Switch owners were left wondering when Konami first announced Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse earlier this year — the reveal trailer pointedly omitted the Nintendo Switch logo while confirming October 15, 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. That uncertainty ended today: Konami’s official Castlevania social media account confirmed the Switch version launches simultaneously on 15 October 2026, day-and-date with every other platform. No delay, no timed exclusivity — everyone gets it at the same time.
Who Is Rose Belmont?
Belmont’s Curse centres on Rose Belmont, daughter of the legendary Trevor Belmont, wielding the Belmont family’s sacred whip, the Vampire Killer. The setting is Paris in 1499, twenty-three years after the events of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse — and fans of the Netflix animated series will recognise the familiar timeline. A dark conspiracy lurking beneath the city’s streets pulls Rose into a conflict that echoes the battle her father fought a generation earlier.
The whip is not just a weapon here but a traversal tool: Rose can swing between anchor points, scale walls, and close gaps using the same weapon she uses to stagger and destroy enemies — a satisfying loop that keeps movement and combat intertwined.
Bosses Become Power — The Arcana System
The game’s signature mechanic is the Arcana system: when you defeat a major boss — Death, Medusa, Carmilla, Joan of Arc, and others — their essence is sealed into a tarot card that grants Rose new abilities. The loadout you build through these Arcana, combined with seven categories of weapons and equippable Relics, lets you shape your playstyle as you push deeper into the Metroidvania-style map.
It’s a design philosophy that should feel immediately familiar to fans of Dead Cells — and that’s no coincidence.
The Dead Cells Team Brings Their Expertise
Evil Empire and Motion Twin — the studios behind Dead Cells and The Rogue Prince of Persia — are developing Belmont’s Curse for Konami. That pedigree matters: Evil Empire has spent years iterating on tight action-platformer feel, expanding Dead Cells with a consistency that is rare in the live-service era. Applying that expertise to the Castlevania formula, under the supervision of Konami and for the series’ 40th anniversary, is about as encouraging a creative pairing as you could wish for.
The gothic art direction, visible in the screenshots, leans into vivid colours over the grimdark palette many modern titles default to — closer in spirit to the classic SNES-era Castlevania games than to more recent takes on the franchise.
What About Switch 2?
Konami has not announced a dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 version. The game will be playable on Switch 2 via backwards compatibility — meaning Singapore players who have already upgraded to Nintendo’s new console can still pick it up at launch without waiting for a native port. Whether a Switch 2 edition with enhanced visuals follows later has not been addressed.
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse releases on Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam and Microsoft Store) on 15 October 2026. Physical pre-orders opened in Japan following today’s confirmation — digital pre-orders are expected to follow on the Switch eShop. For more game news, including our coverage of other upcoming Switch and Switch 2 titles, head to our news section.