Konami is releasing a new Castlevania right before Halloween, which is either excellent planning or the most obvious calendar decision in the history of marketing. We’ll take it.
Release date, platforms and price
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse launches October 15 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles and PC through Steam and the Microsoft Store. A Switch version is planned for later in 2026. Konami is the publisher, with development by Evil Empire and Motion Twin, the studios behind Dead Cells, which is a good sign if you like games where moving fast and hitting things is the whole personality.
The Standard Edition costs $29.99. The Midnight Edition costs $39.99 and adds a digital Sound and Art Gallery plus three in-game items: Trevor Style Costume, Sypha Style Costume and the Family’s Grace relic. Pre-orders for either edition include an Alucard Style Costume.
The story
It’s medieval Paris in 1499, where monsters pour from the shadows and a castle looms over the burning city, a vibe we’d describe as “rough week.” You play as Rose Belmont, who searches the streets with her father Trevor, the hero who defeated Dracula, and his Vampire Killer whip. Rose gets drawn into a dark conspiracy beneath the city.
How it plays
Combat is whip-based and lets you swing around like a trapeze artist and pounce on enemies. There’s also an Arcana system: defeated bosses are sealed into Rose’s tarot cards, granting spells and special actions. Bosses named so far include Death, Medusa, Carmilla and Joan of Arc, which is a guest list that could only be improved by a Dracula cameo.
You also get seven weapon categories and relics with offensive and defensive effects, which can be combined into custom playstyles. The presentation is gothic, with new stages and nods to classic Castlevania games, so longtime fans should feel like the lights have been left on for them.
Why it matters
Castlevania fans have been waiting for a new 2D entry for years, and for a price that’s less than most dinners. If the combat feels as good as the trailers suggest, this could be the Halloween game of the year.