The 40th-anniversary 2D entry set 23 years after Castlevania III. Whether it works as a first Castlevania, plus where it sits in the series order.
Castlevania Games in Order: Is Belmont's Curse the Right First One?
Yes, Belmont's Curse works as a first Castlevania, and on launch day it is the least risky entry point on current hardware. The catch is what it deliberately is not: it is a 2D action-exploration game built around a weapons-and-relics loadout, not a linear castle crawl built around the Vampire Killer whip, so it teaches you modern Castlevania habits rather than the classic ones. Start here if you want an easy door into the series; do not treat it as a sample of what the 1986-1997 games feel like.
Everything gameplay-specific below comes from the free demo as of 2026-10-05. Anything about the full game beyond the demo is marked unannounced rather than guessed.
Where Belmont's Curse sits in the Castlevania timeline
Release order for the whole series. The series debuted on the Famicom Disk System on 26 September 1986, and Konami marks September 2026 as its 40th anniversary month.
| Year | Entry | Form |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Castlevania | 2D linear, Simon Belmont, whip plus secondary weapons |
| 1987 | Castlevania II: Simon's Quest | 2D, first world map and RPG elements |
| 1989 | Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse | 2D, branching stages, multiple playable characters |
| 1993 | Castlevania: Rondo of Blood | 2D, fully voiced CD-era entry |
| 1997 | Castlevania: Symphony of the Night | 2D, nonlinear map; the formula that popularised Metroidvania |
| 1999 | Castlevania (Nintendo 64) | first 3D entry |
| 2010 | Castlevania: Lords of Shadow | 3D reboot |
| 2014 | Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 | last mainline entry before this one |
| 2024 | Haunted Castle Revisited | remake of the 1988 arcade title |
| 2026 | Castlevania: Belmont's Curse | 2D exploration, launches 15 October 2026 |
Official source: KONAMI press release, 8 June 2026 — Belmont's Curse is "an exploration-based 2D action game developed jointly by KONAMI, Evil Empire, with advisory help from indie studio Motion Twin", and the same release states the series "celebrates its 40th anniversary in September 2026".
Series background source: Wikipedia's Castlevania series page — release order, platform form per entry, and the note that Lords of Shadow 2 was the last mainline game before Konami moved elsewhere.
The gap matters more than the list. After Lords of Shadow 2 in 2014, the only Castlevania that reached players was Haunted Castle Revisited in 2024, a remake. Belmont's Curse is therefore the first new mainline Castlevania since 2014 and the first new 2D one since the 2010 Lords of Shadow reboot — which is exactly why the "where do I start" lists answering that question online were all written before this game existed.
Story order: 23 years after Castlevania III
Series lore, not gameplay. This matters only if you care about chronology, and no prior game is required.
| In-universe year | Entry |
|---|---|
| 1094 | Castlevania: Lament of Innocence |
| 1476 | Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse |
| 1479 | Castlevania: Curse of Darkness |
| 1499 | Castlevania: Belmont's Curse |
| 1691 | Castlevania (1986) |
| 1698 | Castlevania II: Simon's Quest |
| 1792 | Castlevania: Rondo of Blood |
| 1797 | Castlevania: Symphony of the Night |
| 1944 | Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin |
| 2035 | Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow |
| 2036 | Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow |
Lords of Shadow runs as a separate continuity (1047, 1073-1103, and 1547-2057), and four older games — Legends, Circle of the Moon, Legacy of Darkness and the Nintendo 64 Castlevania — were cut from the official chronology by series designer Koji Igarashi in 2002.
The only story fact worth holding on to: Rose Belmont is the daughter of Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades, who marry at the end of Dracula's Curse. Sypha died of Dracula's curse shortly after Rose was born, per Konami's own character pages, so the timeline needs zero homework — Trevor is an NPC companion in this game, not something you unlock. The full cast and English voice credits are on their own page.
