Resident Evil Requiem Endings: Release or Destroy Elpis?

Resident Evil Requiem has two endings, and a single choice near the very end decides which one you see: whether Grace releases or destroys Elpis at a terminal in the ARK facility. Releasing it leads to the good, canon ending with the final boss fight and the Hope and Requiem trophy, while destroying it leads to a short bad ending with no final boss and no trophy. Nothing earlier in the game affects the outcome, and you can see both on one save. This guide stays spoiler-light until a clearly marked section near the end.

We checked this against Game8's endings, canon ending and Emily guides, VGC's Elpis explainer, KeenGamer's endings guide, PowerPyx's trophy guide and Wikipedia's plot summary in November 2026.

How Many Endings Does Requiem Have?

Two. VGC describes them as a clear-cut good and bad ending, and Game8 and KeenGamer agree on the count. There is no hidden third ending in any of the guides we checked; the extra scene people sometimes call a secret ending is the post-credits sequence that follows the good ending.

KeenGamer stresses that prior decisions, collectibles and playstyle have no effect on which ending you get. That includes the moment at the water treatment plant that many players worry about: Game8's Emily guide confirms that what happens there does not change her fate at the end. You can play the whole campaign however you like and still make the choice fresh in the final hour. The table below sums up the differences.

Requiem's two endings at a glance

Choice	Final boss	Post-credits scene	Trophy	Speed Demon eligible
Release Elpis	Yes	Yes	Hope and Requiem	Yes
Destroy Elpis	No	No	None	No

Where and How the Choice Happens

The decision comes during the last stretch in ARK, while you are playing as Grace back at the central console where Zeno is waiting, according to Game8. KeenGamer describes the terminal prompt as a question, "What does the creator desire?", with two answers: Release Elpis or Destroy Elpis. Game8 notes that the answers correspond to typing Hope or Destruction. Either way, you confirm with a long button press before the choice locks in, so an accidental tap will not decide your ending.

VGC says the last autosave before the choice lands just before Grace finds Leon and the final cutscenes begin. If you play on Standard (Classic) or Insanity, where manual saves at typewriters cost Ink Ribbons, it is still worth making your own save in the last save room before the final sequence, so you control exactly where a reload drops you. Our save file guide explains how to back up that save outside the game too.

Which Ending Is Canon?

Releasing Elpis is the ending the game treats as real. Game8 lists three reasons: it is the only ending that awards a trophy, it is the only one with the true final boss, and both post-credits scenes only make sense if events played out that way. KeenGamer adds that a lore document called Grace's Report unlocks only through this ending.

The bad ending also leaves too much unresolved to be the official version. Game8 points out that it seals the fate of several characters off screen and leaves at least one villain's fate vague, which is the opposite of how the good ending ties things off. Game8 still suggests watching the bad ending once for its shock value, and because the reload prompt makes it cost only a few minutes, there is little reason to skip it. Capcom's own follow-up plans support the same reading: the story expansion confirmed in March 2026 has been linked by writer Haris Orkin to threads from the main game, and our DLC guide tracks what has actually been announced.

Trophies and Rewards Tied to Your Ending

Only a few trophies care which ending you pick, and PowerPyx's guide spells them out:

• Hope and Requiem: complete the main story by releasing Elpis. Picking destroy does not unlock it.
• Speed Demon: complete the main story by releasing Elpis within four hours. A destroy ending does not count.
• Rookie, Rising, Resolute and Remarkable Agent: the difficulty trophies unlock with either ending, as long as you clear the matching difficulty.

That last point creates one shortcut PowerPyx highlights: on an Insanity run, choosing destroy skips the final boss entirely and still counts for Remarkable Agent. Everything else unlocks after a clear with either ending. KeenGamer lists Insanity difficulty, a Behind the Scenes video, previously hidden challenges, Models and Concept Art for CP, and bonus weapons, cheats and costumes, including a jacket for both characters and a Tactical Light skin for Leon's Alligator Snapper. Our unlockables guide covers the full reward list.

