All Castlevania games in release and chronological order

It hath been one hundred years since the last time Count Vlad Tepes Dracula dared show his pasty face, but with the premiere of Netflix’s Castlevania: Nocturne animated series on the immediate horizon, it might be good to revisit the ongoing conflict between Drac and the Belmont Clan.

In this guide, we’ll be catering to two separate kinds of fans — those who wish to play the Castlevania series in the order it was released and those who wish to play the series in chronological order. To us, it doesn’t really matter which order you decide to play them, so long as you play them. 

It’s also worth noting that when we list the years/platforms these games were made available, we’re specifically referring to when and how you could play them in North America. So, if one of them was initially released in Japan in the 90s’ but didn’t see a North American release until 2007, we’ll list it as having been released in 2007. In any case, let’s jump into the world of Castlevania!

How to play Castlevania in release order

• Castlevania (1987)
  • Release Platform/s: NES
• Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (1988)
  • Release Platform/s: NES
• Castlevania The Adventure (1989)
  • Release Platform/s: Game Boy
• Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (1990)
  • Release Platform/s: NES
• Super Castlevania IV (1991)
  • Release Platform/s: SNES
• Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge (1991)
  • Release Platform/s: Game Boy
• Castlevania Bloodlines (1994)
  • Release Platform/s: Sega Genesis
• Castlevania: Dracula X (1995)
  • Release Platform/s: SNES
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)
  • Release Platform/s: PlayStation
• Castlevania Legends (1998)
  • Release Platform/s: Game Boy, Super Game Boy
• Castlevania (1999)
  • Release Platform/s: Nintendo 64
• Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness (1999)
  • Release Platform/s: Nintendo 64
• Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (2001)
  • Release Platform/s: Game Boy Advance
• Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (2002)
  • Release Platform/s: Game Boy Advance
• Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (2003)
  • Release Platform/s: Game Boy Advance
• Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (2003)
  • Release Platform/s: PlayStation 2
• Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (2005)
  • Release Platform/s: Nintendo DS
• Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (2005)
  • Release Platform/s: PlayStation 2, Xbox
• Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (2006)
  • Release Platform/s: Nintendo DS
• Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (2006)
  • Release Platform/s: Nintendo DS
• Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (2007)
  • Release Platform/s: PlayStation Portable
• Castlevania: the Adventure ReBirth (2009)
  • Release Platform/s: Nintendo Wii
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (2010)
  • Release Platform/s: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — Mirror of Fate (2013)
  • Release Platform/s: Nintendo 3DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (2014)
  • Release Platform/s: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

How to play Castlevania in chronological order

If you were interested in multiple timelines … well, I have some good news for you! It should be noted that we are not placing the Lords of Shadow games into either timeline because they exist in their own separate continuity, and it’s a straight shot from Lords of Shadow to Mirror of Fate to Lords of Shadow 2.

Primary Timeline

• Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (2003) — Set in 1094 A.D.
• Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (1990) — Set in 1476 A.D.
• Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (2005) — Set in 1479 A.D.
• Castlevania The Adventure (1989) — Set in 1576 A.D.
• Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge (1991) — Set in 1591 A.D.
• Castlevania (1987) — Set in 1691 A.D.
• Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (1988) — Set in 1698 A.D.
• Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (2002) — Set in 1748 A.D.
• Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (2007) — Set in 1792 A.D.
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997) — Set in 1796 A.D.
• Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (2006) — Set in 18XX A.D.
• Castlevania Bloodlines (1994) — Set in 1917 A.D.
• Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (2006) — Set in 1944 A.D.
• Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (2003) — Set in 2035 A.D.
• Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (2005) — Set in 2036 A.D.

Secondary Timeline

• Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth (2009) — Set in 1576 A.D.
• Super Castlevania IV (1991) — Set in 1691 A.D.
• Castlevania: Dracula X (1995) — Set in 1792 A.D.
• Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (2001) — Set in 1830 A.D.
• Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness (1999) — Set in 1844 A.D.
• Castlevania 64 (1999) — Set in 1852 A.D.