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Castlevania is one of Konami's longest running series, with games from the NES to the PS2. The series (normally) revolves around the Belmont family and their eternal mission of defeating Dracula whenever he reappears, with occasional help from the Belnades clan and Alucard, the son of Dracula.

There are two types of Castlevania games: the traditional level-by-level action games and the newer, so-called, "Metroidvanias", which involves more exploration, item/key collecting, and going through areas multiple times. There is an official chronology that was created several years ago, and involved retconning several plotlines from games, as well as removing four games from the official timeline. Games are not released in chronological order, and several games are direct sequels to previous ones. Most games take place decades or even centuries after the previous entry, but some (Simon's Quest, Curse of Darkness, Dawn of Sorrow, Symphony of the Night, and Castlevania 64) take place a few years later and involve the same characters.

Castlevania games

Chronological table

The original title of the series is Akumajou Dracula, where Akumajou is Japanese for Devil Castle. Metroidvania is a term referring to 2D video games where the exploration is non-linear; its earliest famous example is the Metroid series, hence the name Metroidvania.

After 2010, the Castlevania series was rebooted. The games are then titled Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (plus number or subtitle) in both the original and localized versions.

Year Original title Localised title Platform Notes
3rd generation games
1986 Devil Castle Dracula Castlevania NES
1986 Devil Castle Dracula Vampire Killer MSX2 Metroidvania
1988 Devil Castle Dracula Haunted Castle Arcade
1987 Dracula 2: the Seal of the Curse Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest NES RPG
1989 Devil Castle Legends Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse NES
4th generation games
1989 Legend of Dracula 1 Castlevania: the Adventure GB, GBC
1991 Legend of Dracula 2 Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge GB, GBC
1991 Devil Castle Dracula Super Castlevania 4 SNES
1993 Devil Castle Dracula Castlevania Chronicles X68000, PS1
1993 Devil Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles PC-Engine, PSP
1995 Devil Castle Dracula XX Castlevania: Dracula X
Castlevania: Vampire's Kiss
SNES
1995 Vampire Killer Castlevania: Bloodlines
Castlevania: the New Generation
Sega Mega Drive
1997 Devil Castle Dracula: Dark Night Prelude Castlevania Legends GB, Super GB
5th generation games
1997 Devil Castle Dracula: Nocturne in the Moonlight Castlevania: Symphony of the Night PS1, Saturn Metroidvania
1999 Devil Castle Dracula Apocalypse Castlevania 64 Nintendo 64 3D
1999 Devil Castle Dracula Apocalypse: Legend of Cornell Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness Nintendo 64 3D
2001 Devil Castle Dracula: Circle of the Moon Castlevania: Circle of the Moon GBA Metroidvania
2002 Castlevania: Concerto of Midnight Sun Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance GBA Metroidvania
2003 Castlevania: Minuet of Dawn Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow GBA Metroidvania
6th generation games
2003 Castlevania Castlevania: Lament of Innocence PS2 3D
2005 Devil Castle Dracula: Dark Curse Castlevania: Curse of Darkness PS2, Xbox 3D
2005 Devil Castle Dracula: Cross of the Blue Moon Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow DS Metroidvania
2006 Devil Castle Dracula: Gallery of Labyrinth Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin DS Metroidvania
2008 Devil Castle Dracula: the Stolen Seal Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia DS Metroidvania
7th generation games
2008 Devil Castle Dracula Judgement Castlevania Judgement Wii Fighting
2010 Devil Castle Dracula: Harmony of Despair Castlevania: Harmony of Despair PS3, X360 Metroidvania

Cancelled games

  • Castlevania: The Bloodletting for the 32X
  • Castlevania Resurrection for the Dreamcast
  • Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for the Game.com

Spin offs

Heroes and chronological order