Resident Evil Requiem has two endings, and the difference between them comes down to one decision near the end of the game: whether Grace chooses to Release Elpis or Destroy Elpis.
You don’t need to make a series of hidden choices or complete a secret set of objectives to unlock either ending. The game gives you the decision directly at the end of the ARK sequence, and your choice determines how the story concludes.
If you’re here because you’re staring at the final choice and don’t want to make the wrong call, here’s the short version:
Choose Release Elpis if you want the full ending, the final boss, and the conclusion generally treated as the game’s true or intended route.
Choose Destroy Elpis if you want to see the alternate, much darker ending.
The good news is that you don’t have to replay the entire campaign to experience both.
Spoiler warning: This guide contains major spoilers for the ending of Resident Evil Requiem, including the fate of Leon, Grace, Elpis, Zeno, and the final boss.
How Many Endings Does Resident Evil Requiem Have?
Resident Evil Requiem has two main endings:
- Release Elpis — Hope Ending
- Destroy Elpis — Destruction Ending
The endings are determined by a single choice at the ARK’s central terminal. Your previous choices, collectibles, exploration, and general playstyle don’t determine which ending you receive.
That makes this one of those rare Resident Evil decisions where you don’t need to worry about secretly ruining your ending hours earlier.
Once you reach the final choice, the game puts the decision in your hands.
How to Unlock Both Endings
The easiest way to see both endings is to use the system-generated save at the final decision.
When you reach the Elpis terminal, make your choice and finish the resulting ending.
Afterward, the game gives you the opportunity to return to the point immediately before the decision so you can experience the other outcome. Multiple current guides confirm that you can see both endings without replaying the entire campaign.
Best way to see both endings
If you want to experience everything with minimal repetition:
1. Reach the final Elpis decision.
2. Choose Destroy Elpis first.
3. Watch the alternate ending.
4. Use the reload option to return to the decision.
5. Choose Release Elpis.
6. Continue through the final boss and complete the full ending.
There’s a practical reason to do it in this order: the Destroy route ends much sooner, while Release Elpis takes you into the game’s actual final boss sequence.
If you’ve already chosen Release first, don’t panic. You can still experience the alternate ending by loading a suitable save from before the decision.
Ending 1: Release Elpis
How to Unlock the Release Elpis Ending
At the final terminal, choose:
Release Elpis
This is the ending most commonly regarded as the true, good, or intended ending of Resident Evil Requiem.
I would describe it as the game’s true/complete ending rather than claim that Capcom has formally labeled it canon. The distinction matters: the route clearly provides the fuller conclusion, but “officially confirmed canon” is a stronger claim than the available evidence supports.
What Happens When You Release Elpis?
The choice initially appears to be exactly what Grace fears.
Throughout the game, Elpis is treated as an extremely dangerous biological weapon. Grace therefore has every reason to hesitate before releasing it.
But the final revelation changes everything.
Elpis is an antiviral cure.
Rather than being the weapon that many characters believed it to be, Elpis can be used to cure viral infections.
That discovery completely changes the stakes of Grace’s decision.
Leon has been suffering from his infection throughout the story, and releasing Elpis gives Grace a chance to save him.
It also changes the fate of other infected characters and resolves several of the major questions surrounding the ARK and its research.
Leon’s Fate in the Release Ending
Leon survives.
Grace is able to use Elpis to cure Leon’s infection, allowing him to continue the fight instead of dying from the condition that has been consuming him.
But the story isn’t finished.
Releasing Elpis leads directly into the game’s true final boss encounter.
And that’s where things get considerably uglier.
Victor Gideon Becomes the Final Boss
After Elpis is released, the story leads into the final confrontation with Victor Gideon.
This fight is exclusive to the Release Elpis route.
Gideon undergoes a final mutation, turning the end of the campaign into a full boss battle rather than simply ending after the Elpis decision. Current guides describe his later form as a major, Nemesis-like transformation.
This is one of the biggest reasons the Release route feels like the game’s intended conclusion.
Choosing Destroy skips this entire confrontation.
What Happens After the Final Boss?
After Leon defeats Gideon, the story receives the fuller resolution that the Destroy route lacks.
Grace and Leon survive, the immediate threat is dealt with, and the campaign continues into additional ending material.
The Release route also provides post-credits scenes that expand on Grace’s future and the wider Resident Evil story.
