Castlevania: Belmont's Curse

Not to be confused with the 1991 title Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse
DeveloperEvil Empire[a]
PublisherKonami
ProducerTsutomu Taniguchi
Writers
  • Mado Holvoët
  • Marie Rouzié
  • Matthew Willis
  • Kevin Cadars
SeriesCastlevania
Platforms
Release2026
Genres
ModeSingle-player

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Evil Empire and published by Konami. It is the 26th main entry of the Castlevania franchise. Taking place in 1499, 23 years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989), the story will follow Sonia Belmont, a descendant of vampire hunter Trevor Belmont and his wife Sypha Belnades, who ventures into the titular castle as it manifests directly in the heart of Paris.

The title returns to the exploration-based design of previous entries such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997). Gameplay entails traversing a non-linear map comprising both the castle and the surrounding city of Paris, defeating enemies and a variety of bosses to gain experience, while searching for upgrades and key items to procedurally unlock access to more areas over time. Sonia is equipped with the Belmont family whip, the "Vampire Killer", which is able to be used both as offense against enemies and for movement across large chasms and certain heights that cannot be reached otherwise.

Konami was reported to have greenlit numerous new entries in their tentpole franchises as part of their return to console and PC game development in 2021, including Castlevania. Belmont's Curse entered production in 2022 and was officially announced in February 2026. Along with Haunted Castle Revisited (2024), it is the first new entry in the franchise since Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2014). Motion Twin will collaborate with Konami and Evil Empire on the title in an advisory role, after they co-developed the Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania (2023) expansion pack. The game is being produced in commemoration of the franchise's 40th anniversary.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is scheduled to release in 2026 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S.

Gameplay

Belmont's Curse is a side-scrolling platformer. The protagonist, armed with the Belmont family's holy whip "Vampire Killer", explores and adventures through the city of Paris while fighting monsters. Similar to Super Castlevania IV, the game's whip attack allows for free movement and enables additional movement techniques, such as using it to swing from points like a rope.[3][4]

The game's world is open and non-linear, following the Metroidvania format established in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, including an auto-filling map, rooms to save the game, and dedicated fast travel points.[5][6]

Synopsis

Setting and characters

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse takes place in 1499 within the series' original timeline,[7] placing it 23 years following the events of Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989), and 20 years after Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (2005).[8] The story takes place in Medieval Paris after being overrun by demonic creatures, when the local bishop requests the services of Trevor Belmont, the vampire hunter who previously defeated Dracula with his wife Sypha Belnades. Trevor in turn enlists the help of his descendant Sonia Belmont,[9] who receives from him the legendary holy whip known as the "Vampire Killer,"[10] and they set out to protect the city while attempting to determine what caused the monsters' appearance.

Development

In October 2021, Video Games Chronicle reported that publisher Konami was restructuring in preparation of a strategic pivot that would see them refocusing on the production of premium games for console and PC, after a brief period of emphasizing mobile and pachislot titles throughout the mid-2010s. Among the games greenlit included a "reimagining" of the Castlevania series primarily developed by Konami with support from external studios.[11][12] In 2023, Konami producer Tsutomu Taniguchi acknowledged "excitement and enthusiasm" with regards to a new Castlevania game following numerous compilations for previous entries in the series being released since the late 2010s.[13]

Belmont's Curse is being developed by Evil Empire under license from Konami with assistance from Motion Twin in an advisory capacity. The aforementioned developers previously collaborated on the Return to Castlevania downloadable expansion for the roguelike Metroidvania title Dead Cells (2018).[14] The former studios were selected by the publisher due to Konami's faith in them to deliver a new exploration-based action game that captured the essence of the franchise while innovating.[15] Konami's Tommy Williams confirmed that Belmont's Curse would not adopt any of the roguelike progression gameplay seen in the developers' previous work on Dead Cells, instead being described as a freeform action-exploration title similar to previous Castlevania entries.[16] The game entered development in 2022,[17] with Konami describing the title as the first of multiple new Castlevania projects going forward.[18]

