Highlights

• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is widely considered the greatest Castlevania game and one of the best video games of all time, thanks to its magical combination of music, atmosphere, bosses, and gameplay.
• The Game Boy Advance era of Castlevania produced some of the most polished and iconic games in the franchise, with Circle of the Moon and Aria of Sorrow standing out as exceptional titles.
• Rondo of Blood, although not as well-known as Symphony of the Night, is a complete package that represents Castlevania at its peak, featuring polished gameplay, breathtaking visuals, and branching paths for increased replayability.

Castlevania is one of the most iconic video game franchises of all time. The series has spanned decades, numerous consoles and generations, and countless different iterations. Despite the different iterations, one thing remains relatively consistent – the quality of the games themselves. Few Castlevania games are considered bad, and many (if not most) sit among the best games of their respective consoles.

At this point, Konami does not appear all that interested in reviving Castlevania with any new releases, although the company might publish the occasional compilation package. Consequently, fans will need to look to the past to get their fill of the best Castlevania games.

Updated on January 31, 2024 by Mark Sammut: Will Castlevania ever make a comeback? As Konami does not seem particularly interested in revisiting this beloved IP, fans will have to replay some of the best projects instead.

14 Castlevania: Harmony Of Despair

Gamefaqs Rating: 4.07/5

Konami occasionally tried something different with Castlevania, and these risks were often mixed bags. Harmony of Despair is a difficult game to outright recommend since it is quite a departure from the franchise's status quo, and a player's enjoyment is likely to come down to their tolerance for grinding and whether they have a few friends to play with. Unlike nearly every entry in the series, this 2010 release prioritizes multiplayer, although solo runs are possible as well.

Rather than a standard story, the campaign consists of largely unrelated levels that conclude with boss fights. Players can pick from six characters taken from across the franchise, and the game's replay value comes from mastering these warriors and engaging in a finicky loot system. Although inconsistent, Harmony of Despair's action is generally enjoyable, and it is fun to revisit locations from older games. The characters also have quite a bit of depth, and they should complement most preferred play styles. In multiplayer, this title can be quite fun, but it is mostly frustrating in single-player.

13 Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonance

Gamefaqs Rating: 3.9/5

Harmony of Dissonance is one of the most polarizing entries in the Castlevania franchise, especially since it is sandwiched between two superior releases in Circle of the Moon and Aria of Sorrow. That said, the GBA release has enough positives to be worth a recommendation for die-hard fans, although they should be prepared for a surprisingly easy experience, aimless exploration, and a repetitive campaign. The music is also among the franchise's weaker efforts.

Still, the gameplay is fine enough, as is the weapon selection. The visuals are extremely bright, but they are not bad for the GBA and produce some pretty attractive environments.

12 Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow

Gamefaqs Rating: 3.86/5

Lords of Shadow was released in 2010 and served as a reboot of the entire Castlevania series. Produced by Hideo Kojima, the game saw players control Gabriel Belmont as he attempted to resurrect his wife.

While some general players and critics bemoaned the changes to the typical Castlevania formula, many others praised its atmosphere, impeccable presentation and production values, and updated gameplay. The game takes obvious influence from God of War, and while that might not be the exact Castlevania experience that everyone is looking for, it does a good job of replicating that formula. Unfortunately, a disjointed sequel brought Lords of Shadow to a premature end.

11 Castlevania: Order Of Ecclesia

Gamefaqs Rating: 4.01/5

Order of Ecclesia was the final installment of the series released for the Nintendo DS. It was also the final Castlevania title that Koji Igarashi produced, but it served as a wonderful bow. The game contained some truly outstanding production values, which included fantastic graphics and chilling music.

It also contained some difficult but very rewarding gameplay, a mature version of the traditional Castlevania mechanics. It's not only one of the best Castlevania games, but one of the greatest titles ever released for the DS.

10 Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin

Gamefaqs Rating: 3.92/5

Portrait of Ruin was released in 2006 and contained a number of firsts for the classic series. Not only was it the first game to contain English voiceovers, but it was also the first game to contain cooperative multiplayer through Nintendo Wi-Fi.

While some critics complained of its lack of originality and progress, they mostly agreed that it was nevertheless a very fun and respectable entry in the Castlevania series. Why fix what isn't broken?

9 Castlevania

Gamefaqs Rating: 4.06/5

The one that started everything, the original Castlevania is still an impressive work of art all these years later. Naturally, players who are only familiar with the Symphony of the Night era might initially struggle to adapt to the 1987 release's gameplay style since it is a wildly different experience.

However, they will still find themselves playing a game with brilliant level design, atmosphere, and boss fights. Castlevania is also really challenging, serving as a prime example of that NES difficulty to was a staple of the console. That said, it is generally fair.

