Editor's Note: Some games are listed but, due to their relative availablity, do not currently have reviews. As copies are attained (if they ever are), reviews will be posted.
Hopefully, in exploring the Inverted Dungeon, you have at least an inkling of what the Castlevania series is about: heroes go into a castle, armed with just a whip and a minimal amount of armor (leather skirts being the norm -- Simon has nice legs and likes to show them off), and battle through a gauntlet of pain to take out Dracula and save the world from evil.
From that simple description has come a long running series of games. For those of you new to the series though, you may be wondering just what games are worth playing, and which ones are better read about (and otherwise avoided).
As a service, we at the Inverted Dungeon have taken the time to review the games in the series. Read along, and find out all about the games in the Castlevania series.
Note: As a U.S.-based site, release dates reflect U.S. release dates. Games are arranged by their U.S. release dates (unless they were never ported to the States). Remakes and re-releases are organized as supplemental content under the original titles.
Main Castlevania Games
Classic Era
- Castlevania (1987, Nintendo Entertainment System)
- Vampire Killer (1986 JPN, ASCII MSX2 Home Computer)
- Vs. Castlevania (1987, Arcade)
- Castlevania (1990, Commodore Amiga Computer)
- Castlevania (1990, Commodore 64 Computer)
- Castlevania (1990, MS DOS)
- Castlevania (1993 JPN, Sharp X68000 Computer)
- Castlevania Chronicles (2001, Sony Playstation)
- Classic NES Series: Castlevania (2004, Nintendo Game Boy Advance)
- Castlevania (2004 - 2008, J2ME Platform)
- Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1988, Nintendo Entertainment System)
- Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1988, Tiger Electronics Handheld)
- Haunted Castle (1988, Arcade)
- Haunted Castle Revisited (2024, Various Systems)
- The Castlevania Adventure (1989, Nintendo Game Boy)
- Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth (2009, Nintendo Wii)
- Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1990, Nintendo Entertainment System)
- Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (2006, Mobile Phones)
- Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge (1991, Nintendo Game Boy)
Transition to 16-Bit and Beyond
- Super Castlevania IV (1991, Super Nintendo Entertainment System)
- Castlevania Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (1993 JPN, PC Engine Super CD-ROM)
- Castlevania: Dracula X (1995, Super Nintendo Entertainment System)
- Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (Rondo) (2007, Sony Playstation Portable)
- Castlevania Bloodlines (1994, Sega Genesis)
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997, Sony Playstation)
- Castlevania: Nocturne in the Moonlight (1998 JPN, Sega Saturn)
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1998, Tiger Electronics Handheld)
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Canceled, Tiger Electronics Game.com)
- Castlevania Puzzle: Encore of the Night (2010, Apple iOS & Windows Phone)
- Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (Symphony) (2007, Sony Playstation Portable)
- Castlevania: Legends (1998, Nintendo Game Boy)
- Castlevania (1999, Nintendo 64)
- Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness (1999, Nintendo 64)
- Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (2001, Nintendo Game Boy Advance)
Igarashi Era
- Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (2002, Nintendo Game Boy Advance)
- Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (2003, Nintendo Game Boy Advance)
- Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (2008, Mobile Phones)
- Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (2003, Sony Playstation 2)
- Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (2005, Nintendo DS)
- Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (2009, Mobile Phones)
- Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (2005, Microsoft XBox & Sony Playstation 2)
- Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (2006, Nintendo DS)
- Castlevania: Order of Shadows (2007, Mobile Phones)
- Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (2008, Nintendo DS)
- Castlevania: Judgment (2008, Nintendo Wii)
- Castlevania: The Arcade (2009 JPN, Arcade)
- Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (2010, Microsoft XBox 360 & Sony PlayStation 3)
Lords of Shadow Series
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (2010, Microsoft XBox 360 & Sony Playstation 3)
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Reverie (2011, Microsoft XBox 360 & Sony Playstation 3)
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Resurrection (2011, Microsoft XBox 360 & Sony Playstation 3)
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate (2013, Various Systems)
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2014, Various Systems)
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Revelations (2014, Various Systems)
Konami Expanded Universe
Over the eras, Konami has put out a number of other games that have crossed over with the Castlevania. These titles have built up quite the solid multiverse for the game company.
