Video game franchises that span decades can often get a bit wonky when it comes to timelines. Just enquire The Fable of Zelda creators or Hideo Kojima with his Metal Gear Solid games. But Castlevania has a canon timeline that is decently straightforward; it's just that the games all released in random years.

In fact, the upper echelon of Konami's leadership has defined the timeline in that they have rejected some of the games. There are plenty of titles released that are no longer considered part of the catechism timeline such as Castlevania: Legends, Castlevania: Circumvolve of the Moon, and even the contempo Lords of Shadow series. Fans can read about their stories and timelines on the Castlevania fandom site.

For the purpose of this Castlevania timeline guide, only catechism games such every bit Symphony of the Night and Simon'southward Quest will exist considered. Fans of the Netflix series may as well detect some familiar faces amongst the entries in this Castlevania games in chronological order list.

Updated February 17, 2022, by Cameron Roy Hall: The Castlevania Netflix anime has come to an finish. Fans are searching for any shred of new content related to their favorite vampire hunters, but for at present, there's precious piddling to proceed. Since nosotros're in something of a lull, there's really non a amend time for newcomers to take on the games. And if any potential fresh faces are like us, they'll want to play the series in accordance with the canonical timeline, and not in the order by which they were released. Here'south where to start, and where to go from at that place.

16 1094 – Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

image of Leon Belmont holding a whip from Castlevania: Lament of Innocence

Platform & Release Year: PS2, PSN (2003, 2004, 2012, 2013)

Plot: The earliest entry in the official timeline is Complaining Of Innocence, a game that stars sir Leon Belmont on his quest to rescue his fiancée from a vampire. This entry features non just the origin story of Dracula himself, but also that of the Belmont association'due south legendary whip, which was created via human sacrifice.

As the championship suggests, Complaining Of Innocence's story relies heavily on the theme of loss. Even in victory, the game'south hero is steep in suffering, having literally lost everything he holds dear, relieve for vengeance.

15 1476 – Castlevania three: Dracula'due south Curse

Castlevania 3 Dracula's Curse

Platform & Release Year: NES/Famicom (1989, 1990, 1992)

Plot: In Dracula's Curse, Trevor Belmont must become a vampire hunter to conquer a resurrected Dracula. With the help of Sypha Belnades, Grant DaNasty, and Alucard (read the name backward and then guess who his dad is), Trevor puts Dracula to rest and successfully reinstates the Belmont family as citizens of Romania.

For anyone that thinks the aforementioned plot sounds a little familiar, it's considering Castlevania 3: Dracula'south Curse was the primary source of inspiration for the Netflix series that ran for four seasons.

14 1479 – Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

castlevania curse of darkness artwork

Platform & Release Year: PS2 & Xbox (2004, 2005, 2006)

Plot: The third entry into the Castlevania timeline is another character recognizable from the Netflix serial. It's none other than the erstwhile forge master for Dracula, Hector, who seeks to rid the earth of Dracula's expletive.

Hector teams upwardly with Trevor to exercise just that, also as take revenge on a old friend named Isaac who burned Hector's married woman. That'southward definitely a bit different from how fans of the Netflix series know Hector and Isaac.

13 1576 – Castlevania: The Hazard

image of the Castle: The Adventure Gameboy art and gameplay

Platform & Release Year: Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Wii (1989, 1991, 1997, 2000, 2009)

Plot: After a century of slumber, Dracula rises to undead life again as he believes the Belmont clan to be extinct. Christopher Belmont, a member of the decidedly non-extinct vampire hunting clan, challenges and vanquishes him.

The vanquishing doesn't stick, but as Castlevania: The Adventure was created every bit a prequel to the original game, and both star the same antagonist, it was never going to, non really. That's undead life for you.

12 1591 – Castlevania: Belmont's Revenge

image of promotional artwork for Castlevania: Belmont's Revenge

Platform & Release Year: Game Male child & Game Boy Colour (1991, 2000)

Plot: Many of the games in the series take the same Belmonts encounter Dracula multiple times, because there'south no residue for the weary. Equally i such game in the series, Belmont's Revenge has Dracula kidnapping Christopher's son.

Despite having suffered brainwashing at the hands of Dracula and his cult, Christopher works and whips his way toward his opponent's demise and his poor son's rescue, further proving that Dracula actually sucks at kidnapping people.

eleven 1691 – Castlevania

image of Simon Belmont in front of Dracula's Castle for Castlevania

Platform & Release Year: Famicom, NES, Commodore 64, GameBoy Advance, Mobile (1986, 1987, 1990, 2004)

Plot: The very first game debuted in 1986 and starred Simon Belmont, the bully-grandson of Christopher Belmont. He fights against a newly arisen Dracula, who later on another century-long sleep, is causing generic mayhem.

As with every other iteration, Simon Belmont manages to defeat Dracula, only not before the vampire lays a expletive on the hero, a expletive so powerful that an unabridged sequel would be required to undo its potentially dissentious effects.

10 1698 – Castlevania two: Simon's Quest

image of gameplay and promotional poster for Castlevania II: Simon's Quest

Platform & Release Year: Famicom & NES (1987, 1988)

Plot: Dracula'southward curse would see Simon dice of affliction and the simply manner to undo the curse would exist to burn down Dracula after resurrecting him.

Of course, the Lord of Darkness knew this, so he had his minions scatter his trunk parts to make Simon'due south task more than difficult. He still did it and Dracula resolved to sleep another 100 years so that the Belmont association would finally die off, a program that worked brilliantly the concluding v times.