What makes it a workable first Castlevania
The demo is a fair proxy here, because everything below is in the first thirty minutes of it.
| System | What it does | Why it helps a newcomer |
|---|---|---|
| Dodge and slide on Circle, double-tap for a backflip | One defensive button with an animation-cancel window | Classic Castlevania deaths usually come from a hit you could not dodge |
| Arcana Whip grapple on R2 | Grapple onto golden and purple Anchors for swings and lifts | Traversal is a tool you unlock, not a jump-timing puzzle |
| Mana refills when you defeat enemies | No mana pickups to hoard | Removes the resource starvation older entries punish you for |
| Mirror of Life save rooms | Frequent checkpoints through the Paris streets and sewers | Deaths cost minutes, not an area |
| Weapons and Relics | Swap weapon categories; equip up to three Relics for passive bonuses | No stat-spending menu to understand before the first boss |
| Arcana cards | A beaten boss is sealed into Rose's tarot deck and becomes a spell plus a special action | Progression is unlocking a card, not grinding levels |
Official source: PlayStation Blog hands-on report, 17 July 2026 — the button layout, the Relic cap of three, and the boss-to-Arcana conversion are all described there.
Konami has also been unusually direct about what this is not: a company representative stated that Belmont's Curse "is a 2D Action-Exploration game where players can freely explore vast, elaborately crafted maps. It is not a roguelike or roguelite game", and the hands-on report confirms there is no permadeath and no procedural level generation.
Media source: Push Square on the roguelike question — carries the Konami Americas communications quote verbatim.
If your worry about a first Castlevania is "will I lose hours to random runs", the genre breakdown covers where the Metroidvania label does and does not apply.
The free demo runs roughly 30 to 45 minutes depending on how much you explore, and your save carries into the full version on the same platform and account. The demo guide covers where to download it; the save transfer rules cover the four conditions that decide whether your progress survives launch day.
Where it will not prepare you for the classics
This is the part every "best Castlevania to start with" list gets wrong. Belmont's Curse and the classic games disagree on progression, so finishing it leaves you better prepared for modern Castlevania than for 1986-1997 Castlevania.
| If you came for | The classics do this | Belmont's Curse does this |
|---|---|---|
| Whip growth | Whip upgrades hidden in candles, plus secondary weapons like throwing knives and holy water that consume hearts | The whip is a fixed tool; growth comes from weapon categories, Relics and Arcana cards |
| Character growth | Experience and stat growth, expanded further in Symphony of the Night | Demo progression is card-and-loadout shaped; players report experience statues as hidden collectibles, but Konami has published no full progression table |
| Sub-weapons | Throwing knives, holy water, the boomerang-like cross in the 1986 original | No sub-weapon system appears in any official Belmont's Curse material; the two tracks are weapons and Relics |
| Map | Non-linear castle navigated with an inventory screen | Large hand-crafted maps, destructible secret walls, areas gated behind specific skills |
The weapons and Relic rules are covered in full on the weapons and relics page; the Arcana card loop is on the Arcana system page.
One genuine rough edge for a first-timer: Rose does not get her whip until after the demo's only boss, so the opening fight is fought with a sword and no traversal tool. Players and media commonly describe The Fallen as harder than expected — if you bounce off it, the boss guide has the timing, and the arcane whip traversal guide covers what opens up afterwards.
If you want a classic game alongside it
Both of Konami's current reissues are easy to pair with this one, and neither requires leaving the 2D lineage.
| Package | Contents | First-timer fit |
|---|---|---|
| Castlevania Anniversary Collection, 16 May 2019 | Castlevania, Simon's Quest, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, Super Castlevania IV, The Adventure, Belmont's Revenge, Bloodlines, Kid Dracula | Best value if you want the era this game descends from; Castlevania III is the one that links directly, since Belmont's Curse picks up 23 in-universe years after it |
| Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night and Rondo of Blood | The 1997 genre-defining entry plus the 1993 prequel | The demanding option; play it second, once the modern formula is familiar |
Sources: the Steam store page for the Anniversary Collection and the PlayStation Store listing for Requiem, both retrieved 2026-10-05. Note that Symphony of the Night is not in the Anniversary Collection — it ships as its own package.
