Castlevania turns 40 and Konami is giving it away on mobile: tribute or shop window?

Some anniversaries are celebrated with a trailer, and others by putting the game right in your hands. Konami has gone with the latter: to mark 40 years of the first Castlevania, the NES classic can be downloaded for free on iOS and Android, though only for a limited time. The news was reported by Eurogamer España, which is the original source for this story.

Why does it matter? Because we're talking about one of the cornerstones of 2D action design, the game that lent its name to half a genre and that remains a benchmark for speedrunners, indie designers and anyone who has ever fought their way through an impossible jump. Having it arrive at no cost on the device we all carry in our pockets opens the door to a generation that may never have touched an NES.

What you need to know

• Konami is offering the original NES Castlevania for free on iOS and Android.
• The promotion celebrates the 40th anniversary of the release of the series' first game.
• The offer is only available for a limited time, so it's best not to put it off.
• The story was published by Eurogamer España; the source doesn't specify the exact end date of the promotion.

Context: a classic making a low-key comeback

Castlevania needs no introduction here. Its original formula is still intact: make your way through Dracula's castle with a whip, manage your sub-weapons and learn every corridor through trial and error. It's a demanding design built on memorization and precision, one that rewards persistence over pure reflexes. That's exactly why, over the years, it has become fertile ground for the speedrunning community and for content creator challenges.

What stands out about Konami's move isn't so much the giveaway itself as the chosen stage. Rather than betting on a new console collection or a special edition, the company is taking the anniversary to the mobile ecosystem, where free downloads are the norm and visibility depends on getting onto the storefronts' radar. It's a cheap and effective way to get people talking about the brand again.

Who it affects

• Nostalgic players, who can revisit the original without digging through drawers or console digital stores.
• New players, especially on mobile, who get the chance to discover where so many modern metroidvanias come from.
• Content creators, who have the perfect excuse for challenges, guides and themed streams built around the anniversary.

Our take

At Underworld Lordz, we celebrate any initiative that brings the classics to more people, especially if it's free. But we're not going to pretend that mobile is Castlevania's natural home. A game built on pixel-perfect jumps and memorized patterns suffers with touch controls, and anyone who has attempted a serious run with virtual buttons knows it. If you're going to play it on your phone, our advice is simple: connect a controller. The difference is night and day.

For the competitive scene, this release doesn't change the rules: speedrun categories and records will remain tied to specific platforms and versions, and a mobile version is unlikely to become the standard. Where we do see value is in the talent pipeline. Every person who discovers Dracula's castle today is a potential runner, a future stream viewer or someone who will later understand why certain modern games are designed the way they are. For creators, it's also content served on a silver platter: no-damage challenges, races between friends or cross-generation comparisons.

Our criticism lies elsewhere. A series of this stature deserves more than a temporary promotion on mobile storefronts. Giving the game away is nice; showing that Konami has a future plan for Castlevania would be far better. Still, you don't look a gift horse in the whip: download it while you can.

What do you think?

We want to hear your take: are you going to download it to relive the old days, to discover it for the first time or to set up a challenge? Drop by the team chat or our Discord and tell us: can you truly enjoy a classic as demanding as Castlevania on a touchscreen, or is it not worth it without a controller?