If you’re new to Castlevania, play the main connected games in release order first: it shows how the series evolved and avoids treating a disputed timeline as a definitive checklist. Choose story chronology instead if Dracula’s history and the Belmont family are your priority. The fictional timeline starts with Lament of Innocence, a prequel released much later than the early games.
Which Castlevania order should a beginner choose?
| Order | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Release order | Seeing the series’ mechanics, presentation, and references develop as players first encountered them. | The story jumps across centuries; some later releases are prequels. |
| Story chronology | Following the Belmont family and Dracula’s recurring conflict by fictional era. | You jump between hardware generations and styles, and not every game’s continuity is settled. |
| Collection-led order | Starting with games bundled for a platform you own. | Collections divide the catalog and do not provide a complete timeline. |
Release order is the most straightforward default, but it is not a promise that every entry will feel equally accessible. Castlevania began as linear action, while later games include exploration-heavy action RPGs and other action-adventure approaches.
A beginner’s release-order route
Start with the early Simon Belmont games
- Castlevania — first released in Japan in 1986; Konami’s collection page lists 1987 for the US and 1988 for Europe.
- Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest — released in the US in 1988. Konami describes it as an action RPG focused on exploration and puzzle solving, so expect a notable change from the first game’s structure.
- Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse — released in the US in 1990. Its story takes place a century before Simon’s birth, despite arriving after his first two games.
Those dates are regional where specified; they are not one universal release date. The opening games establish why release order and story chronology are different questions.
Continue through the classic-era games
After the early trilogy, continue with the later classic-era releases. Konami’s Anniversary Collection lineup includes Super Castlevania IV, The Adventure, Belmont’s Revenge, Bloodlines, and Kid Dracula alongside the first three games. Treat Super Castlevania IV as a retelling or reworking of Simon’s first-game story, not as a separate later Simon adventure.
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- LIMITED EDITION: Official Limited Run Games release #251 of the Castlevania Dominus Collection featuring Order of Ecclesia cover art for Nintendo Switch
- GAME FORMAT: Physical DVD-ROM release, not a digital download, packaged in standard Nintendo Switch game case
- CONTENT: Action-packed collection of classic Castlevania games, rated T for Teen by ESRB
- PACKAGING DIMENSIONS: Comes in standard Switch case measuring 6 inches high, 3 inches wide, and 2 inches deep
- REGION AND LANGUAGE: US release with English language support, compatible with Nintendo Switch systems
Follow the connected later entries as access allows
For a practical route through selected connected games, use collections as convenient groups rather than as a complete chronology: play Rondo of Blood and then Symphony of the Night, move into the Game Boy Advance-era games, and then the Nintendo DS-era games. The Requiem collection pairs Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night. Konami’s history page also lists the Advance Collection and Dominus Collection; check current regional platform listings before planning around any collection.
The commonly cited core story chronology
This sequence is a useful overview of the central saga, not an uncontested list of every game’s canonical status. The detailed fictional years below are commonly cited chronology; continuity treatment varies for some entries.
Rank #2
- Castlevania Dominus Collection is on a region-free physical disc for the PlayStation 5.
- Genre: Arcade, Platformer, Role-playing
- # of Players: 1 Player
- Supported Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish
- Three incredible action adventure games from the Castlevania series have finally returned, for the first time!
- Castlevania: Lament of Innocence — 1094.
- Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse — 1476.
- Castlevania: Curse of Darkness — 1479.
- Castlevania: The Adventure — commonly placed in 1576. Belmont’s Revenge follows Christopher Belmont’s earlier victory, according to Konami’s collection description.
- Castlevania, followed by Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest — the Simon Belmont games.
- Rondo of Blood — 1792, followed by Symphony of the Night — 1797.
- Later Belmont-era entries include Bloodlines and Portrait of Ruin; the latter is set in the World War II era.
- Aria of Sorrow — 2035, followed by Dawn of Sorrow — 2036.
The timeline’s through-line is a conflict with Dracula that recurs across centuries, with Belmonts and allies taking up the fight. One striking contrast: Lament of Innocence is first in this story sequence, but it was developed and released long after the earlier-set games.
Where disputed or separate entries fit
Do not silently place every game in the core chronology. Different timeline presentations have omitted, restored, or separated titles, and the detailed chronology relies on fan-maintained rather than fully resolving first-party material.
Rank #3
- COLLECTION CONTENTS: Features multiple classic Castlevania titles in one comprehensive Nintendo Switch collection from Konami
- LIMITED EDITION: Special Limited Run physical release for Nintendo Switch collectors and series enthusiasts
- GAMEPLAY EXPERIENCE: Action-packed side-scrolling adventure featuring vampire hunting, gothic environments, and classic Castlevania combat
- RATING DETAILS: Teen-rated game suitable for players 13 and older, containing fantasy violence and mild themes
- PLATFORM COMPATIBILITY: Exclusively designed and optimized for the Nintendo Switch gaming system
- Super Castlevania IV is commonly understood as a retelling or reworking of the original Simon story.
- Circle of the Moon, the Nintendo 64 games, and Legends have disputed or unclear placement in the central continuity.
- Multiplayer titles and crossovers are better treated separately unless you are specifically cataloging spin-offs.
Konami’s official history is useful as a release catalog, but it does not settle every continuity question.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Collections that make a first playthrough easier
Castlevania Anniversary Collection
Konami lists eight games in this digital collection: Castlevania, Simon’s Quest, Dracula’s Curse, Super Castlevania IV, The Adventure, Belmont’s Revenge, Bloodlines, and Kid Dracula. It also includes the bonus ebook The History Castlevania: Book of the Crescent Moon. Konami lists downloads for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Steam (PC) on its platform information page.
Rank #4
- Classics that defined the Castlevania series.
- Includes the "History of Castlevania - Book of the Crescent Moon" ebook.
- This includes eight classic Castlevania games preserved on one disc with a full-color manual.
- The Castlevania Anniversary Collection on physical disc for the PlayStation 4. Also works on PlayStation 5. Region-free.
Konami calls it “the best first step” into the series, a publisher description rather than an independent verdict. It is a useful starting collection for classic games, but it does not cover the franchise in full. Konami’s 2019 announcement gave a launch suggested retail price of $19.99; that is historical launch pricing, not a current price.
Other collection routes
Requiem groups Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night. The Advance and Dominus collections cover selected GBA- and DS-era games. Availability can vary by platform and region, so verify the current store listing for your device before choosing a route.
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Quick Recap
Best Value
- 17 Levels - Each one with its own atmosphere, foes and secrets to discover
- 5 Bosses - Made by the most sadistic of the devs, raised on the salt of the testers
- 150 or so weapons and skills - Spears, swords, bows, magic spells, shields, pets, frying pans etc; You name it, we got it
- Unlock the four original Dead Cells DLCs, giving you late-game content plus an entire new pathway to follow, with an alternative ending and tons of new enemies, weapons & outfits
- Battle through the corridors of Dracula’s Castle; Wield weapons against monsters to reach the throne room of the Dark Lord
Quick recommendation
- For the clearest introduction to the series’ evolution, start with the first three games in release order, then continue through the classic and connected later releases.
- For the Dracula-and-Belmont saga, use the commonly cited chronology as a guide, while treating disputed entries separately.
- For the least friction, start with the collection available on your platform, then use other collections to fill in specific eras.
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