Resident Evil Village: release date, story, gameplay & more

Andrew Highton
resident evil 8 village hub

Resident Evil 8 Village promises to be another terrifying foray into the unknown. To make sure you’re prepared, we have compiled a guide containing information about its release date, key story details, characters, gameplay info, and more.

Thanks to the terrific return to form in Resident Evil 7, the long-running horror show continues onwards to its eighth installment. There will be jump scares and memorable moments galore when we don the shoes of Ethan Winters again.

We are counting down the days until we tangle with tyrannical foes in another journey of psychological insanity. Thanks to some existing information, we know the exact date we’ll be doing this and some of the dangers that await us too.

mr dimitrescu in resi 8 village

Resident Evil 8 Village Release Date

The most important detail that people want to know is when they’ll be able to get their hands on the game itself. We’re pleased to report that it’s coming out on May 7, 2021. So there isn’t too much more waiting to do.

There are also different editions of the game you can pick up including the Standard Edition and the Deluxe Edition. The Deluxe Edition includes the following:

  • Safe Room Music: “Go Tell Aunt Rhody”
  • Mr. Everywhere collectible
  • RE7 found-footage filter
  • Tape recorder save device
  • Albert-01 Chris gun
  • The Tragedy of Ethan Winters artwork
  • Unlock “Village of Shadows” difficulty
resi 8 village deluxed edition contents

Resident Evil 8 Village Platforms

For those wondering if Resident Evil 8 is only coming out on the new consoles and PC – it won’t be.

The game will be available at release on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.

Obviously, when you bring up the discussion of last-gen vs. current-gen, there is always going to be an inescapable fidelity issue between the versions.

But if you’re not planning on upgrading anytime soon, then at least you’ll have the option to play it on your current console.

resi 8 village old woman

Resident Evil 8 Village Story & Characters

The Resident Evil showcase answered a lot of questions people had regarding the series’ latest iteration. But it has also posed just as many as well.

Long-time hero Chris Redfield has been touted as a potential surprise villain in the newest game with trailers making him out to be an underhanded figure. The latest trailer shows him killing Ethan’s wife and stealing his child. It’s not the usual trademark heroism we’ve come to expect from him. So it’ll be interesting to see which direction Capcom takes him.

Other developments have led to the introduction of Lady Dimitrescu and the Witches Three. Evil and cunning figures that will only seek to make Ethan’s life a living hell.

All of this will be conducted in the Village: a gothic, surreal abode for many deranged creatures and providing little in the way of comfort. Resident Evil 8’s visuals, especially on current-gen, could make the landscape a beautiful prison for Ethan.

resi 8 village lady dimitrescu and witches

Resident Evil 8 Village Gameplay

Resident Evil 7 stripped back a lot of the Hollywood action-hero elements of Resi 6 and returned the gameplay to its roots, pacing the game around slower and more methodical gameplay, making you conscious of ammo, and inducing OCD because of your inventory.

Resident Evil 8 Village continues a lot of this and brings back the Guard system from the previous game. It also reintroduces some dynamic combat elements such as damaging limbs, and, of course, puzzles.

It also has to be stated that in many respects, Resident Evil 8 resembles Resident Evil 4 – considered by many to be the best in the series. Here some of the ways in which Resi 8 takes inspiration from it:

  • Your items require careful management in your inventory and need rearranging
  • Attache cases can be bought to upgrade your space
  • “What’ll it be stranger?” – It’s not the same fan-favorite merchant, but it has a reoccurring one
  • You need to collect monetary resources to buy stuff
  • The setting

There will also be plenty of puzzles and new weapons and elements for returning, and new, players to enjoy.

merchant from resi 8 village

Resident Evil 8 Village Demos

You can currently download the Resident Evil 8 Village “Maiden” demo from the PS5 store as it is an exclusive download for Sony’s flagship hardware.

It’s a short, non-combat demo about a character that won’t even be featured in the game. It’s more of a gentle teaser that whets the appetite for the main game.

But if you want your fix now and don’t have a PS5 then fear not. It has been confirmed that another demo for Resident Evil 8 Village will pop-up down the line for all consoles.

The showcase event has really helped to drum up excitement for the hugely-anticipated horror title and it’s sure to be a captivating and disturbing title in a year of potentially great games.

Image credits: Capcom

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About The Author

A content creator for Charlie INTEL / Dexerto that earned a degree, wrote for PlusXP, Twinfinite, and Keengamer, before finally securing his dream job of being a professional video game writer. When not writing about games, he's very busy playing every game in existence and adding to his 11,000+ PlayStation Trophies and 150+ Platinums. You can contact him at [email protected].