What it costs, and on what
Prices confirmed at pre-order across the stores as of 2026-10-05.
| Item | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Edition | $29.99 | Base game |
| Midnight Edition | $39.99 | Base game, Digital Sound and Art Gallery with 71 tracks, Trevor and Sypha costumes, Family's Grace relic |
| Pre-order on any edition | Included | Alucard Style Costume |
Platforms are PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Steam for Windows and Nintendo Switch, all on 15 October 2026. The Switch build is locked at 30fps while the others run at 60fps, and no native Switch 2 edition has been announced. Full details sit on the release date and platforms page; the PS5 versus Switch comparison, Switch 2 situation and Midnight Edition breakdown cover the decision in more detail.
Level count, map size, the five unnamed weapon categories, the complete Arcana deck and Relic list, boss order, endings and the achievement list are all unpublished. Nobody outside Konami has played the full game, so any page claiming otherwise is guessing.
FAQ
Is Belmont's Curse a good first Castlevania game? Yes, if your baseline is "I have never played one". It launches with modern input handling, a dodge with an animation-cancel window, frequent checkpoints and a 30-minute free demo that transfers into the full game.
Do I need to play older Castlevania games first? No. The story picks up 23 years after Castlevania III and needs no setup, and the mechanics are explained through the demo rather than through series references.
Is Belmont's Curse a Metroidvania? Konami calls it 2D Action-Exploration and never uses the genre name, though the structure is Metroidvania-shaped: one large map, ability-gated areas and destructible secret walls. It is explicitly not a roguelike.
Is Trevor Belmont playable? No. Rose is the only playable character in the demo, and Konami has announced no others. Trevor is an NPC companion.
Can I play it on Switch? Yes, and it launches on the same day as every other version. Expect a locked 30fps on original Switch hardware and roughly 60fps on Switch 2 through backward compatibility.
Should I wait for reviews? There are none to read — the Steam page has zero user reviews because the game has not launched. Use the demo verdict by player type instead; the pre-order reward details are on the pre-order bonus page, and the wider question set is collected in the Castlevania FAQ.
Related Guides
- Castlevania Belmont's Curse Demo Guide: How to Play
- Is Belmont's Curse a Metroidvania or Roguelike?
- Castlevania Belmont's Curse Demo Walkthrough
- How to Beat The Fallen in Belmont's Curse Demo
- Castlevania Belmont's Curse Release Date and Platforms
- Belmont's Curse Characters and Voice Cast
- Belmont's Curse PS5 vs Switch: Which to Buy
- Is Belmont's Curse Worth Buying? Demo Verdict
More Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Guides
Konami's five conditions for demo progress to carry into the Oct 15 full game, and the mistakes that silently wipe your demo save.
The full demo route: Paris Streets, the sewers, every Mirror of Life, the three-key door and the The Fallen gate, in verified order.
The questions the demo release produced: release date, platforms, save transfer, Switch 2, editions, roguelike or not, bosses, cast and Steam Deck.
Konami's verified PC specs: Windows 11, i5-8400, 16GB RAM and a GTX 1650 minimum, with an i5-10400 and RTX 3060 recommended. 10GB storage, 64-bit only.
Every edition carries the same Alucard Style Costume. Physical copies need an extra download; the Midnight Edition adds a SteelBook and Terada tarot card.
Releases October 15, 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Steam and Nintendo Switch at 60fps (30fps on Switch). Demo is out now and saves carry over.
Seven weapon categories with their own movesets, plus up to three Relics. Longsword, Cestus and Burnt Sword of Fierbois specifics confirmed.
The Fallen's move set, Holy Cross attack timing, the three-key door it opens and the Arcane Whip it drops. Phase-by-phase survival notes from the demo.