Castlevania: Belmont's Curse release date is October 15: price, demo and PC requirements

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse release date and where it launches

The Castlevania: Belmont's Curse release date is October 15, 2026, eight days from now. Konami's own product page lists PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and Steam, and Konami opened pre-orders on June 8, 2026, the day it confirmed the date. It is the franchise's first new mainline-style 2D adventure in years, built by Evil Empire, the studio that kept Dead Cells going, with Motion Twin, Dead Cells' original creators, credited in an advisory role.

Nintendo Switch needs a careful line. Gematsu's June report said Switch would come later in 2026. Konami's current product page now lists Switch next to the other platforms, with a 30 fps target against 60 fps elsewhere, and a file size of 4 GB for Standard and 6 GB for Midnight. We could not find a Switch-specific launch date, so check the eShop listing before you count on October 15 there.

One small oddity for PC buyers: Steam's own store data shows the release date as October 14, which most likely reflects a time-zone rollover, while Konami says October 15. Treat October 15 as the official date.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse price and what each edition includes

Gematsu lists the Standard Edition at $29.99, £24.99 and €29.99, and the Midnight Edition at $39.99, £34.99 and €39.99. Steam's US page matches the two dollar prices. That is cheap for a new Castlevania, and it undercuts the $59.99 to $69.99 band most big publishers still ask for new action games.

Every pre-order includes the Alucard Style Costume for Rose Belmont. The Midnight Edition adds a Digital Sound and Art Gallery (Konami counts 71 tracks), plus Trevor and Sypha costumes and a relic called Family's Grace. A physical Midnight Edition exists, and select EMEA retailers bundle a SteelBook and a tarot card with it, according to Konami.

Our read: the extra $10 buys cosmetics and a gallery, not gameplay. If you want the music and the costumes, Midnight is fair value. If you only want the game, Standard is the same game.

The free demo: what it is and how save transfer works

The demo launched on October 1, 2026 on PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X|S and Steam, according to Konami's press release. It covers the opening of the game, which Nintendo Life describes as the early stages. Konami says progress carries over to the full version, with four conditions: the demo and full game must be on the same platform and account, the demo save data must still exist, some features may be limited in the demo, and the full game must be updated to the latest version first.

Nintendo Life's Jim Norman reported on October 1 that the demo runs at 60 fps on Switch 2 even though there is no dedicated Switch 2 version, double the locked 30 fps on the original Switch that Konami announced earlier. If you own a Switch 2, that is the version to try.

For anyone on the fence, the demo is the most useful thing on this page. It costs nothing and it does not waste your time, because the save carries over.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse PC requirements

Steam lists a modest spec sheet. Minimum is Windows 11, an Intel Core i5 8400, 16 GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, DirectX 11 and 10 GB of storage. Recommended is a Core i5 10400 and a GeForce RTX 3060 with the same RAM and storage. Steam shows the game as playable with full controller support, and lists voiced English and Japanese with text in several other languages.

The practical read: this is a 2D game that most gaming laptops from the last five years should run. The 16 GB RAM line is the one to check on older machines. Konami has not published a Steam Deck status that we could verify, so we are not claiming one.

What previews say about Castlevania: Belmont's Curse

Push Square rounded up the previews and the mood is warm. Eurogamer called it a grand return to the series' platformer roots. GamesRadar wrote that it already feels like a classic. IGN said its reviewers had an absolute blast, and Kotaku said the game rules. PC Gamer, after three hours, called it a very good metroidvania with the potential to be an outstanding one.

The caveats are small and honest. PC Gamer floated the idea that the game could end up a greatest hits collection, though it framed that as a mild disappointment, not a flaw. RPG Fan's Matt Wardell, writing from Tokyo Game Show 2026 after about 20 minutes in a sewer biome, said he was not a fan of Dead Cells' roguelite elements but did love the smooth traversal and combat.

Remember what these are: previews, from limited sessions, not reviews. There are no review scores yet, and we will not guess at one.

How Belmont's Curse plays: whip, Arcana and relics

You play Rose Belmont, Trevor's daughter, in 1499 Paris, 23 years after Dracula's Curse. The Vampire Killer whip is used for traversal as well as combat, which Gematsu summarises as moving around freely like a trapeze artist. Bosses turn into tarot cards called Arcana that grant magical abilities, a loop that RPG Fan compared to Symphony of the Night. Konami lists seven weapon categories and a set of relics for customising a build.

Konami has also said the game is not a roguelike or roguelite. It is a nonlinear 2D action-exploration game with handcrafted maps, equipment and upgrades that open new routes as you progress, which is the classic Castlevania recipe the series' fans have asked for.

Our take: should you pre-order Castlevania: Belmont's Curse?

Play the demo first. The price is low, the previews are positive and the developer has a proven record with this franchise from Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania in 2023, so the risk is small. Still, 'previews were positive' is not the same as 'it is good', and the demo only shows the opening.

If the demo hooks you, buy Standard unless the soundtrack matters to you. If you are on Switch, wait for a confirmed Switch date and a hands-on performance read before paying.