Summary
Castlevaniabegan on the system that started a lot of popular franchises, the NES. The first game was released in 1987 in North America which was a year after Japan. It had a huge presence in the 80s and 90s and it slowly started to go away in the 2000s.
It’s still known primarily as a Nintendo franchise via their partnership with Konami, but a few games have crossed onto Sony platforms. One of the greatest debuted on the PS1 in 1997 which was a banger year overall for the console. WhatCastlevaniagame was that and what other games have come to PlayStation consoles? Let’s find out.
Updated on July 31, 2025 by Mark Sammut:Konami has shown very little interest in bringing Castlevania to modern consoles. At the moment, the franchise has yet to make its debut on the PlayStation 5, and there is nothing to suggest that might change in the near future. At this point, even a compilation of older games seems unlikely, especially since the PS4 has a couple of packages that can be played on its console successor. To honor Castlevania’s scattershot PlayStation legacy, a section included specs of other games released for the consoles has been added. For the most part,PlayStation Castlevania gameshave been shockingly rare.
was the first entry in the series on the PS1 and it was a banger of a title to start with. This is the reason why the Metroidvania genre exists alongsideSuper Metroid. It took theCastlevaniaseries to a new level by adding RPG mechanics to the action platforming gameplay. Players starred as Dracula’s son, Alucard, who returned from his supporting role inCastlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse.
Players could gain powers to reach new heights and collect weapons to arm Alucard with. He could also gain magical powers to zap enemies with. The PS Vita supported PS1 games, so this version is also the best game on that platform. One could argue it’s even better on the PS Vita because Metroidvanias or RPGs as a whole work well as portable companions.
Lament of Innocencewas, for a time, the earliest entry chronologically for the series. It starred Leon Belmont who helped forge the family’s classic whip, The Vampire Killer. This followed the Metroidvania formula thatCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightspawned but it was in a 3D environment. It wasn’t the first 3D entry though as two N64 games came out before this but got critically panned.
While not perfect, the conversion to 3D in this game was a lot better despite some camera issues. It would receive a PS3 port digitally on the PSN store along with the other Castlevania PS2 entry,Castlevania: Curse of Darkness. That game followed Hector who could summon demons as allies kind of like Pokemon. Fans of theCastlevaniaanime on Netflixshould be familiar with his powers.Lament of Innocenceis better, but both are fun 3D action games.
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicleswas a remake ofCastlevania: Rondo of Blood. The game was originally released in the West asCastlevania Xon the SNES which was a downgraded port ofRondo of Bloodfrom the PC Engine version. The Dracula X Chronicles was kind of like a make-good on that botched port which cut out a lot of content. This was the first title thatstarred Richter Belmontwho had a critical role inCastlevania: Symphony of the Night.
The two games are tied significantly together even thoughRondo of Bloodwasn’t a Metroidvania. It, and this PSP remake, fell in line with the level-based action platformers of the past. This version made the platforming easier and it secretly hid a copy ofSymphony of the Nightwithin the game’s data. Anime fans can check out Richter and Alucard’s relationship in the sequel anime onNetflix,Castlevania: Nocturne.
Castlevania: Lords of ShadowreplacedCastlevania: Lament of Innocenceas the earliest game chronologically. It also somewhat perfected 3D gameplay at long last by admittedly borrowing from other action titles like God of War and Shadow of the Colossus. From the quick time events that led to brutal kills to the towering boss fights, the inspiration was obvious. Players got into the role of Gabriel Belmont who was led down the path to eventually become Dracula.
That’s a spoiler for the end, but it’s kind of obvious early on. Dracula’s rise to power was a big part of the sequel which also hit the PS3 although it did not review as well. Technically, these games are not canon within Konami’s fiction but they are fun what-if scenarios for the Belmont family tied even more directly into their war with Dracula. There was also a 3DS entry that tied into this separate universe,Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate, which was a more traditional 2D Metroidvania with 3D models.
1PS4 – Castlevania Advance Collection
Metacritic Score: 84
Castlevania Advance Collectionis worth the price of admission a hundred times over because all three Metroidvanias are a blast. The only downside is that Konami didn’t package the trilogy of DS Metroidvanias into this as well. Regardless of those omissions, this collection does includeCastlevania: Circle of the Moon,Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, andCastlevania: Aria of Sorrow. They were originally Game Boy Advance games, hence the title of this collection.
Of those three,Aria of Sorrowis the best as it feels like the true sequel toCastlevania: Symphony of the Night. From poaching enemy abilities to taking place in the future, it was like an evolution. Again though, all three games are absolute bangers. For old-school fans of the franchise, there is also theCastlevania Anniversary Collectionwhich containsCastlevania,Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest,Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse,Super Castlevania 4,Castlevania: The Adventure,Castlevania 2: Belmont’s Revenge,Castlevania: Bloodlines, andKid Dracula.Kid Dracula’sNES inclusion is significant because only the Game Boy version of it was released initially in the West.
Contains:Rondo of Blood&Symphony of the Night
Castlevania Anniversary Collection
Contains:Castlevania, Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest, Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse, Kid Dracula, Castlevania: The Adventure, Castlevania 2: Belmont’s Revenge, Castlevania Bloodlines, & Super Castlevania 4
