As one of the defining side-scrolling adventures of yesteryear, Castlevania has become one of Konami’s most legendary game franchises, with its iconic gameplay loop coining the gaming term “Metroidvania” alongside Nintendo’s sci-fi series that’s still being used today. Over the years, the franchise has seen numerous sequels, reboots, and spin-offs, but in celebration of the series’ 40th anniversary, the original 1986 game is now available on mobile devices and, best of all, will be completely free to download for a limited time.
From now until 24 October 2026, the original NES version of Castlevania will be available for free on iOS and Android, so there’s no better time to hop back into the title that kick-started it all, now from the convenience of your mobile device. For those jumping into the classic title for the first time, or those looking to relive the nostalgia, Castlevania introduced the world to Simon Belmont, the descendant of a legendary vampire hunter, who enters the castle of Count Dracula to destroy him after the legendary vampire suddenly appears 100 years after being vanquished by Simon’s ancestor.
Unlike later games in the franchise, the original Castlevania didn’t actually feature the traits that would come to define the modern Metroidvania genre, with the game being a more linear, stage-based action-platformer that sees players exploring the castle while using Simon’s iconic magic whip, the Vampire Killer, to dispatch all manner of baddies like bats, skeletons, and zombies.
Don’t let its comparatively simplistic structure fool you, as the original title was punishingly difficult, which was a deliberate design choice. Simon moves at a very slow pace, with a fixed-arc jump that cannot be steered mid-air once performed, so players have to be extra mindful about their position and timing to not come into contact with foes. Some enemies and bosses also have unpredictable attack patterns, meaning players will need to study their movements to time their moves and attacks accordingly.
The Castlevania: 40th Anniversary mobile game is a direct port of the original NES version, meaning everything from its original visuals to its controls has been kept as it was in the original release, just that now everything is controlled via touchscreen controls instead, with the title supporting full offline play.
Castlevania: 40th Anniversary is now available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, and will be free to download until 24 October 2026, with the game still remaining playable even after its availability ends.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Joey Leong
Si Jia
