{
  "id": 10005215,
  "title": "Castlevania celebrates turning 40 by giving away the original game for free",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/castlevania-celebrates-turning-40-by-giving-away-the-original-game",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-26T15:28:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Eurogamer",
    "slug": "eurogamer",
    "url": "https://www.eurogamer.net/castlevania-40th-anniversary-free-original-game-belmonts-curse"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Konami celebrates Castlevania's 40th anniversary by providing the original 1986 game for free on the App Store and Google Play. The original Castlevania, released for the NES in 1986, features Simon Belmont's battle against Dracula. In October 2026, the original game remains free to download, while other titles in the series are discounted. The upcoming mainline release, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, follows Rose, daughter of Trevor Belmont, as she fights Dracula in 1499 Paris. The game will launch on October 15th for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. A series-wide sale is ongoing, with the Castlevania Anniversary Collection at 80% off until October 7th, and other collections discounted up to 70%. A series-wide orchestral concert is planned for spring 2027, and the Castlevania: Black & Red soundtrack is now available on major streaming platforms. Evil Empire, known for Dead Cells and Rogue Prince of Persia, will release a demo for Belmont's Curse on October 1st, playable across all platforms (except Switch, which runs at 30FPS).",
  "summary": "In celebration of the 40th(!!) anniversary of Castlevania, Konami is giving away the original 1986 game for free on the App Store and Google Play. Read more",
  "key_points": [
    "Konami gives original 1986 Castlevania game for free on app stores",
    "Upcoming Castlevania: Belmont's Curse releases Oct 15 on multiple platforms",
    "Series-wide sale and orchestral concert planned for spring 2027"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}