You’ll also receive the Hope and Requiem trophy/achievement for completing this route, and current guides report that it unlocks Grace’s Report, which provides additional story and series-lore information.
So if you’re only planning to finish Resident Evil Requiem once, this is the route I’d recommend.
Release Elpis Ending: Quick Summary
Choice: Release Elpis
Result:
- Elpis is revealed to be an antiviral cure.
- Leon can be cured.
- The story continues into the true final boss.
- Victor Gideon becomes the final major threat.
- Leon and Grace survive the main conclusion.
- Additional ending material plays after the credits.
- The Hope and Requiem trophy/achievement is awarded.
- Grace’s Report becomes available.
Recommended for a first playthrough: Yes.
Ending 2: Destroy Elpis
How to Unlock the Destroy Elpis Ending
At the final terminal, choose:
Destroy Elpis
This triggers the alternate ending.
It’s the considerably darker outcome, and the consequences arrive almost immediately.
What Happens When You Destroy Elpis?
Grace chooses to destroy Elpis rather than risk releasing what she believes could be a catastrophic biological weapon.
The ARK facility begins its self-destruct sequence.
Leon and Grace are caught in the collapsing facility, and Leon makes the decision to help Grace escape.
That comes at a terrible cost.
Zeno confronts Leon.
Despite Leon’s attempt to protect Grace, Zeno ultimately kills him. Grace escapes while the ARK collapses around them.
And that’s essentially where the ending closes.
Leon Dies in the Destroy Ending
This is the major difference between the two routes.
Release Elpis: Leon survives.
Destroy Elpis: Leon dies.
The scene is deliberately brutal because Leon’s final act is to make sure Grace gets away.
It’s also the point where the player’s decision earlier in the sequence becomes painfully clear: Grace has destroyed the one thing that could have cured Leon.
The alternate ending therefore isn’t simply a different cutscene. It changes the outcome of the characters’ stories in a major way.
What Happens to Elpis?
Elpis is destroyed along with the ARK facility.
That means the antiviral cure is lost.
The larger mysteries surrounding Elpis also remain unresolved in this ending, which is another reason the Destroy route feels deliberately incomplete compared with the Release route.
Rather than giving you another boss battle and extended resolution, the game ends shortly after Leon’s death.
Is the Destroy Elpis Ending the Bad Ending?
Functionally, yes.
It’s the game’s alternate/bad ending.
The game itself doesn’t simply punish you with a small variation in the final cutscene. Choosing Destroy removes the entire final boss sequence and leaves several major story threads unresolved.
There is also no equivalent trophy/achievement for the Destroy route.
That doesn’t mean the choice is meaningless.
Actually, it’s worth seeing once.
The Destroy ending gives you a much harsher look at what happens when Grace chooses caution over hope, and it makes the consequences of the final decision considerably clearer.
Destroy Elpis Ending: Quick Summary
Choice: Destroy Elpis
Result:
- The ARK begins to self-destruct.
- Elpis is destroyed.
- Leon stays behind to protect Grace.
- Zeno kills Leon.
- Grace escapes the collapsing facility.
- The story ends without the Victor Gideon final boss.
- Several major story threads remain unresolved.
- You don’t receive the Hope and Requiem trophy/achievement.
Recommended for a first playthrough: No, unless you specifically want to see the alternate ending.
Release vs. Destroy Elpis
Here’s the quick comparison if you’re standing at the terminal right now:
| Choice | Ending | Leon | Final Boss | Post-Credits | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release Elpis | Hope / true ending | Survives | Victor Gideon | Yes | Best first choice |
| Destroy Elpis | Destruction / alternate ending | Dies | None | No full equivalent | See it afterward |
The Release route is substantially longer and provides the fuller resolution. Destroy is essentially the tragic alternate timeline.
Which Ending Should You Choose?
Choose Release Elpis
If you only intend to play through Resident Evil Requiem once, choose:
Release Elpis.
It’s the route that gives you:
- The full ending
- The final boss
- Leon’s survival
- The more complete resolution
- Post-credits material
- The Hope and Requiem trophy/achievement
- Grace’s Report
It’s also the ending most sources treat as the game’s intended or canonical path. Again, I’d use “commonly treated as the true/canonical ending” rather than claiming Capcom has formally confirmed that designation.
Can You Get Both Endings in One Playthrough?
