Franchise file / Konami
Castlevania
Whips, vampires, one big castle
Konami's gothic action franchise began in 1986 with a whip-wielding Belmont storming Dracula's castle. It went on to shape the metroidvania, then reinvent itself in 3D with Lords of Shadow.
- 1986
- First game
- 2
- Series
- Konami
- Creator
One world. Many eras.
Choose your chapter
Whip and stairs. The early games set the template: a heavy whip, tight stages and Dracula at the end. Simon's Quest tried a more open design, then Super Castlevania IV and Rondo of Blood refined the classic style.
Start with Super Castlevania IVYour next late night
The essentials
Chapters
Series (2)
The Belmonts against DraculaCastlevaniaThe classic Castlevania line runs from Konami's 1986 debut through Symphony of the Night and its handheld successors, pitting vampire hunters against Dracula in tight action and castle-wide exploration.Castlevania: Lords of ShadowReboot of Castlevania from MercurySteam and Konami, which began in 2010. A big, cinematic action series with a new take on Gabriel Belmont and his fight against dark forces.
A legacy worth revisiting
Dracula always comes back.
Generation after generation, the Belmont clan and its allies return to Dracula's castle. That simple setup has carried stage-based action, sprawling exploration in Symphony of the Night, cinematic 3D in Lords of Shadow and spin-offs as odd as Kid Dracula.
- 1986 to 1995
- Whip and stairs
- 1997 to 2008
- The open castle
- 2010 to 2026
- New hands
Scenes that stay with you
Inside the world
Select a frame to expand it.