8 Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow

Gamefaqs Rating: 4.03/5

Dawn of Sorrow was the first Castlevania game to be released for Nintendo's DS console, emerging in North America in October 2005. It served as a wonderful introduction to the hardware, and it contained all the traditional Castlevania gameplay we had grown to love throughout the years.

Not only that, but the game expanded on the formula, offering stellar controls, fantastic production values, and an efficiently streamlined approach. By this point, the formula had well and truly been perfected.

7 Super Castlevania 4

Gamefaqs Rating: 4.15/5

Bringing Konami's license to the SNES, Super Castlevania 4 took full advantage of the console's heightened processing power, and this jump is immediately evident if the games are played in release order. Visually, the title was ahead of the curve at the time of its release, although it has not aged as smoothly as Bloodlines or Rondo of Blood.

Super Castlevania 4 was a bit of a step back in some other places, largely thanks to the reduction of RPG elements along with the removal of companions, one of the best parts of Dracula's Curse. Still, when viewed as a whole, this SNES release is a classic that works well as an entry point into Castlevania's pre-Symphony of the Night era.

6 Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon

Gamefaqs Rating: 4.01/5

Circle of the Moon served as a launch title for the Game Boy Advance in 2001, and what a launch title it was. It impeccably proved the technological prowess of the handheld console (well, technological for its time, anyway), complete with lush graphics and butter-smooth animations, which were a major leap for the time.

This release was often compared to Symphony of the Night, and that is high praise, indeed. It really doesn't get much better than Circle of the Moon; no, it only gets a little better.

5 Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse

Gamefaqs Rating: 4.1/5

Another NES classic, Dracula's Curse is the proper sequel to the original Castlevania, although Simon's Quest has its positives too. Featuring Trevor Belmont in the lead role and a trio of companions, Castlevania 3 expands on the core gameplay loop of the 1987 classic in smart and memorable ways.

While subsequent games would develop the concept further, Dracula's Curse laid the groundwork for branching paths that would become such a cornerstone concept of the series and the Metroidvania genre in general.

4 Castlevania: Bloodlines

Gamefaqs Rating: 4/5

Castlevania: Bloodlines was something of an outlier for the series at the time of its release. For one, the game launched on the Sega Genesis, taking Castlevania away from Nintendo's ecosystem. More importantly, the story takes place in the 20th century and does not feature a Belmont protagonist, opting for two new characters instead. While Dracula features in the narrative, he is not the main villain, which was a nice change of pace at the time.

Bloodlines is a 16-bit classic that does not get enough attention, at least compared to a few other entries in the franchise. In terms of gameplay, visual style, music, and level design, the game barely sets a foot wrong. It has aged well too, so it is worth revisiting.

3 Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow

Gamefaqs Rating: 4.38/5

Circle of the Moon served as a brilliant launch title for the Game Boy Advance, and Aria of Sorrow served as a monumental bookend. Really, when it comes to Castlevania, few games are as good, polished, and iconic as the Game Boy Advance era.

While some people began to grow sick of the Symphony of the Night clones, others favorably compared this game to it, with some even calling it the greatest Castlevania title since its release. Production values, gameplay, level design, bosses – all were magnificent, and all served as a stellar send-off to Castlevania's greatest era.

2 Castlevania: Rondo Of Blood

Gamefaqs Rating: 4.37/5

Whether playing the original Rondo of Blood or the remakes, players are in for a good time. Very much cut from the same cloth as the earliest releases in the series, Rondo of Blood fine-tunes everything that came before it, providing a polished and gorgeous campaign with heightened replayability. The latter comes courtesy of branching paths, a gameplay element that came to define most subsequent entries in the franchise.

Rondo of Blood might not be as well-known as Symphony of the Night or even Super Castlevania 4, but it is also a complete package that represents Konami's license at its peak.

Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles is also fantastic and a great modern-ish option.

1 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night

Gamefaqs Rating: 4.55/5

Symphony of the Night is typically regarded not only as the greatest Castlevania game but one of the best video games of all time. With this release, everything that made Castlevania such a success came together magically, including the music, level design, atmosphere, bosses, characters, gameplay...really, anything.

Even to this day, the Castlevania series has struggled, and failed, to top Symphony of the Night. At the time of its release, SOTN was quite a departure from the franchise's previous entries as it emphasized RPG elements, a decision that went on to influence nearly every subsequent project. More importantly, the game has aged shockingly well in nearly every area. The visuals are still breathtaking, while the controls and combat are satisfying, accessible, and precise. The PS1 produced plenty of masterpieces, but very few of them have stood the test of time as well as Symphony of the Night.