Getsu Fuma Dem
- Getsu Fuma Den (1987, Nintendo Famicom)
- Getsu Fuma Den: Undying Moon (2021, Microsoft Windows & Nintendo Switch)
Konami Wai Wai
- Konami Wai Wai World (1988 JPN, Nintendo Famicom)
- Wai Wai World 2: SOS! Parsley Castle (1991, Nintendo Famicom)
- Konami Wai Wai Sokoban (2006, Mobile Phones)
Parodius
- Parodius (1988 JPN, ASCII MSX Home Computer)
- Parodius Da! (1990 JPN, Various Systems)
- Gokujo Parodius (1994 JPN, Nintendo Super Famicom)
- Jikkyo Oshaberi Parodius (1995 JPN, Various Systems)
- Sexy Parodius (1996 JPN, Various Systems)
- Paro Wars (1997 JPN, Sony PlayStation)
Kid Dracula
- I'm Kid Dracula (1990 JPN, Nintendo Famicom)
- I'm Kid Dracula (2006, Mobile Phones)
- Kid Dracula (1993, Nintendo Game Boy)
Krazy Racing
- Konami Krazy Racers (2001, Nintendo Game Boy Advance)
- Krazy Kart Racing (2009, Mobile Phones)
Additional Konami Games
- Hai no Majutsushi (1989 JPN, ASCII MSX2 Home Computer)
- Jikkyo Power Pro Wrestling '96: Max Voltage (1996 JPN, Nintendo Super Famicom)
- Evolution Skateboarding (2002, Various Systems)
- DreamMix TV World Fighters (2003, Nintendo Game Cube & Sony Playstation 2)
- New International Track & Field (2008, Nintendo DS)
- Kingdom Dragonion (2015, Mobile Phones)
- Otomedius Excellent (2011, Microsoft XBox 360)
- Jikkyou Powerful Soccer (2016, Mobile Phones)
- Super Bomberman R (2017, Various Systems)
- Pixel Puzzle Collection (2018, Mobile Phones)
Compilations
- Konami GB Collection, Vol. 1 (1997, Nintendo Game Boy)
- Konami GB Collection, Vol. 3 (1998, Nintendo Game Boy)
- Konami GB Collection, Vol. 1 (2000, Nintendo Game Boy Color)
- Konami GB Collection, Vol. 4 (2000, Nintendo Game Boy Color)
- Konami Collector's Series: Castlevania & Contra (2002, Microsoft Windows)
- Castlevania Double Pack (2006, Nintendo Game Boy Advance)
- Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (2007, Sony Playstation Portable)
- Konami Classics, Vol. 1 (2009, Microsoft XBox 360)
- Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Collection (2013, Microsoft XBox 360 & Sony Playstation 3)
- Arcade Archives (2014, Various Systems)
- Castlevania Requiem (2018, Sony PlayStation 4)
- Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection (2019, Various Systems)
- Castlevania Anniversary Collection (2019, Various Systems)
- Castlevania Advance Collection (2021, Various Systems)
- Castlevania Dominus Collection (2024, Various Systems)
Other Games
These games are not only outside of any official continuity, but also were developed by companies other than Konami. They feature characters from the Castlevania series in entires far outside the official series.
- Brawlhalla (2014, Various Systems)
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018, Nintendo Switch)
- OBAKEIDORO! (2019, Nintendo Switch)
- Dead Cells: Return To Castlevania (2023, Nintendo Switch)
- V Rising: Legacy of Castlevania (2024, Micrsoft Windows & Sony PlayStation 5)
- Vampier Survivors: Ode to Castlevania (2024, Various Systems)
Bootlegs
And finally we have games with only the monst tenuous connection to the Castlevania series proper: bootlegs. These games were developed by companies and/or groups not affiliated with Konami, generally using the assets of the series to create copyright-infringing games.
- Devil Island (2002, Nintendo Gameboy Color)
- Castlevania DX (2003, Nintendo Gameboy Color)