Castlevania

Castlevania games in order

Last updated . Sources are linked in the text.

Use release order for design history, story order for the Belmont chronology, or the recommended route for a manageable introduction. The lists below have different purposes and are not interchangeable.

1. Release order

Release yearGameOriginal platformStory / continuity
1986CastlevaniaFamicom Disk System / NES1691
1987Castlevania II: Simon's QuestFamicom Disk System / NES1698
1989Castlevania III: Dracula's CurseFamicom / NES1476
1989Castlevania: The AdventureGame Boy1576
1991Super Castlevania IVSuper NES1691
1991Castlevania II: Belmont's RevengeGame Boy1591
1993Castlevania: Rondo of BloodPC Engine Super CD-ROM21792
1994Castlevania: BloodlinesGenesis / Mega Drive1917
1997Castlevania: Symphony of the NightPlayStation; later Saturn1797
1999Castlevania (Nintendo 64)Nintendo 641852 (side continuity)
2001Castlevania: Circle of the MoonGame Boy Advance1830 (side continuity)
2002Castlevania: Harmony of DissonanceGame Boy Advance1748
2003Castlevania: Aria of SorrowGame Boy Advance2035
2003Castlevania: Lament of InnocencePlayStation 21094
2005Castlevania: Dawn of SorrowNintendo DS2036
2005Castlevania: Curse of DarknessPlayStation 2 / Xbox1479
2006Castlevania: Portrait of RuinNintendo DS1944
2008Castlevania: Order of EcclesiaNintendo DS19th century; exact year unspecified
2010Castlevania: Lords of ShadowPS3 / Xbox 360Separate reboot
2014Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2PS3 / Xbox 360 / WindowsSeparate reboot
2019Castlevania: Grimoire of SoulsiOS / Android limited release; Apple Arcade in 2021After the 1999 sealing; exact year unspecified
This table covers 21 selected works, not every franchise release. It uses original-release reference years, not collection years. Castlevania 64 uses the common 1999 label although Konami US dates it to 31 December 1998. Grimoire starts with the limited 2019 mobile release, followed by Apple Arcade in 2021.
Additional releases: Vampire Killer (1986), Haunted Castle (Konami US: 1987; secondary release lists: 1988), Kid Dracula (Famicom 1990; Game Boy 1993), Chronicles (X68000 1993; PlayStation 2001), Dracula X (1995), Legends (1997), Legacy of Darkness (1999), The Dracula X Chronicles (2007), Judgment (2008), The Adventure ReBirth (2009), Harmony of Despair (2010), Mirror of Fate (2013), Haunted Castle Revisited (2024), and Belmont's Curse (Konami: 15 October 2026; Steam US: 14 October). Ports, remakes and compilations are not all new mainline stories.

2. Story order

  1. Lament of Innocence (1094)
  2. Dracula's Curse (1476)
  3. Curse of Darkness (1479)
  4. Belmont's Curse (1499)
  5. The Adventure (1576)
  6. Belmont's Revenge (1591)
  7. Castlevania / Super Castlevania IV (1691, alternate tellings)
  8. Simon's Quest (1698)
  9. Harmony of Dissonance (1748)
  10. Rondo of Blood (1792)
  11. Symphony of the Night (1797)
  12. Order of Ecclesia (19th century; exact year unspecified)
  13. Bloodlines (1917)
  14. Portrait of Ruin (1944)
  15. Aria of Sorrow (2035)
  16. Dawn of Sorrow (2036)
Side-continuity games are not inserted as mandatory chapters: Legends (1450), Circle of the Moon (1830), Legacy of Darkness (1844), and Castlevania 64 (1852). Reboot route: Lords of Shadow → Mirror of Fate → Lords of Shadow 2. The timeline explains the distinction.

3. Recommended first-play order

  1. Aria of Sorrow (Advance): start with exploration, equipment and monster abilities on PC or Switch.
  2. Symphony of the Night (Requiem / mobile): explore Alucard's castle; this step needs a supported platform.
  3. Rondo of Blood (Requiem): try the stage-based branch.
  4. Super Castlevania IV (Anniversary): compare classic whip combat.
  5. Dawn of Sorrow (Dominus): continue Soma's story after Aria.
This is editorial sequencing by game structure and access, not a claim of timed playtests or aggregate review scores. Belmont's Curse is an optional modern starting point; no earlier game is a mechanical prerequisite.

Sources

Konami regional release history; Advance Collection: roster and Juste profile; Dominus Collection: roster; Belmont's Curse character profiles; Belmont's Curse setting; Steam US release-date API.
Older story dates and side-continuity labels: Castlevania Wiki chronology (secondary, community-maintained). Release dates and story years answer different questions.
Simon fights a bat in a stone hall in the 1986 Castlevania, Anniversary Collection screenshot
Publisher screenshot. Konami: Anniversary Collection on Steam. © Konami.
Side-view castle gameplay from the Castlevania Advance Collection on Steam
Publisher screenshot. Konami: Advance Collection. © Konami.

Questions

Do I have to play in order?

No. Most games recap the conflict. Order helps if you care which Belmont you are meeting.

Is release order the same as story order?

No. The NES game is story-year 1691. Lament of Innocence shipped later and is story-year 1094.

Keep going

Advertisement