A new face has stepped out of the blood-soaked horizon of Code Vein II. Bandai Namco’s latest character trailer spotlights Valentin Voda, described in the reveal as “the serene pioneer of the Progenitor’s bloodline.” Her line in the trailer — “Our obsession with bloodline and ancestry is an antiquated practice, a trivial custom I hope to change. What do you say, will you join me?” — lands like an invitation and a challenge at once.
Who is Valentin Voda?
She arrives with calm confidence: not a screaming villain or a tortured antihero but someone who seems intent on reshaping how this world thinks about lineage. The short trailer paints her as both persuasive and purposeful, a figure likely to pull at the game’s political and moral threads rather than just its combat knobs. Whether she becomes an ally, a manipulator, or an ideological opponent will be one of the things to watch when players finally step into Code Vein II’s world.
The prologue trailer — a quick history lesson
Bandai Namco also rolled out a prologue trailer that catches new and returning players up on the setup. In broad strokes: the Resurgence once twisted humans and animals into Horrors and left the world in ruin; Revenants — the vampire-like warriors of the series — helped seal that catastrophe away. A century later the Resurgence weakens again, the Revenants are lauded as Heroes, and the new story begins with a fresh threat that may require calling on the deeds and memories of those past champions.
It’s cinematic shorthand for “you’re joining a world with weighty events behind it,” which explains why the trailers often lean into voiceover and subtitle-driven exposition rather than gameplay showboating.
PC requirements that raise eyebrows
Bandai Namco published system requirements for the PC build that are reasonable on paper — Unreal Engine 5, 16GB RAM, about 70GB of storage — but the recommended CPU pairing is eyebrow-raising. The listed minimums include an Intel Core i5-9600K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and a GTX 1660 Super / RX 5700 for 1080p at 30+ fps. The recommended targets aim for 1080p at 60 fps and specify an Intel Core i7-12700KF or an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D alongside an RTX 3080 / RX 6800.
That Ryzen 7 7800X3D callout sticks out: it’s a very high-end chip to ask of a 1080p 60fps recommendation, and the asymmetry between the Intel and AMD picks has prompted people to wonder whether the spec sheet reflects conservative headroom, a copy error, or genuine engine demands. Unreal Engine 5 games can be demanding — and how well features like Lumen or high-res textures are balanced will determine how many PCs need to be beefy to run the game smoothly at higher presets.
A practical note for PC players: plan for roughly 70GB of install space, 16GB of system RAM, and a modern GPU if you want to try higher presets without relying on aggressive upscaling.
When it arrives — platforms and timing
Code Vein II launches late January 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam). Bandai Namco’s release timing has the consoles and PC lining up around January 29–30, depending on region. There are also pre-order incentives and early-access touches for higher-tier editions, so expect staggered unlocks if you buy into a deluxe package.
If you like portable or remote-play options, this generation’s console ecosystem has been moving fast; recent updates to remote streaming hardware and cross‑platform ownership hints could affect how you play on day one — things like the PlayStation Portal’s ability to stream your PS5 library may be useful for people who don’t want to be glued to the living room TV PlayStation Portal Can Now Stream Your PS5 Library — Major Cloud Update Arrives. And there’s an ongoing conversation about PS5–PC ownership conveniences that could change whether you need to buy multiple versions Datamine Reveals ‘Cross‑Buy’ Icon on PS5 — Is Sony Preparing PS5‑PC Ownership?.
If you’re thinking about upgrading hardware ahead of launch, the new hardware ecosystem is tempting — some players will weigh a console upgrade like the PlayStation 5 Pro Console when they want higher-end visuals and smoother frame rates.
So what should players expect?
Trailers have focused on mood and mystery more than raw systems: characters, history, and ideological conflict. Combat footage has been deliberately sparse in these recent drops, which suggests Bandai Namco wants players arriving with questions about the story and the cast — Valentin’s line about ancestry feels deliberately provocative for a sequel that is calling back to the first game’s events.
On the technical side, the PC specs are worth paying attention to. Unreal Engine 5 can shine, but it can also be unevenly demanding depending on which features are active and how well they’re optimized. If you own a midrange rig, expect to tinker with settings rather than assume maximum presets will be reachable at 60 fps.
For fans of the original: expect familiar tones — melancholy worldbuilding, partner-based encounters, and the soulslike DNA the series embraces — while Bandai Namco leans into legacy characters and new ideological conflicts to give the sequel its own voice.
Release and platform recap: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam) in late January 2026. Keep an eye on official Bandai Namco channels for the full launch-day details and any final performance patches.