When does Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls shut down?

Service ends on 3 September 2026 (PDT), at which point the game stops working. Before that, it is removed from the Apple Arcade catalogue on 20 August 2026, so it can no longer be downloaded from that date onward. Konami announced both dates together.

Can I still play it after it leaves Apple Arcade?

Yes, but only until 3 September, and only if the game is already installed on your device. The 20 August delisting stops new downloads rather than existing installs. Once the service ends on 3 September there is no offline mode to fall back on.

Is Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls coming to Android, PC or consoles?

No. Konami has not announced a port, a re-release or any other platform. The game has been an Apple Arcade exclusive since September 2021, and the earlier free-to-play mobile version that soft-launched in Canada in 2019 was never released globally.

Do I get a refund when the game shuts down?

There is nothing to refund. Apple Arcade titles carry no in-app purchases or paid currency, so players only ever paid the flat subscription fee, which is $6.99 per month or $49.99 per year in the US. Konami has not mentioned any compensation.

Should I cancel Apple Arcade because of this?

Only if this was the one game keeping you subscribed. Apple Arcade still carries hundreds of other titles across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K and Vision Pro, and no other closures were announced alongside this one.

Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls Ends Service September 3

What the Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls end of service actually means

Two separate dates matter, and they do different things. On 20 August the game is delisted, which removes it from the Apple Arcade catalogue — you will not be able to find it or install it fresh after that. If it is already on your device, it keeps running for another two weeks.

On 3 September the servers go off and that is the end of it. Grimoire of Souls is built around online-delivered content, so once the service stops there is no offline mode left behind. Konami's notice does not describe any single-player build, downloadable archive or way to keep playing locally.

In its statement the publisher said the game had been supported by many players since its Apple Arcade launch in September 2021, and thanked them for the years since. It gave no reason for the closure and announced no replacement, port or re-release on other platforms.

Why this game only ever existed on Apple hardware

Grimoire of Souls has an unusually messy history for a Castlevania title. Konami first announced it in 2018 as a free-to-play mobile game and soft-launched it in Canada in 2019 to test it. That version never reached a global release and was pulled.

The game came back in September 2021 as an Apple Arcade title, which meant the free-to-play scaffolding was stripped out — no ads, no in-app purchases, no energy timers, just the game behind Apple's subscription. That relaunch is the version being shut down now, and the reason it never appeared on Android or Steam.

It is a side-scrolling action game in the series' Metroidvania tradition, with Genya Arikado, Alucard, Simon Belmont, Maria Renard and Charlotte Aulin among the playable roster, plus co-op and a competitive mode. Fans have spent years asking for a port off Apple Arcade. The delisting closes that door rather than opening it.

What players should do before 3 September

Install it now if you want to finish it. After 20 August you cannot download it at all, so anyone planning a last run needs the game on the device before that date.
Check every device you play on. An install on your iPad does not put it on your Apple TV, and after the delisting you cannot add it to a second device.
Do not delete it. Removing the app to free up space between 20 August and 3 September means you cannot reinstall it.
Review your subscription. Apple Arcade is $6.99 per month or $49.99 per year in the US, and it holds hundreds of other titles — but if Grimoire of Souls was the reason you subscribed, September is the point to reconsider.

Konami has not said anything about refunds, and realistically there is nothing to refund: Apple Arcade is a flat subscription with no in-game purchases, so no one bought anything inside this game.

The bigger pattern for subscription-only games

A game sold as a download can sit on a hard drive for a decade. A game that exists only inside a subscription catalogue disappears when the publisher decides it should, and there is no second copy anywhere. Grimoire of Souls is now the clearest example of that in the Castlevania series — a mainline-adjacent entry with an original story that will simply not be playable in September.

If you are rebuilding a mobile lineup after this, the phone side of the hobby is in better shape than the Apple Arcade side suggests. Our round-up of the best gacha games for Android covers the free-to-play end, and the list of Android games with full gamepad support is the closer match if what you liked here was precise action combat with a controller in your hands.

Apple Arcade itself is still adding significant releases — Madden NFL 27 Arcade Edition arrived on the service with no ads or in-app purchases, the same model Grimoire of Souls used. And on the console side, Konami's other recent activity has been patch work rather than shutdowns, including the Silent Hill 2 patch 1.07 for PS5 and PS5 Pro.