Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse release time is tonight, Wednesday, October 14, at 9pm PT (midnight ET) on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam. The Nintendo Switch version lands on October 15. It’s Konami’s first all-new 2D Castlevania in years, built with Evil Empire and Motion Twin, and it starts at $29.99.
A new Belmont, and a new kind of whip
The story jumps 23 years past Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse to medieval Paris, where Trevor Belmont’s daughter Rose takes up the Vampire Killer. The whip isn’t just for hitting things anymore. Rose can use it to swing through levels like a trapeze artist and launch into fights.
Classic bosses like Death, Medusa and Carmilla are back, along with new ones like Joan of Arc. Beat one and it’s sealed into one of Rose’s tarot cards, which turns it into an Arcana you can use to cast spells. Weapons come in seven categories, and relics add their own effects, so there’s room to build your own playstyle.
Editions, bonuses and where to buy
The standard game is $29.99 on Steam and the Nintendo eShop. It isn’t on GOG. The Midnight Edition adds a Digital Sound & Art Gallery with 71 tracks, Trevor and Sypha costumes for Rose, and the Family’s Grace relic. It’s on the PlayStation Store and Xbox too. Buy any edition before or around launch and you also get an Alucard-style costume.
If you’re on the fence, the free demo on Steam is the easy way to test the whip swinging before 9pm. If you already know you want it, preloading and staying up late is the move.