Resident Evil Village set to launch on May 7

What you need to know

• Resident Evil Village is set to release on May 7, 2021.
• Pre-orders will be open on Thursday following the Resident Evil Showcase, which showed off gameplay.
• A demo is coming exclusively to PS5 but will be available on other platforms at a later date.
• The story follows Ethan Winters, the protagonist of Resident Evil 7, as he enters a mysterious castle to search for his kidnapped daughter.

Capcom kicked off the Resident Evil Showcase on Thursday with some great news for those waiting for Resident Evil Village. Producer Pete Fabiano announced that the game will be coming to current and next-gen consoles on May 7, 2021.

He also announced that pre-orders will be open on Thursday. A demo will also be available today, but it won't be available on Xbox — just on PS5. Other demos are coming at a later date this spring across platforms.

The Showcase showed off two videos: a new trailer that illicits a lot of questions and a gameplay preview. In the trailer, which starts off with Resident Evil 7 protagonist Ethan Winters arguing with his partner Mia, we see Ethan entering the mysterious Dimitrescu Castle, which is filled with all sorts of weird creatures.

The castle is owned by Lady Dimitrescu (a.k.a. the now very internet-famous Tall Vampire Lady), who seems to be apart of a group that has kidnapped Ethan's daughter. She also has a number of mysterious daughters who can transform into swarms of insects. There are a number of other creatures too, including zombies and werewolves. There's also a merchant called "The Duke," which is bringing back an iconic element of Resident Evil 4. In general, we got a lot of Resident Evil 4 vibes from the footage.

The gameplay trailer revealed that game will also be back in first-person. A number of elements from Resident Evil 7 will be returning as well, including the emphasis on blocking as part of regular combat and crafting (albeit it looks improved here). However, Ethan has a new kick that he can use to create distance between him and his enemies.

The demo, called Maiden, is a stand-alone experience that "symbolizes the protagonist, a girl who's trapped in Dimitrescu Castle," Fabiano said. It was originally a visual demo, but it now features story elements and puzzle solving.

It's unclear at this time when pre-order links for Xbox and PC will be up, but we'll update you when we know.