Konami is celebrating 40 years of Castlevania by handing out the game that started it all. A mobile version of the first Castlevania is free to claim on iOS and Android for a limited window, and once it is in your account, it stays there.
The series officially turns 40 on September 26. The original Akumajō Dracula launched on that date back in 1986 for the Japan-only Famicom Disk System, starring vampire hunter Simon Belmont as he walks into Dracula’s castle with the family whip in hand.
How to claim Castlevania for free
The freemium release is called Castlevania: 40th Anniversary and it is available from September 25 until October 24 at 11:59 p.m. JST – that is 10:59 a.m. ET, 7:59 a.m. PT and 4:59 p.m. CEST.
- You can grab it on the iOS App Store and on Google Play.
- October 24 is only the deadline for claiming it. If you download it during the promo window, you keep it and can redownload it later whenever you want.
- Konami confirmed the app works offline once installed, so you do not need a connection to play.
It is not exactly the 1986 version
Konami calls it the original Castlevania, but the app is not built on the September 1986 Famicom Disk System release. Konami identifies it as the 1993 Famicom cartridge version – essentially the same game, just with a few extras on top.
The most notable addition is an Easy mode, which lowers the damage Simon takes and removes the knockback that normally sends you flying when an enemy connects. For a game with that reputation, it is a meaningful difference.
What else Konami has planned
The free app is part of a bigger anniversary push. Konami’s anniversary portal frames the upcoming metroidvania Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse as the start of “numerous new products around Castlevania,” and the announcement of the free mobile app repeats that Konami has “much more in store for the series.” The giveaway also lands just weeks after Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls shut down its service on September 3.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse itself arrives on October 15, preceded by a free demo on October 1 covering the game’s opening chapter. Save data carries over into the full release, but only within the same platform – we covered that in our piece on the Belmont’s Curse demo. The trial has been announced for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, with the Xbox/Microsoft Store PC version notably missing from that list. It is expected to stick around after launch, though Konami has not explicitly said so.
Where to read more
If you want to keep track of everything happening around the anniversary, we collect it all in our Castlevania news hub.
FAQ
Until October 24 at 11:59 p.m. JST, which is 10:59 a.m. ET, 7:59 a.m. PT or 4:59 p.m. CEST.
No. The date is only the deadline for claiming it. If you download it in time, you can keep playing and redownload it whenever you like.
Konami confirmed that once the anniversary edition is installed, you can play it offline.
Despite being described as the original, it is the 1993 Famicom cartridge release. It adds an Easy mode that reduces the damage Simon takes and removes enemy knockback.
On October 15, with a free demo of the opening chapter arriving on October 1 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.