Summary
The eternal struggle of good versus evil spans centuries in theCastlevaniauniverse. From the Belmont family of hunters to Alucard, there have been a lot of heroes to contend with the Prince of Darkness himself: Dracula. As a result, there have been a multitude ofCastlevaniagames with sequels and prequels alike, and a rather convoluted, confusing timeline.
The main Castlevania timeline is already massive, so reboots and remakes likeSuper Castlevania 4, the Nintendo 64 games, and theLords Of Shadowseries are not canon to the mainline games. Starting with the originalCastlevaniafor the NES, there have been fifteen games set within the timeline.
Updated August 01, 2025, by Melody MacReady:The Castlevania series has seen quite a resurgence in recent years, mainly due to the popularity of Netflix’s two Castlevania anime series. However, even though Konami has yet to develop a new game in the series, they have published collections of the games for modern systems such as the recent Terminus Collection, making them more accessible. For those who enjoy a story in chronological order, Castlevania can be a confusing and downright aggravating series of games to try and experience this, but it is not impossible. This look at the main Castlevania timeline can help newcomers to the franchise understand the long-running story better, even if they have to jump back and forth between many generations of gaming to experience it properly.
The earliest story in the timeline,Castlevania: Lament Of Innocence,focuses on the first member of the Belmont family: Leon. Leon’s beloved has been captured by the vampire, Walter Bernhard. Leon gets help from Renaldo, who bestows him with the Whip Of Alchemy. However, Leon is too late, and his love is cursed to become a vampire herself. With her sacrifice, her soul is imbued into the whip to create the iconic Vampire Killer whip seen throughout the series.
Leon Belmont gets his revenge on Bernhard, only for his dark soul to be used by Leon’s widower and friend, Mathias Cronqvist, who orchestrated the whole game’s plot. Mathias then rejects his humanity and becomes Dracula. Fans praisedLament Of Innocencefor taking the Metroidvania-style gameplay and setting it in a 3D environment,mixing in hack-and-slash gameplayakin toGod Of War.
After centuries of gaining power, Dracula’s human wife is murdered by a group of fearful humans, thus sparking Dracula’s war on the Earth inCastlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse. The last remaining family member, Trevor Belmont, picks up the family whip and begins his journey to destroy Dracula. This requires the help of Dracula’s son, who renames himself Alucard, an alchemist named Sypha, and a thief named Grant.
For most fans of the franchise,Dracula’s Cursewas the best game of the original trilogy on the NES. The multiple characters, abilities, and smooth gameplay made it become an all-time classic. However, it is also the hardest of the original trilogy, creating an adventure that will push some players to their limits.
InCastlevania:Curse Of Darkness, one of Dracula’s servants, Hector, is betrayed by his comrade, Isaac, when he finds his wife murdered. Hector seeks revenge, but that plan changes when he denies going down a darker path. This foils Death’s plan of using Hector as a vessel for Dracula’s resurrection. Instead, Dracula returns through Isaac’s body, making things far more complicated.
SinceLament Of Innocencewas a hit, Konami followed it up and used the same formula withCurse of Darkness;only this time, there is no whip. Instead, Hector wields his sword, which gives him a unique gameplay style.Curse Of DarknessandLament Of Innocencewould be precursors to theCastlevania: Lords Of Shadowreboot series, which employed similar hack-and-slash gameplay.
One century after Alucard’s defeat of his father, the prophecy of Dracula returning when the world’s faith in God is forgotten is proven true inCastlevania: The Adventure,releasedon the original Nintendo Game Boy. This time, the task of defeating the Prince Of Darkness goes to Christopher Belmont.
As a result of the original Game Boy’s limitations, there was little to no way to distinguish a difference between Christopher Belmont and the Belmonts that came before. Also, like many Game Boy games,Castlevania: The Adventurewas a more simplified version of the original NES game, which some fans appreciated, while others felt it was best only for road trips.
Not to be confused withCastlevania 2: Simon’s Quest,which comes later in the timeline and came out before this game,Castlevania 2: Belmont’s Revenge. Christopher Belmont was succeeded by his son, Soleil Belmont, who was ready to take on the family business. That is, until Dracula turns Soleil into a demon, resulting in a retiredChristopher Belmont taking on Draculaonce again.
This time, Christopher makes sure to finish off his enemy properly and save his son’s life. Though Belmont’s Revenge is considered superior as a sequel, it still featured many of the same drawbacks as the first Game Boy title.
Another century has passed, and, yet again, Dracula is resurrected during dark times. Simon Belmont wields the iconic whip and takes on the armies of darkness in the firstCastlevaniagame. There’s not much plot, but Dracula came prepared for Simon this time. Before Simon can strike a final blow, Dracula places a curse upon him, thus setting up his return in the very next game.
There is a reasonCastlevaniabecame one of the most beloved gaming franchises. The original is still a classic that mixes action and difficult side-scrolling whilehonoring the classic Universal and Hammer monster filmsof the past. While there are games in the series that are superior, many can still boot up the original and have a blast.
Dracula’s monsters still lurk across the land, with pieces of his body being scattered, ready for resurrection inCastlevania 2: Simon’s Quest. Simon treks across the cursed land to different manors that hold the different pieces of the vampire villain. Upon destroying them all, Simon battles the phantom of Dracula himself.
Simon’s Questis often labeled as the black sheep of the franchise, with as many fans as there are critics. Some praisedSimon’s Questfor experimenting with new concepts, including a day/night cycle, which was revolutionary at the time. However, some critiqued it for its constant interruptions, less memorable designs, and gameplay that is not nearly as good as the first.
Closer to a spin-off rather than a sequel,Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonancefocuses on Juste Belmont and his friend, Maxim, who are competing for the right to wield the Vampire Killer. Maxim gathers Dracula’s remains to resurrect him and prove he is worthy, only to become corrupted. Juste then lives up to his family’s calling and defeats the vampire lord.
WhileHarmony Of Dissonanceis praised for having good gameplay andimpressive visuals for the Game Boy Advance, the story is often maligned for being too minimal and treats Dracula as a casual obstacle rather than a bringer of the apocalypse.
Set one hundred-one years after the events of the original game,Castlevania: Rondo Of Bloodfeatures the evil priest Shaft resurrecting Dracula via a demonic ritual. If that’s not bad enough, Shaft also kidnaps a variety of women for Dracula to choose as his new bride. One of those women happens to be the love of Richter, the era’s Belmont. Richter teams up with a mage named Maria, save all the kidnapped women, defeats Shaft, and fulfills the family legacy by destroying Dracula.
For years,Rondo Of Bloodbecame one of the hardestCastlevaniagames to find. At first, it was exclusive to Japan but then received a downgraded port to the SNES. A true port ofRondo Of Bloodwas laterreleased for the PlayStation Portablein 2007, but today, gamers can find it in theCastlevania Requiempack for modern systems.
One of the most iconic games in the series,Castlevania:Symphony Of The Nightsees the return of Richter, who is used by Shaft to resurrect Dracula once again. With no other Belmont remaining, Alucard is resurrected to battle his father yet again. With help from Maria from the previous game, Alucard destroys Shaft, saves Richter, and kills his father yet again before returning to his grave.
Symphony Of The Nightmarked the beginning of the Metroidvania-style of gameplay that most games in the franchise’s future would use. The non-linear gameplay combinedwith an iconic vampire protagonist, RPG elements, and many abilities ledCastlevania: Symphony Of The Nightto often be labeled as the best game in the franchise, despite overly long load times and poor voice-acting.