Release

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse was announced in February 2026 during a segment of Sony Interactive Entertainment's State of Play presentation focused on upcoming Konami titles, with a first look at gameplay and an accompanying message from producer Tsutomu Taniguchi.[19] The game commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Castlevania franchise, and is the first new console entry in the series since Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2014).[20][21] It is also the first traditional 2D installment in the series' original timeline since Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (2008).[22]

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is scheduled to release in 2026 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S.[23]

Notes

  1. ^ Advisory assistance by Motion Twin[1][2]

References

  1. ^ L, Stefan (13 February 2026). "Castlevania: Belmont's Curse announced by Konami and the Dead Cells devs". TheSixthAxis. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  2. ^ Gilbert, Fraser (13 February 2026). "Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Confirmed For Xbox, And Konami Says It Marks A New 'Beginning'". Pure Xbox. Archived from the original on 16 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  3. ^ "Castlevania: Belmont's Curse on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  4. ^ Doolan, Liam (13 February 2026). "Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Unveiled For Switch, Launching In 2026". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  5. ^ PlayStation (12 February 2026). Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse - Announcement Trailer | PS5 Games. Retrieved 12 February 2026 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ Peters, Jay (4 March 2026). "Confirmed: the new Castlevania game isn't a roguelike". The Verge. Archived from the original on 4 March 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  7. ^ Wilson, Mike (12 February 2026). "'Castlevania Belmont's Curse' Coming Later This Year to PlayStation". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 14 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Castlevania Official on X". ghostarchive.org. Archived from the original on 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ McFerran, Damien (9 March 2026). "Sony Confirms Exactly Who You'll Be Controlling In Castlevania: Belmont's Curse". Time Extension. Retrieved 9 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Romano, Sal (12 February 2026). "Castlevania: Belmont's Curse announced for PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  11. ^ Xbox, Pure (23 February 2026). "Xbox's 'Pivot Away From Console' Had Been Failing And Questioned At Microsoft, Claims Report". Pure Xbox. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  12. ^ Life, Nintendo (1 October 2021). "Rumour: Konami Reportedly Reviving Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, And Silent Hill". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 19 July 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  13. ^ Bailey, Kat (11 March 2023). "Konami Acknowledges 'Excitement and Enthusiasm' for More Castlevania Amid Dead Cells DLC Launch". IGN. Archived from the original on 20 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  14. ^ "Dead Cells: Return To Castlevania Review - Pay ME Tribute". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 21 January 2025. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  15. ^ "Castlevania Portal Site". Castlevania Portal Site. Archived from the original on 26 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  16. ^ Blake, Vikki (5 March 2026). "Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Is 'Not a Roguelike or a Roguelite Game,' Konami Insists". IGN. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  17. ^ Bari, Muhammad Ali (23 February 2026). "Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Writer Shares Details On Narrative Direction & Design". TwistedVoxel. Archived from the original on 23 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  18. ^ Shea, Brian. "Konami Promises 'Numerous' New Castlevania Products For 40th Anniversary". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 20 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  19. ^ "Castlevania: Belmont's Curse coming 2026, KONAMI unveils next chapter of the legendary Belmont Clan". Konami Digital Entertainment,Inc. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  20. ^ Harte, Charles. "Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, Made By Konami And The Dead Cells Devs, Launches In 2026". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 12 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  21. ^ "Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is the first new Castlevania title in 12 years". Nintendo Wire. 13 February 2026. Archived from the original on 17 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  22. ^ Coombes, Aleksha McLoughlin, Lloyd (15 February 2026). "Castlevania: Belmont's Curse release: Everything we know about the franchise revival". The Escapist. Archived from the original on 17 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ McCaffrey, Ryan (12 February 2026). "Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, a New 2D Castlevania Game, Announced | Sony State of Play". IGN. Archived from the original on 12 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
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