9 1748 – Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

image of Juste Belmont from Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

Platform & Release Twelvemonth: Game Boy Advance (2002)

Plot: Harmony of Dissonance follows Simon'southward grandson, Juste, attempting to rescue his kidnapped friend Lydie Erlanger from a strange castle beset by fog. If you guessed that the perpetrator was Dracula, you become a prize.

Along the way, Juste has multiple encounters with another one of his friends, Maxim, whom he slowly realizes is being controlled(ish) by Dracula and another 1 of his tried and truthful curses. Although the game features multiple endings, the canonical i sees Juste saving both Lydie and Proverb, leaving Dracula to die alone amidst the principal characters.

eight 1792 – Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

Richter Belmont Rondo of Blood, Castlevania

Platform & Release Year: PC Engine Super CD-Rom, PSP, & PSN (1983, 2007, 2009)

Plot: One of the best-known games in the series, Rondo of Blood finds Richter Belmont trying to rescue his girlfriend, her sister, and some village friends of his, from the immortal (yet constantly defeated) Dracula.

In Rondo of Claret, fans run across Maria for the start time when she vows to become a vampire hunter. While the story is the equivalent of playing a vocal on repeat for the thirtieth time, Rondo Of Blood marked a notable turning point for the series in terms of gameplay and aesthetics.

7 1797 – Castlevania: Symphony of the Dark

image of gameplay and the promotional poster of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night with Alucard holding a sword

Platform & Release Year: PS1, Sega Saturn, Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, PSP, & Mobile (1997, 1998, 2007, 2020)

Plot: Arguably one of the most iconic games in the franchise, Symphony of the Night follows Dracula'southward son, Alucard, on his journey through Dracula's castle. It takes place merely iv years after Rondo of Blood and shows Alucard rescuing a bespelled Richter, working alongside Maria, and preventing Dracula'due south resurrection.

Of course, that'southward the canonical ending; in that location are three other endings that players can receive, depending on their level of skill and propensity for excessive exploration.

6 18?? – Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

image of Shanoa in the air next to the Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia logo

Platform & Release Year: Nintendo DS (2008)

Plot: The Belmonts seem to be missing, so other entities take up vampire hunting responsibilities. The "Guild of Ecclesia" is ane such entity and its members use glyphs to perform magic confronting evil. The game involves a traitor amongst the Society and a failed ritual to cake Dracula's resurrections.

But psych: the traitor, Albus, just wanted to save Shanoa, the original sacrifice, and the Belmont association all along. Even by Castlevania standards, the whole ordeal is comically melodramatic.

5 1897 – Bram Stoker'southward Dracula

image of Bram Stoker next to a yellow copy of his book Dracula with red lettering

Platform & Release Year: Impress Book (1897 published)

Plot: The original story from Bram Stoker documents Dracula's resurrection in 1897 with Jonathan Harker. And yes – Konami considers this a direct canon story in the Castlevania series. At the end of Symphony of the Night, Richter seemingly passes the chore of vampire hunting onto the Morris family unit.

In Bram Stoker's Dracula, in that location is a Quincey Morris who dies helping Jonathan kill Dracula. When playing the Castlevania games in guild, information technology isn't necessary to know this information, but it's a corking factoid.

4 1917 – Castlevania: Bloodlines

image of gameplay from the game Castlevania: Bloodlines

Platform & Release Twelvemonth: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis (1994)

Plot: This game doesn't directly involve Dracula per se, but rather his niece: Elizabeth Bartley. A witch mistakenly resurrects her and Elizabeth eventually starts the first Globe War to harvest souls. Long-time friends John Morris (a descendant of Quincey Morris from Bra Stoker'southward novel) and Eric Lecarde piece of work to stop her and, eventually, Dracula.

As indicated by the inclusion of the showtime World War, the Castlevania series is unsaid to have place on our globe, or at least on an earth very similar to ours.

3 1944 – Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

image of the characters Jonathan and Charlotte from Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

Platform & Release Twelvemonth: Nintendo DS (2006)

Plot: Ready toward the cease of Earth War II, Portrait of Ruin shows Count Brauner leveraging all the souls of the expressionless to bring back Dracula'due south castle. John Morris' son, Jonathan, and his friend Charlotte are vampire hunters from America.

The Morris family and the Belmonts are sort of cousins in that one of Trevor Belmont's descendants married into the Morris family. It's a scrap unclear. Like many past Belmonts, they fight through the castle. Though non of the Belmont bloodline, Jonathan is able to unlock the Vampire Killer Whip'southward potential to slay Dracula.

2 2035 – Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

image of Soma Cruz holding a sword next to the logo for Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

Platform & Release Year: Game Boy Advance (2003)

Plot: Playing the Castlevania games in order puts this fan-favorite, Aria of Sorrow, as the penultimate entry. It shows Soma Cruz working alongside Yoko Belnades (descendant of Sypha) and Genya Arikado (probably Alucard) to stop cult leader Graham Jones from bold the powers of Dracula for himself. Oddly enough, Soma absorbs his soul at the end.

The game is further notable for taking place 36 years after the "Demon Castle Wars" when Julius Belmont thought they ended Dracula's resurrection bike once and for all.

1 2036 – Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

image of combat gameplay from Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

Platform & Release Twelvemonth: Nintendo DS (2005)

Plot: Set one twelvemonth afterward the events of Aria of Sorrow, this game has Soma challenge cult member Celia who seeks to resurrect Dracula past "freeing" his soul from Soma. With the help of Genya, Yoko, and Julius Belmont, Soma stops Celia from executing her programme.

And, for now, that'southward the unabridged canon timeline of the Castlevania series. Based on the density of chronology thus far, any farther entries will either take place even further into the future or fifty-fifty further into the past. For our coin, nosotros're hoping for futuristic robot-vampires.

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