Capcom is storming Gamescom 2025 with three huge games set to release in 2026: Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword. I got a chance to go hands-on with all three to flee from terrors, hack robotic foes, and slice through demons. Let’s dive in.
Resident Evil Requiem
With the ninth mainline Resident Evil game, on February 27, Capcom is set to return to where it all began: Raccoon City. Capcom’s announcement trailer focuses on FBI analyst Grace Ashcroft, and I played the demo from Resident Evil: Requiem’s June reveal that ties directly into it.
The hands-on demo supports both a first-person and a third-person perspective, but being a fan of the intense survival horror that Capcom managed with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, I opted for first-person mode. It started with Grace upside-down and tied to a gurney. After managing to cut through her straps, she found herself in an empty hospital room, where I took control.
Exploring the narrow, dark hallways revealed some locked doors and a gate that seemed to lead to clean, well-lit freedom—but only if I could find a fuse to open it. Pretty classic Resident Evil, with a key to find and other puzzles to complete. But as I explored the claustrophobic space, a towering creature in an ill-fitting hospital gown appeared and I sprinted into the shadows to hide.
Like in RE7, you can hear the monster hunting you in the tight space as you search for the items you need. I struggled to climb to a toolbox high shelf by moving a rolling cart, sending objects falling to the floor with a clatter. I found a bottle and threw it into a distant, shadowy corner with the square button, drawing the monster’s attention before it found me.
Finally, I had to make it past the monster in a tight hallway to go for the fuse, and used nearby light switches to throw the hallway into darkness to keep from being seen as I sprinted away. But just as I found the fuse, the creature suddenly slithered down from the ceiling in front of Grace, caught her, and clamped its teeth down on her shoulder.
Luckily, I’d found a green herb earlier and was able to keep Grace’s health up as I ran for the gate and plugged in the fuse. The demo ended with my knuckles white and my teeth gritted. This short look at Requiem delivered a whole lot of tension and a few big jumps—just what I love about RE7.
Pragmata
Third-person shooter Pragmata is a new IP for Capcom launching next year, putting you in the space suit of Hugh Williams as he investigates a lunar station overrun by killer robots. Luckily, Hugh has the help of Diana, an android with the appearance of a young girl who can hack the bots.
Pragmata’s combat mixes quick shooter action with fast-paced puzzle-solving. The robots Hugh encounters are well-defended against his guns, but Diana can remotely hack them to drop their defenses. The hacking interface is grid based with players trying to reach a green node that disables the defenses of the bot you’re fighting. Moving a cursor around the grid is done with the Square, Triangle, Circle, and X buttons, and some nodes can only be passed through in a certain direction.
But every encounter becomes a battle of reflexes because you have to complete the hack in real time, while still dodging incoming attacks. It gives combat a fun, harrowing tension, like trying to defuse a bomb while playing dodgeball.
After a few minutes of solving puzzles to make our way to the bridge, the demo culminates in a tough boss fight against the SectorGuard. This machine is outfitted with missiles and turbo thrusters—a new addition for Gamescom that hasn’t been seen before. Keeping clear of its attacks required a whole lot of dodging using Hugh’s own limited thrusters, and I had to pick my moment to execute the hack. I managed to get it done thanks to an energy net launcher that slows enemies down, and once I had my chance, switched to a powerful shotgun to lay into the boss. But apart from Hugh’s pistol, all the weapons in Pragmata break when they run out of ammo, forcing you to seek out more.
Taking the boss down requires a lot of quick movement and careful hacking at just the right moments. It highlights the way Pragmata freshens up third-person shooting with a hacking mini-game that elevates both systems and makes for exciting combat.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Onimusha: Way of the Sword is the fifth main entry into Capcom’s long-running third-person action series. Capcom’s first-ever hands-on with Onimusha was a demonstration of all the subtle elements of its combat system you’ll need to master, and how great they feel when they come together.
Square and triangle execute a light and heavy sword attack, respectively, but the real battle is in the defense. Tap L1 just as a blow falls and you can parry it, but push L1 and X instead, and you’ll deflect the strike, knocking your foe off-balance. And if you time your own attack just right as an enemy would hit you, you can go on the offensive with an Issen counter.
All these defensive techniques are useful in different ways. A parry enhances your sword to make your attacks more powerful. Deflecting an enemy does damage to their stamina, and if you deplete that, they’ll suffer an Issen Break, opening them to a devastating execution. The Issen counter has the biggest risk and reward: it’s by far the toughest move to land—I only managed it once—but it does huge damage.
I made my way toward a village under attack by the demonic Genma, slicing through swordsmen, archers, and supernatural creatures. After learning the ropes, I reached a boss fight with Musashi’s rival, Sasaki Ganryu. Both Musashi and Sasaki wield Oni Gauntlets, powerful artifacts that can absorb souls left behind by slain enemies, and with enough souls, you can execute a powerful Oni Armament attack with R1.
Sasaki was faster and more formidable than any of the Genma, with the fight requiring quick thinking and lots of parries. Sasaki can also be knocked off-balance by deflecting his blows to knock out his stamina, and it was here that the combination of different defensive moves came together. Each technique has a specific use; parrying to power up my sword let me do even more damage when I followed it with a deflection to earn an Issen Break. Against a boss, you even get a strategic choice of execution—attack one spot to do massive damage, or another to get souls to charge your gauntlet and health to help you recover.
After some fast parries and brutal executions, I managed to take Sasaki down. The speed and intensity of Onimusha: Way of the Sword’s combat made for some really exciting battles in the demo, and should put action game fans through their paces.
With three great demos, Capcom has made a splash at Gamescom 2025 and its lineup is looking to offer a wide variety of great experiences in 2026.
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Author: Phil Hornshaw
