Castlevania Is Free on iPhone and Android Until October 24, and You Keep It After
Konami has made the original 1986 Castlevania free on iPhone and Android as of September 25, and the free Castlevania app stays up for grabs until October 24 at 23:59 JST. Anyone who downloads it before then keeps it, so there is no reason to wait if you want Simon Belmont's first trip through Dracula's castle on your phone.
The giveaway is part of the series' 40th anniversary, which falls on September 26. It lands alongside a Castlevania sale of up to 80% on PlayStation and Steam, and three weeks before the new game, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, arrives on October 15.
How to get the free Castlevania app on iPhone and Android
Search the App Store or Google Play for Castlevania: 40th Anniversary, published by Konami. On Google Play in the US it is listed at $0 with an Everyone 10+ rating for fantasy violence and mild blood. It needs Android 7.0 or later, so almost any phone from the last eight years will run it.
- Price: free, with no ads or in-app purchases flagged on the Play Store listing
- Free window: September 25 to October 24, 23:59 JST — that is 10:59 a.m. ET on October 24, not midnight in the US
- After the deadline: Konami says anyone who downloads it in the window can keep re-downloading and playing it
- Offline: yes, the port plays without a connection
- Controls: an on-screen touchpad styled on the Famicom controller
The deadline detail is the one US players are most likely to miss. Because Konami counts in Japan time, the offer ends on the morning of October 24 across North America. Claim it earlier in the week rather than that night.
What you actually get
This is a direct port of the NES original, not a remake. You play Simon Belmont across the game's 18 stages, whip in hand, climbing through Dracula's castle to the final fight. The music and stage layouts are the 1986 versions.
Konami keeps the picture in the original aspect ratio, centred on the screen, and fills the margins with the virtual buttons. That keeps the thumbs off the action, but it also makes the playfield small, and players on the series subreddit have already complained that the image looks tiny on a phone in portrait. A tablet or a larger phone helps. Konami has not said whether the app supports Bluetooth controllers, so if you rely on a pad, check our list of Android games with gamepad support for alternatives while that stays unconfirmed.
If you want more to play without a signal, the port sits comfortably next to the picks in our best offline games for Android list.
The Castlevania 40th anniversary sale on PlayStation and Steam
The mobile giveaway is one part of a wider anniversary push. The console and PC collections are discounted, though on different end dates depending on the store:
- PlayStation Store (September 23 to October 7): Castlevania Anniversary Collection 80% off, Castlevania Advance Collection 70% off, Castlevania Requiem (Symphony of the Night and Rondo of Blood) 70% off, Castlevania Dominus Collection 50% off
- Steam (September 24 to October 1): Anniversary Collection 80% off, Advance Collection 70% off, Dominus Collection 50% off, and the Lords of Shadow games plus Mirror of Fate HD at 80% off each
The Steam sale closes a week before the PlayStation one, so PC players have the shorter window. Konami has not announced matching discounts on Xbox or the Nintendo eShop.
What else Konami announced for the anniversary
The Castlevania Black & Red soundtrack reaches streaming services on September 26. Konami is also staging an orchestral concert in London, Tokyo and Los Angeles in spring 2027, without dates or ticket prices yet.
The bigger release is Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, a new game set in Paris in 1499 with Rose Belmont carrying the Vampire Killer whip. It launches October 15 on Switch, Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. We covered the Belmont's Curse demo date and save transfer earlier this month; the demo arrives October 1.
The giveaway comes weeks after Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls shut down on September 3, which took the series' online mobile game away entirely. A free, offline copy of the original that you keep for good is a far simpler proposition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Castlevania really free on iPhone and Android?
Yes. Konami made Castlevania: 40th Anniversary, a port of the 1986 NES game, free on the App Store and Google Play from September 25 to October 24, 2026. The Play Store listing shows no ads or in-app purchases.
Do I keep the free Castlevania app after October 24?
Yes, if you download it before the offer ends. Konami says players who download it during the window can keep re-downloading and playing it afterward. Once the window closes, new players can no longer get it.
What time does the free Castlevania offer end in the US?
It ends at 23:59 Japan time on October 24, which is 10:59 a.m. Eastern and 7:59 a.m. Pacific on October 24. US players should claim it before that morning, not that evening.
Does the Castlevania mobile port work offline?
Yes. The port plays offline with an on-screen touchpad. On Android it needs version 7.0 or later.
Which Castlevania games are on sale for the 40th anniversary?
On PlayStation until October 7, the Anniversary Collection is 80% off, the Advance Collection and Castlevania Requiem are 70% off, and the Dominus Collection is 50% off. On Steam until October 1, the same collections are discounted, and the Lords of Shadow games and Mirror of Fate HD are 80% off.
