[UPDATE: Capcom has since announced that the PSN DLC will be available for $4.99, not $3.99 as previously announced]

Capcom today announced a new multiplayer mode for Resident Evil 5. The new mode, called Versus, will be released post-launch as paid digital content via Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. According to the publisher we can expect Versus mode to arrive a few weeks after the launch of RE5 tomorrow.

Versus promises to add “a deadly twist to Resident Evil 5’s multiplayer, pitting players against each other in a contest of survival, a marked departure from the central co-operative nature of the game.”

Up to four players can engage in online battles across two different game types in the new mode. Slayer’s Rule is a point-based game that challenges players to kill Majinis while Survivor’s Rule sees players hunting each other, beginning as Chris, Sheva or other secret characters and choosing from either one-on-one or two-versus-two team matches for either of the two gameplay styles.

Versus will be available on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network a few weeks after Resident Evil 5 is available. It will cost 400 Microsoft Points or $3.99 on PSN.

Resident Evil 5 launches tomorrow, Friday the 13th, on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Feast your eyes on the first screens of the new Versus mode below.