The 8 Best Castlevania Games Of All Time, Ranked

Castlevania is a beloved video game franchise with a rich history. The games have provided a variety of experiences, often built on the vampire mythos. Here are the 8 best Castlevania games, ranked, to help you decide where to start if you haven't played the series recently.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, released earlier this year, is one of the latest entries in the franchise. It offers a variety of experiences, along with rich lore inspired by vampire mythology.

Super Castlevania 4, released for the Super Nintendo, was a crucial game in introducing the series to players deciding whether to invest in new hardware. It features beautiful environments, whip attacks in eight directions, grappling mechanics, and Mode 7 rotation for stunning visual effects. The adventure begins outside the castle, allowing players to explore its exterior before venturing inside for a final showdown with the lord of the manor. This game is available as part of the Castlevania Anniversary Collection on various platforms.

Castlevania: Bloodlines, another 16-bit era gem, introduced a hero wielding a spear instead of a whip. This gave him access to alternate routes not available to the whip-wielding character. The game's pacing was fast and furious, similar to other Genesis games of the time. Set during the first World War, the game took players to locations like the Leaning Tower of Pisa and featured stunning visual tricks using Genesis hardware.

Castlevania Chronicles, originally developed for the Sharp X68000, was one of the last Castlevania games built in the classical style. It was a remake of the 1986 first entry in the series and offered greatly improved visuals and sound while maintaining challenging gameplay. This game is available on PlayStation Store digital version for PlayStation 3 and can also be found as a physical copy on PlayStation 3.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, an important game in the franchise's timeline, was exclusive to the PC Engine CD hardware for a long time. It was eventually released for PSP as part of the Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles collection and on Virtual Console in 2010. The game concluded with events serving as a prologue to Symphony of the Night and is highly recommended for fans of the series.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, released after Harmony of Dissonance, offered a richer experience on a mechanical level despite its inferior visuals. Players control Soma Cruz, who gains strength by absorbing the essence of monsters he defeats. The game's complexity and fun gameplay make it a must-play, especially as part of the Castlevania Advance Collection on various platforms.

Finally, Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse perfected the franchise's formula with multiple heroes, unique play styles, and rich lore. This game laid the foundation for future Castlevania titles and set the stage for the series' ongoing evolution.