Yes.
This is one of the nicest things about Requiem’s ending system.
You don’t need to play through the entire campaign twice.
The game allows you to return to the final decision after completing an ending, letting you choose the other option.
The most efficient order
I’d recommend:
Destroy Elpis → Reload → Release Elpis
Why?
Because Destroy ends quickly.
Release sends you into the final boss and the longer ending sequence, so finishing with Release means you end your run on the game’s complete conclusion.
If you want extra insurance, keep a manual save before the final choice as well.
Does Anything Earlier in the Game Affect the Ending?
No major hidden morality system determines the ending.
The ending comes down to the final Release Elpis / Destroy Elpis decision.
You don’t need a particular number of Mr. Raccoons, a specific weapon, a certain difficulty, or a particular set of dialogue choices to unlock the Release route.
That also means you don’t need to restart your playthrough because you missed a collectible.
If you’re interested in 100% completion, however, you should still keep an eye on the game’s missable content because the ending choice and collectible completion are separate concerns.
For that, see our Resident Evil Requiem: All Mr. Raccoon Locations guide and Resident Evil Requiem: Complete Walkthrough.
Resident Evil Requiem Ending FAQs
Is Release Elpis the true ending?
Yes, in practical terms. Release Elpis is widely treated as the game’s true, good, or intended ending because it contains the full final boss, additional resolution, and post-credits material.
However, I would avoid saying that Capcom has officially confirmed it as canon unless an explicit developer statement establishes that.
Does Leon die in Resident Evil Requiem?
Only in the Destroy Elpis ending.
If you Release Elpis, Leon survives and continues into the final confrontation with Victor Gideon. If you Destroy Elpis, Zeno kills Leon during the collapsing ARK sequence.
What is Elpis in Resident Evil Requiem?
Elpis is ultimately revealed to be an antiviral cure, rather than the biological weapon Grace initially believes it to be.
That revelation is the central reason the final choice matters.
Can you fight the final boss if you destroy Elpis?
No.
The Victor Gideon final boss sequence follows the Release Elpis choice. Destroying Elpis triggers the alternate ending instead.
Can you see both endings without replaying the whole game?
Yes.
After completing one ending, the game provides a way to return to the final decision and experience the other outcome.
Is there a trophy for both endings?
The Hope and Requiem trophy/achievement is associated with the Release Elpis ending. Current guides do not list an equivalent trophy for the Destroy ending.
Resident Evil Requiem: Which Ending Is Better?
If you’re asking purely from a story perspective, Release Elpis is the clear choice.
Destroying Elpis gives you an interesting alternate outcome, but it’s intentionally bleak. Leon dies, the cure is lost, the ARK is destroyed, and the story stops before the full final confrontation.
Release Elpis, meanwhile, gives the campaign room to actually finish.
You get the Victor Gideon boss fight, Leon’s survival, additional character resolution, and post-credits material.
More importantly, the choice creates a satisfying reversal of what Grace believes Elpis represents. What looks like another Umbrella-era nightmare turns out to be the thing capable of saving the people caught in it.
That’s a much stronger ending for a first playthrough.
Final Verdict
There are two Resident Evil Requiem endings: Release Elpis and Destroy Elpis.
If you’re playing through the game for the first time, Release Elpis is the route I’d recommend.
It gives you the complete conclusion, the final boss, the additional ending material, and the outcome most commonly treated as the game’s true or intended path.
But don’t skip Destroy Elpis entirely.
It’s worth seeing once—especially because the game makes it unusually easy to return to the final decision and experience both outcomes without replaying the entire campaign.
So, if you’re standing at that terminal right now:
Destroy first if you want to see everything efficiently.
Reload.
Then Release Elpis and finish the story properly.
Sources & Updates
Last reviewed: September 2026
This guide was fact-checked against multiple current Resident Evil Requiem ending references, including Game8, PC Gamer, GameSpot, GamesRadar+, Prima Games, Kotaku, and Gamer Guides. The core ending structure is consistent across these sources: Release Elpis leads to the longer final route and Victor Gideon encounter, while Destroy Elpis produces the alternate ending in which Leon dies.
Editorial note: Loot Strategist describes Release Elpis as the true/intended ending based on the game’s structure and available evidence. We avoid claiming that Capcom has formally declared it canon unless an official source explicitly confirms that designation.
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