Castlevania: Belmont's Curse launches on 15 October 2026, and the part that matters most this week is that you can already play some of it. A free demo went live on 1 October, and progress carries over to the full game. Konami is publishing, with development shared between Konami, Evil Empire and Motion Twin.

Release date, platforms and the demo#

The full game is due on 15 October 2026. Konami's demo-launch release lists PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S and Steam for both the demo and the full game. The demo arrived on 1 October, and save progress transfers to the full version on the same platform and account.

One thing to note: earlier coverage from the June reveal said the Switch version would come later in 2026. Konami's current materials list Switch alongside the other platforms for 15 October, so go with the publisher's latest information and check your platform's store listing before you buy.

Konami's page lists the game at 60 fps (30 fps on Switch) and install sizes of 8 GB for the Standard Edition and 10 GB for Midnight (4 GB and 6 GB on Switch). Audio is in Japanese and English, with text in more than nine languages, and the game carries a PEGI 16 rating.

Editions and pre-order bonus#

There are standard digital and physical editions, and Midnight Editions in both formats. Midnight adds alternate costumes, a Digital Sound & Art Gallery and an in-game relic. Pre-ordering any edition gives an Alucard-style costume. US prices reported at the June reveal were $29.99 for Standard and $39.99 for Midnight. Check your own store for current regional pricing.

The story: Rose Belmont, Paris, 1499#

You play Rose Belmont, the daughter of Trevor Belmont. The game is set in Paris in 1499, 23 years after Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. Konami describes her as descending into a city attacked by monstrous creatures, and into a looming mystical castle, to hunt down the beasts.

How it plays#

Konami calls it "an exploration-based 2D action game" and the series' whip is at its centre. PlayStation Blog's hands-on describes the main systems:

  • Arcana: defeating a boss turns it into a tarot-style ability, and each Arcana has three tasks, called Works of Mercy, that unlock Blessings and bonus Gifts.
  • Weapons: seven weapon categories, each with its own perks. Examples given include longswords and cestus gauntlets.
  • Relics: you can equip up to three to shape your playstyle.
  • Map: destructible secret walls, areas that need new skills to reach, and environmental hazards.

The report describes the difficulty as true to the series' roots: mistakes are punished, but it does not feel unfair, and learning boss patterns and dodging matters. The creative director said the team wants the right balance between the spirit of Castlevania and modernisation.

Evil Empire is the studio that was formed to support Dead Cells, and it made the Return to Castlevania DLC for that game in 2023.

Is it for you?#

If you came up on Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the series' exploration-and-RPG template, or on Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Castlevania: Dracula X, this is Konami's new take on that 2D lineage. If you want to know whether it fits you, the free demo is the quickest test.

Fans of the genre have plenty to play in the meantime: Hollow Knight, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Dead Cells and Blasphemous are the obvious ones. Our games like Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, games like Dead Cells and games like Hollow Knight pages go further, and the release calendar shows what else lands around 15 October. Everything is gathered on the Belmont's Curse game page.

What we will watch#

Reviews land around launch, and the thing to check is how the finished game's boss fights, difficulty and map hold up beyond the demo, and how the Switch version performs at 30 fps. Konami's page does not list review dates.

Sources: Konami's Belmont's Curse page and PlayStation Blog's hands-on (both linked above), plus Konami's demo-launch press release, read 7 October 2026.