Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse launched on October 15th. It is the first new Castlevania game since Lords of Shadow 2, and players showed up for it on two very different platforms. On Steam, it set a concurrent player record for the entire series. On Nintendo Switch, it climbed to first place on the eShop chart, even though there is no dedicated Switch 2 version.
Quick answer: Belmont’s Curse peaked at 18,261 concurrent Steam players on launch day, a Castlevania record. It also reached No. 1 on the Nintendo Switch eShop.
Belmont’s Curse Steam peak compared with other Castlevania games
The launch-day peak was 18,261 players online at once. That beats every other Castlevania release on Steam by a wide margin.
| Game | Type | Steam peak concurrent players |
|---|---|---|
| Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse | New game (2026) | 18,261 |
| Lords of Shadow 2 | Previous new game | Under 4,000 |
| Castlevania Dominus Collection | Remastered collection | Just under 2,000 |
Some context explains the gap. Lords of Shadow 2 was the last brand-new entry before Belmont’s Curse, so there has been more than a decade of pent-up demand. The series has stayed visible through remastered collections like Dominus. Those packages are aimed at longtime fans, though, and they don’t pull in large crowds who all play at the same moment. A new game does. The 18,261 figure was also recorded on day one, so it can still go up as the first weekend plays out.
Belmont’s Curse on the Switch eShop: No. 1 without a Switch 2 version
The game took first place on the Switch eShop chart. It is only sold as a Nintendo Switch title, and there is no native Switch 2 build. Konami’s spec sheet lists 30 fps for Switch and 60 fps everywhere else. Nintendo’s listing marks the game as “Supported” for Switch 2 through backward compatibility.
In practice, Switch 2 owners get more than the spec sheet suggests. The Switch version runs at 60 fps on Switch 2 by default. You don’t need a toggle or an extra download. On an original Switch, both frame rate and resolution are lower. The standard digital edition costs $29.99 on the US eShop and CA$39.99 in Canada.
| Platform | Frame rate | Minimum storage (Standard / Midnight) |
|---|---|---|
| PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC | 60 fps | 8 GB / 10 GB |
| Nintendo Switch | 30 fps | 4 GB / 6 GB |
| Nintendo Switch 2 (Switch version) | 60 fps | Same as Switch |
Belmont’s Curse PC problems haven’t slowed Steam sales
The Steam record is more striking because the PC version is in rough shape. User reviews are mixed, and the problems that appeared in the free demo carried over into the full release. The game has few graphics settings. You can change window mode, resolution, v-sync, the frame rate cap, anti-aliasing, and brightness. There are no upscaling or detail settings that would help performance.
- Steam Deck: performance is inconsistent, with hitching even at 30 or 40 fps. Changing Proton versions doesn’t fix it.
- Steam Deck and other 16:10 or 21:9 screens: the picture is cropped unless you force a 16:9 resolution such as 720p or 1080p.
- ROG Ally: the game boots to a black screen unless the display is set to 120Hz or lower.
- ROG Ally (after the fix) and Intel handhelds: 60 fps or higher at 1080p.
On PC handhelds, cap the frame rate with an external limiter such as RTSS instead of the in-game cap. The built-in limiter makes frame pacing worse.
The game is sold on Steam, where the Midnight Edition is $39.99. It is also available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox PC. Physical copies come only as the Midnight Edition, and only for PS5 and Switch.
What launch buyers are playing in Belmont’s Curse
Belmont’s Curse is a 2D action-exploration game set in Paris in 1499, 23 years after Dracula’s Curse. You play as Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor and Sypha. Konami developed it with Evil Empire, with Motion Twin as advisory studio. Rose starts out with just a sword. Her arsenal grows as she explores, and defeated bosses are sealed into her tarot cards as Arcana, which grant spells and special moves.
| Boss | Area | Health | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
 Medusa | Holy Innocents’ Cemetery | 1,500 | 500 |
 Joan | Paris Streets | 1,800 | 600 |
 Carmilla | Library | 4,500 | 850 |
 Dracula | Master’s Quarters | 7,666 | 1,200 |
Medusa becomes The Prophetess and gives Rose the Petrifying Gaze spell. Joan becomes The Warrior and grants Infernal Pyre. Carmilla becomes The Occultist and grants Blood Spikes. You can head for Dracula whenever you like. If you reach him before Rose is strong enough, the game triggers a bad ending and rolls credits. Other bosses can only be found by following clues from ghosts scattered around the city.
Weapons come in seven categories, and the family whip has to be earned. The Ordinary Whip, found in the Catacombs of Paris, has 25 ATK. The Legendary Vampire Killer, found in Notre-Dame, has 100 ATK and is a tier 4 weapon. Both whips hit harder at the far end of the lash. The Vampire Killer also sets enemies on fire when its tip connects, and enemies it kills burst into flames.
The game is not easy. Save rooms are spread far apart, hazards hit hard, and the Builder fight ends with a 90-second backwards chase through a corridor full of pistons. The difficulty settings only change combat, so they won’t help with that platforming section.
What Belmont’s Curse sales mean for future Castlevania games
Konami hasn’t released sales numbers, and nothing public shows how the game is doing on PS5 or Xbox. The Steam and Switch results still matter. Producer Tsutomu Taniguchi has said a strong showing for Belmont’s Curse would make more Castlevania games more likely. A series record on Steam and the top spot on the Switch eShop, both in launch week, is the kind of result that comment had in mind. Konami’s next move will depend on whether that interest lasts after launch week.
