The survival horror landscape has been set ablaze this week by the overwhelming success of Resident Evil: Requiem. Capcom’s latest mainline entry, released on March 10, has officially shattered franchise records, moving over 5 million copies globally within just five days of its launch across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2.

This monumental achievement places Requiem as the single fastest selling launch in the storied Resident Evil franchise’s 30 year history. For comparison, it eclipses the strong launch of 2021’s Resident Evil Village, which took roughly five days to hit 3 million sales. The only comparison in Capcom’s history is the launch of Monster Hunter: World in 2018, which famously shipped 5 million in its opening weekend.

The excitement wasn’t just limited to retail units. On Steam, Resident Evil: Requiem immediately became a juggernaut. It easily broke the franchise’s concurrent player record, peaking at over 150,000 users in its first 24 hours surpassing both Resident Evil Village and the acclaimed Resident Evil 4 Remake. This surge propelled it straight into the top five most-played games on the entire platform this week, trailing only multiplayer titans like Slay the Spire 2.

Requiem’s immediate dominance is attributed to a critical mix of near-perfect reviews, massive anticipation following the series’ high streak of quality, and a multi-year marketing campaign highlighting the return of fan-favorite protagonist Jill Valentine. Capcom’s decision to optimize the game for simultaneous release on both high-end consoles and the incredibly popular Switch 2 also proved a decisive masterstroke, maximizing accessibility. While the week was not entirely without drama Metacritic was forced to remove a fraudulent review attributed to a non-existent, likely AI-generated journalist the noise did nothing to stem the tide of sales.

With critical acclaim locked in and commercial success already guaranteed, Capcom has solidified Resident Evil: Requiem as the new industry benchmark for survival horror. As we approach GDC, all eyes are now on how other studios plan to respond to the zombie that refuses to stay down.