Konami Launches ‘Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse’

Konami has released Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, the newest entry in its long-running vampire-hunting series. The game launched on October 15 for the PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox on PC and Steam, returning the franchise to the side-scrolling action-exploration style that made it famous.

The game is set in Paris in 1499, 23 years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. Players take control of Rose Belmont, the daughter of the hero Trevor Belmont, as she wields the legendary Vampire Killer whip. The story follows her as she moves through the burning streets of the city and into Dracula’s castle to hunt the creatures threatening the Parisians.

A collaborative production

Konami developed the game jointly with two studios, Evil Empire and Motion Twin, both known for work in the action and roguelike space. That partnership is unusual for Castlevania, a series historically developed in-house or by a single external team, and it reflects a broader trend of established publishers working with independent studios to revive classic franchises.

The game is described as an exploration-based 2D action title, meaning players are encouraged to wander off the main path to find hidden secrets, upgrades and the mysteries scattered through the castle. An atmospheric soundtrack composed by Daniel ASADI was written to match the series’ musical heritage, which has long been one of its defining features.

Editions and technical details

A Midnight Edition is available in digital and physical form. It includes alternate costumes for Rose Belmont, a digital sound and art gallery, and an in-game relic item. The standard edition requires about eight gigabytes of storage, or four on the Switch, while the Midnight Edition needs ten gigabytes, or six on the Switch. The game runs at 60 frames per second on most platforms and 30 frames per second on the Switch, and it carries a Teen rating.

Konami set the release date earlier in the year and ran a demo before launch, giving players a chance to sample the game’s combat and exploration ahead of release. The publisher also released a “Bloody Tears” trailer that leaned on the series’ well-known music, a nod to how closely the Castlevania identity is tied to its sound.

A series looking backward and forward

Castlevania has cycled through many formats over the decades, from the linear action of its earliest entries to the exploration-driven structure that became its signature. By setting the new game shortly after Dracula’s Curse and putting a new Belmont at the center of the story, Konami is reaching back to the series’ roots while continuing its lineage.

The game also brings the franchise to Nintendo’s new hardware alongside the established platforms, part of a broader wave of releases supporting the Switch 2. For a series with a dedicated following and a history of reinvention, the launch is a test of whether a modern take on classic Castlevania can find an audience beyond longtime fans. Early impressions from the demo and the surrounding coverage suggest the game is aiming squarely at that heritage, offering a familiar formula polished for current hardware.

Sources

Konami Digital Entertainment, “It’s Time to Hunt the Night: Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Launches Today”; and the game’s official product page (October 2026).