Castlevania: Belmont's Curse

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse is a side-scrolling Castlevania game published by Konami, which describes it as a 2D action-exploration title, while Wikipedia calls it an action role-playing game. It is the 26th main entry in the series and arrives during the franchise’s 40th anniversary. Its non-linear structure follows in the footsteps of earlier exploration-focused entries such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

The story is set in 1499, when monstrous creatures suddenly overrun a burning Medieval Paris. Trevor Belmont, the vampire hunter who once defeated Dracula, returns to the fight alongside his daughter, Rose Belmont, and the pair carry the family’s legendary holy whip, the Vampire Killer. Rose, who is the playable protagonist, soon finds herself caught up in a darker conspiracy behind the attack. In the series timeline, the events take place more than two decades after Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse.

Whip combat sits at the center of the action, and Rose can also use her whip to swing around the environment and reach new spots. Players explore a large interconnected map of Paris and Dracula’s castle, earning experience to level up and collecting upgrades that open new areas. Defeated bosses, including familiar foes such as Death, Medusa and Carmilla along with newcomers like Joan of Arc, are sealed into Rose’s tarot cards as Arcana that grant spells and special moves. Weapons span seven categories, and Relics add further offensive and defensive effects, so players can build their own style of play.

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse was released on October 15, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC through Steam and Xbox. It is offered in a Standard Edition and a Midnight Edition, and it is rated T for Teen by the ESRB. The game features English and Japanese voice acting, text in eleven languages, and runs at 60 frames per second, or 30 on Nintendo Switch.

According to Wikipedia, the game was developed by Evil Empire with Motion Twin serving in an advisory role, following the two studios’ earlier work on the Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania expansion. Production began in 2022 as part of Konami’s return to console and PC development, and the game was announced in February 2026. Alongside Haunted Castle Revisited, it is the first standalone Castlevania release since Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 in 2014, and it received positive reviews at launch.