Capcom’s survival horror game, Resident Evil Requiem, is receiving the strongest purchase intent after GTA VI of all the upcoming releases in the US.
During a discussion on The Game Business Show, host Christopher Dring spoke with Mat Piscatella, Senior Director and Video Game Industry Advisor at Circana (formerly NPD), about which 2026 titles are resonating most strongly with players ahead of their release. Dring explained that he had been comparing different data sources from the UK that track anticipation and engagement, including metrics such as social media activity, influencer coverage, video views, likes, shares, and Steam wishlists, based on which Resident Evil Requiem tracked stronger than anticipated. According to him, excluding GTA VI, it was “number one by an absolute mile.”
Piscatella confirmed that Circana’s own purchase intent tracking aligns closely with that picture. “Grand Theft Auto VI is off the charts in terms of purchase intent,” he said, adding that it benchmarks against “the best ever” historically. However, when looking specifically at upcoming releases, Resident Evil Requiem currently sits just behind GTA VI. “Right now, in terms of upcoming releases, Resident Evil Requiem is number two,” he said. “Our data supports that as well, that this is just a very highly anticipated game.”
Both analysts expressed surprise at just how strong the tracking numbers for Resident Evil Requiem are, even considering the franchise’s recent success. Piscatella pointed to Resident Evil Village and recent remakes as the reason behind the franchise’s improved brand momentum. “The brand strength has definitely been improving,” he said, but still added that Requiem is performing “a little bit stronger than I had anticipated, too.”
High purchase intent typically translates into a larger day-one audience. Piscatella suggested that, if reception is strong, the game could also receive long-tail sales.
Resident Evil Requiem is set for release on February 27, 2026, across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and Windows PC.
