Forty years ago, Simon Belmont cracked his whip at Dracula for the first time. On 26 September 1986, Castlevania launched on the Famicom Disk System in Japan, beginning one of gaming’s most enduring horror-action franchises. To mark the occasion, Konami has made the original NES version of the game free to download on iOS and Android — no subscription, no catch, just the whole thing.
The free download runs until 24 October 2026. Konami has confirmed that players who grab it during the promotional window will keep access permanently, even after the offer ends.
What’s in the 40th Anniversary Celebration
The free original Castlevania is the headline, but Konami has packaged a broader set of anniversary activities. A sale of up to 80% on Castlevania series titles is live now across multiple platforms — covering everything from the NES originals through to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and the Lords of Shadow sub-series.
Soundtracks from across the series are getting vinyl releases, with digital streaming versions also rolling out. The franchise has one of gaming’s most beloved scores — from the original’s “Vampire Killer” to the orchestral arrangements of later entries. Series composer Michiru Yamane’s work has been streamed hundreds of millions of times in recent years, driven largely by the Netflix animated series.
Concerts and live events are also planned as part of the anniversary, though specific dates and venues for all shows have yet to be confirmed. Official merchandise rounds out the package.
Free until 24 October: The original Castlevania NES game is available now on the App Store and Google Play. Download during the window and you keep it permanently — even after the promotion ends.
Why the Original Still Holds Up
The 1986 original is a platform action game built around precise movement and deliberate difficulty. Simon Belmont moves in fixed arcs; sub-weapons require collecting hearts as ammunition; every hit sends you flying backwards — often into a pit. It does not hold your hand, and it does not apologise for it.
It is also genuinely excellent. The atmospheric stage design, the gothic visual palette, the whip combat — all of it established a template that dozens of action games would build on for decades. Level 3 of the original, Medusa’s tower, remains one of the finest constructed pieces of environmental pressure in gaming history. At the price of free, there is no reason not to try it.
For those who find the original too punishing, Symphony of the Night — available in the ongoing anniversary sale — is the series entry most likely to convert newcomers. It inverted the genre’s logic and popularised what we now call “Metroidvania” design.
A Franchise That Refuses to Stay Dead
Castlevania had its quiet decade — particularly through the 2010s, when Konami shifted focus toward mobile and pachinko. But the franchise never truly went away, and the Netflix animated series brought it to a new global audience across four acclaimed seasons, with Nocturne following as a well-received spin-off.
A new game, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, developed by Evil Empire and published by Konami, is also in active development. A demo drops in October — timed to coincide with the anniversary momentum and October’s natural affinity with gothic horror. The full release is set for 14 October.
Konami has also confirmed that Belmont’s Curse is the first of several Castlevania projects currently in development. After years of near-silence from the franchise, that’s a significant statement of intent.
For veterans who remember feeding coins into arcade cabinets or navigating the NES’s infamous input lag, the free download is a small thing. For players who found the series through Netflix, it’s the best possible entry point to where it all began. Forty years later, Konami appears to finally understand what it has.
