Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Arrives In Time For The Series’ 40th Anniversary, Releasing in 2026

Depending on how you count it, it’s been either 12 or 17 years since the last “proper” Castlevania game was released. Highly-acclaimed crossovers with Dead Cells, V Rising, and Vampire Survivors have delighted fans in recent years, but many have held out hope for the franchise’s true return some day.

Well, that day is now in sight! Konami is celebrating the 40th anniversary of their oldest franchise with a brand new title, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. Borne from their continued partnership with Evil Empire and Motion Twin (Dead Cells), Belmont’s Curse was announced during Sony’s State of Play and will be released sometime in 2026!

The trailer depicts our new protagonist – a yet unnamed descendant of Trevor Belmont – vanquishing monsters in medieval Paris. At the city’s behest, she wields the holy Vampire Killer to slay demons and grapple through the environment. (an environment which, incidentally, looks beautifully gothic) The inclusion of a map and item upgrades in the trailer indicate that the “vania” in “metroidvania” is alive and well.

The game’s promotional website offers even more tantalizing information about the first 2D Castlevania in almost two decades. Set 29 years after the events of Castlevania III, Paris is overrun as “monstrous creatures suddenly emerge from the shadows.” Weapons like swords and crosses make a return (along with devastating magical abilities), and the game promises traps and puzzles that will “make you grit your teeth” and offer players a good challenge.

Belmont’s Curse is scheduled for release this year. We don’t know any more than that; however, Castlevania will turn 40 years old on September 26th, so a late-year launch is more likely than not! It’ll be available on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and Nintendo Switch. (curiously, a Switch 2 release was not mentioned)

As a final note, Castlevania wasn’t the only new metroidvania featured in the State of Play. God of War: Sons of Sparta, developed by Santa Monica and Mega Cat Studios, was revealed and released during the presentation! The 2D pixel action-adventure is a prequel to the main series, as the titular Kratos undergoes Spartan training alongside his brother, Deimos. Along with the announced remasters of the entire original trilogy, God of War fans have plenty of reason for excitement.

The trailers for Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse and God of War: Sons of Sparta are available separately as well as in the full State of Play. You can also read more about Belmont’s Curse on the game’s official website.

Are you as excited for Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse as we are? What new or returning features stood out to you in the trailer? Let us know in the comments below or in our Discord server!

Source: Sony, Konami

Cam Kettledragon

Cam Kettledragon is a Writer and Walkthrough Assistant at Omega Metroid.

When she’s not talking about Metroid, you’ll probably catch her talking about various other games or something really random she found on Wikipedia. She’s also a variety Twitch streamer, usually 100%ing whatever she’s been fixed on lately.