How to See Both Endings on One Save

You do not need a second playthrough. KeenGamer and Game8 both say that after the destroy ending, returning to the main menu prompts you to reload an autosave from just before the choice. VGC likewise says you can restart from the last autosave before Grace finds Leon and the final cutscenes, and that only the final choice matters.

The efficient order is:

1. Reach the terminal and choose Destroy Elpis. Watch the short ending and the credits.
2. Return to the main menu and accept the prompt to reload the autosave before the choice.
3. Choose Release Elpis, beat the final boss and watch the post-credits scene. Hope and Requiem unlocks here.

Swap the order if you only want the good ending on record first, and skip step one entirely on a Speed Demon attempt, since every minute counts. Our length guide has the speedrun pacing targets.

Preparing for the Final Boss (Mild Spoilers)

Spoiler note: this section names the final boss but not how the story gets there. If you release Elpis, Leon faces a mutated Victor Gideon, and Game8's boss guide breaks the fight into two phases. It is effectively a parry exam: Game8 says every one of his attacks can be parried in both phases, and you do not have to answer with the hatchet, since you can parry and then shoot.

• Before the fight, spend your credits. Game8 recommends maxing the hatchet and carrying the Mortal Edge as a backup, because you will be parrying constantly.
• In the first phase, a few Requiem shots to the head push him into a short intermission where he draws in energy, and he gives you another opening for a big Requiem shot when he charges a large attack.
• When he pulls out an RPG-7, shoot him so he drops it, then pick it up and fire it back. Game8 warns you only get one rocket, so do not miss.
• In the second phase he takes a Nemesis-like form. Target the red growths on his body; Game8 rates SMGs as the best tool here because of their fire rate.
• Sharpen between attacks and treat ammo as expendable. There is nothing left to save it for.

KeenGamer notes that the fight ends with Leon driving his hatchet into the creature's core in a quick-time event, so keep your hands on the controller once the growths are gone. Our parry guide covers timing and the Mortal Edge in detail.

Spoilers: What Happens in Each Ending

Major spoiler warning: this section describes both endings in full. Stop here if you have not finished the game.

In the release ending, Grace works out from her mother's recorded interviews with Oswell Spencer that the password is hope, and Elpis turns out to be an antiviral rather than a weapon, according to Wikipedia's plot summary. Zeno injects himself with it and loses his enhanced abilities, Victor Gideon kills him, and Grace uses Elpis to cure Leon's infection. Victor then triggers ARK's self-destruct and mutates into a Nemesis-like monster for the final boss fight, and Leon kills him. A BSAA squad dispatched by Chris Redfield rescues them. Later, Grace cures and adopts Emily, and Sherry Birkin is cured as well. The post-credits scene shows unidentified soldiers wiping out the remaining BSAA forces in the ARK ruins and retrieving an objective.

In the destroy ending, Grace triggers the self-destruct instead. Zeno attacks her, Leon intervenes to buy her time, and he is killed by Zeno as the facility collapses, per Game8. Grace escapes alone, and VGC notes the game simply ends with no post-credits scene. Game8 adds that, with the cure lost, Emily and Sherry are presumed dead off screen.

The good ending also plants hooks for whatever comes next. Game8 points out that the BSAA operative who rescues Leon and Grace mentions a message from Chris that is never revealed, and that the soldiers in the post-credits scene talk about retrieving their objective before "the wolves" arrive. Neither thread is explained in the base game, and Game8 speculates that either could feed the story expansion, although Capcom has not said what the DLC covers.

Want the Ending Trophies Without the Extra Runs?

Seeing both endings is quick, but the rest of the trophy list that hangs off them (Speed Demon, Remarkable Agent on Insanity, the no-healing run) is where the hours go. The Resident Evil Requiem platinum trophy service unlocks the full platinum, every bronze, silver and gold trophy, directly on your own account, with a choice of instant timestamps or ones spread out over different days.

The service is for PS5 only. Its page also notes that DLC-only trophies would need the matching DLC, which matters if Capcom's story expansion ever adds new ones. The modded save sits alongside it on the Resident Evil Requiem page.

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