Showcased in full earlier today,Resident Evil 8: Village’srecent live streamoffered a lot of answers to the lingering questions surrounding the long-awaited sequel toResident Evil 7.The game will officially release on June 12, 2025, for current and next-generation consoles, has a free demo out today, and will include a multiplayer spin-off titledResident Evil Re:Versefor no additional cost.
Included in the lineup of announcements were details surrounding the sequel’s special editions, including what players could expect to net themselves when picking up some of the pricier copies. The game’s Deluxe Edition specifically had some notable items to show, including aResident Evil 7photo mode filter, the Albert01 gun, and an art collection titled “The Tragedy of Ethan Winters.”
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More intriguing, however, is the addition of a “Max Difficulty” mode, which appears to be a part of the Deluxe Edition’s Trauma Pack bundle. This became a point of interest for fans online, many of whom questioned whether the game’s hardest difficulty is going to be locked behind a paywall. Although it remains to be seen how it’s utilized inResident Evil Village,it seems likely that regular players will have to complete the campaign to unlock the extra hard optional difficulty, while those who purchase the Deluxe Edition will be able to access it from the moment they launch the game.
The same concept was used forResident Evil 7,with the majority of players only being able to access “Madhouse” mode after they rolled credits on the game. However, those who pre-orderedResident Evil 7could jump into it early, with day one copies of the game coming complete with an option that allowed early-access to the brutal difficulty. Although asking players to pay extra for the mode is an odd move fromCapcom, previous games could imply that the sequel’s most punishing difficulty won’t be entirely locked behind a paywall.
Nonetheless, the special editions appear to be pretty substantial bundles of items fit for anyResident Evilaficionado, with the physical Collector’s Edition including a steelbook, an art book, and a Chris Redfield figurine.Resident Evil 8: Villagewill launch later this year, seeing Ethan Winters begin a deadly new adventure while searching for his missing daughter. It promises to have more intricate combat than its predecessor and a rich story, filled with both new and returning faces. The sequel just released a demo to help showcase the visual and audio style of the game, which is available for free on PlayStation 5 consoles now.
Resident Evil 8: Villagelaunches May 7 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
