For months now, rumors have been swirling that Capcom was going to release a Resident Evil 8 demo for fans to try ahead of launch. At the Resident Evil showcase event, Capcom officially confirmed the rumors. The Resident Evil 8 playable demo will be going live for PlayStation 5 owners at some point later this evening.
Like the Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour demo, the Resident Evil 8 demo is not like a traditional video game demo. Instead it's more like a separate experience designed to give players a general idea of what playing Resident Evil 8 will be like. And also like the Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour demo, players don't play as protagonist Ethan Winters. Instead they play as a new character known simply as the Maiden.
In the Resident Evil 8: Maiden demo, players start off in a dungeon, locked in a cell. They are apparently being held captive in the Resident Evil 8 castle that will serve as the setting for some of the game. Unlike Ethan Winters in the main game, the Maiden will not have a way to defend herself in the castle, though showing off the combat is not the focus of the demo anyway. Instead the goal is to give players a feel for Resident Evil 8's visuals and audio.
The Resident Evil 8 demo's PlayStation 5 exclusivity has been rumored for some time now, and so most fans expected it going into the showcase. Even so, some gamers on other platforms may be disappointed that they can't try the Resident Evil 8 demo. While that's definitely disappointing, Capcom did confirm that a second Resident Evil 8 demo is in the works for more platforms, with a release later this spring.
Details on this second Resident Evil 8 demo are unavailable at the time of this writing, but the way it was presented suggests that it will be different from the Maiden demo. Perhaps this second demo will be more indicative of the gameplay in the final game by featuring combat and having players take on the role of Ethan Winters. However, that's just speculation at this time, and fans will have to wait for more information.
It's unclear when exactly the second Resident Evil 8 demo will drop, but fans have a general idea. The Resident Evil 8 release date is May 7, and Capcom said the second demo would come in the "spring." Spring starts on March 20, so it's a safe bet that the second Resident Evil 8 demo will drop sometime between March 20 and May 7.
Resident Evil 8 launches May 7 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.