon City Syndrome infection, restoring his strength just in time for the game’s true final boss fight.

Leon then faces Dr. Victor Gideon, who mutates into a monstrous form closely resembling Nemesis from Resident Evil 3 in his final phase. After Leon defeats Gideon, the platform collapses. Leon and Grace are rescued by BSAA Alpha Team, with Captain Redfield referenced but not appearing on screen.

Leon then tells Grace that Emily can still be saved he had deliberately avoided hitting any of her vitals. He also carries a vial of Elpis for Sherry Birkin, offering hope for her recovery. As the dust settles, Leon tells Grace: “The ordeal was finally over.”

Post-Credits Scene (True Ending Only):

The post-credits sequence reveals several key developments that set up the future of the series:

• Alyssa Ashcroft’s work leads to the exposure of widespread corruption.
• At an FBI office, Grace and Leon speak Sherry has been vaccinated and Emily is recovering and learning to read.
• The opening scene of the game loops back in a re-enactment, with Nathan Dempsey summoning Grace tying the full narrative in a circle.
• A cryptic final tease shows a Raccoon City raid on the ARK, with dead BSAA soldiers and unknown figures stating that the “remaining BSAA were neutralised before the wolves arrived” a strong implication pointing toward the Hound Wolf Squad and Chris Redfield, directly setting up a sequel.

Outcome Summary:

Character	Fate
Grace	Survives; saves Emily
Leon	Survives cured by Elpis; returns to duty
Zeno Wesker	Powers removed; killed by Victor Gideon
Victor Gideon	Killed by Leon during final boss fight
Elpis	Partially released; vials preserved
Emily	Savable non-vital wounds; recovering
Sherry Birkin	Potentially cured thanks to Elpis

Which Ending Is Canon in Resident Evil Requiem?

The Good Ending choosing to Release Elpis by entering “Hope” is the canonical ending of Resident Evil Requiem. Capcom signals this clearly within the game itself. If you reach the Bad Ending first, the game immediately offers you the option to reload from your last major save point. However, if you reach the Good Ending first, the game does not show this prompt at all confirming that you already played through the intended sequence of events.

Leon’s survival in the canonical ending ensures he remains available for future Resident Evil games, while the post-credits scene directly teases what comes next for the series.

Does Leon Die in Resident Evil Requiem?

Leon dies only in the Bad Ending, where Grace chooses to destroy Elpis. In the canonical Good Ending, Grace cures him with Elpis and he survives to fight Victor Gideon. His death in the alternate ending is not canon.

Leon’s infection the Raccoon City Syndrome is considerably more dangerous than Las Plagas from Resident Evil 4. By the events of Resident Evil Requiem, his condition has reached a near-terminal stage, which makes his survival in the Good Ending all the more meaningful and his sacrifice in the Bad Ending all the more devastating.

Resident Evil Requiem: Platforms and Where to Buy

You can purchase Resident Evil Requiem on PlayStation 5 via the PlayStation Store, on Xbox Series X/S via the Microsoft Store, on PC via Steam, and on Nintendo Switch 2 via the Nintendo eShop. Check each platform’s store for current pricing and available editions.

Final Thoughts

If you want the complete Resident Evil Requiem experience the true final boss, the emotional resolution, the post-credits tease, and the canonical story outcome choose to Release Elpis and enter “Hope.” However, the Destroy Elpis ending is genuinely worth experiencing once. Leon’s final words carry tremendous emotional weight, and the hollow, unresolved way the story closes without him makes the Good Ending feel all the more earned by comparison. Since the game lets you reload and try the other path straight away, there is no reason to miss either one.