It’s not just Pokemon and Zelda celebrating this year – 2026 marks 40 years of the Belmont’s tirelessly battling the forces of evil in the iconic Castlevania franchise. And to celebrate, Konami is dishing out a FREE port of the original NES game on iOS and Android.
As a token of its “gratitude to all the players who have supported the series over the years,” Konami is sharing the “game that started it all” ahead of the October 15 release of the next entry in the series, Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse.
From now through October 24, you can go download a FREE port of the original NES Castlevania game (known as Castlevania: 40th Anniversary) on iOS or Android:
The FREE download of the port is only available until October 24 at 23:59 JST, but you’ll still have access to it thereafter – just make sure you go nab a copy before then.
The original Castlevania game releases stateside on NES in 1987 and has since spawned loads of sequels, prequels, and, along with the Metroid series, even an entire genre of game design known as Metroidvania.
Castlevania is a gothic horror action game first released in Japan in 1986, followed by its international debut on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987.
Beloved by players around the world, the franchise has grown to include more than 30 titles over the years.On September 26, 2026, the Castlevania series will celebrate its 40th anniversary.
To commemorate this milestone, we are making the original Nintendo Entertainment System version of Castlevania available for free for a limited time on the App Store and Google Play.As a token of our gratitude to all the players who have supported the series over the years, we are delighted to share the game that started it all and hope you will enjoy experiencing the beginning of the Castlevania saga as part of this special 40th anniversary celebration.
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