Resident Evil 9: Everything we know so far

The villagers have put down their pitchforks, the vampires are banished back to the crypt, and Donna Beneviento's creepy dolls are back in their dollhouse.

The credits have rolled on Resident Evil Village, and what is easily one of the craziest things to come out of the Capcom kitchen. Of course, players know Village is just the second chapter in a planned Winters trilogy, making it The Empire Strikes Back of the sinister saga.

Considering the dust hasn't even settled on Village, it's no surprise that details surrounding Resident Evil 9 are thin on the ground. Even if the Four Lords and Mother Miranda have bowed out in typically explosive Resi style, the story is far from over.

Well, at least for some of the characters. From potential time jumps, a continuation of Chris Redfield's story, and the ability to actually play as a Bio Organic Weapon, here's everything we know about Resident Evil 9. 

• Here's Resident Evil Village's ending explained

Will there be a Resident Evil 9?

Click to enlarge

Since 1996, the developer has continued to churn out entries in this rotten world of shady organisation and slow-moving zombies, meaning it would be no real surprise that another game is out there brewing in the abyss. That being said, there are insider rumours that RE9 will be the last of numbered entries. It's a formula that's worked well for Capcom, but with offshoots like Resident Evil - Code: Veronica and Resident Evil: Revelations showing you don't have to stick with a linear format, it could be the end of shoehorning Roman numerals into titles. 

We already know the next game will round off the trilogy started in 2017 with RE7, but could it also be the end of the road for the story and characters we've come to know since the early days? Village packed a lot into its main campaign and delivered some nice twists that tied it back to the birth of Umbrella.

Faring better than the expanded lore did in Resident Evil 5, Village could've also served as an endpoint as things came full circle. With a presumed time jump on the cards in RE9, it might be time to box off those lingering plot threads the Umbrella Corporation, its former employees, and the various viruses have left behind. 

What do we know about the characters in Resident Evil 9?

Click to enlarge

Front and centre of Resident Evil 9 will very likely be Rose Winters. Even though she spent the majority of Village as a babbling baby who was the kidnapped victim of Mother Miranda, the story leapt into the future with a jaw-dropping post-credits scene. Picking up with a teenage Rose, she was under the watch of a sunglasses-wearing agent who is presumably part of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA). The main game ended with Chris and Mia plotting a course for the BSAA headquarters in Europe, so it's likely he's either toppled or rejoined his former employer.

The post-credit scene gave Chris a name-drop, so we know he's at least around somewhere in Rose's future. Elsewhere, artwork from Village confirmed the fan-favourite Ada Wong was originally slated to appear. Away from hopes she could get her own Village DLC, bringing Ada back for RE9 makes a lot of sense. Any number of series staples could rear their heads again, with Claire Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy, and Jill Valentine being an easy sell. It's a long shot, but who wouldn't want to see the miraculous resurrection of Albert Wesker? As Village has taught us, nothing is beyond the realms of possibility.

Finally, the end of Village bizarrely teased the return of another ghost from the past. Despite Ethan Winters meeting his maker (again) in Village, the final shot of the game shows an unknown figure walking toward Rose and her escort. Players have dug deep into the game and deciphered that it's none other than Ethan himself. Capcom could've just used his character model as a placeholder, and although Village said "the father's story is now finished", we aren't buying it.

As more details are revealed about Resident Evil 9 in the future, we'll update you here - so make sure to check back soon!

For everything else, our Resident Evil homepage has all of the latest news and guides.