Konami is giving away the original Castlevania on iPhone and Android to mark the series' 40th anniversary. The app, Castlevania: 40th Anniversary, is free from September 25 until October 24, 2026, and anyone who downloads it in that window can keep downloading and playing it afterwards. It is a free app that Konami will pull from the stores once the promotion ends, so the only deadline that matters is the day you press the button.
The offer
Konami's Castlevania site lists the offer as available from September 25, 2026 to October 24 at 23:59 JST. It says players who download during that period can keep downloading and playing the game after the promotion ends. The title is a port of the 1986 original, which reached the NES in 1987, and the series turns 40 on September 26, 2026.
The Google Play and App Store listings both showed the game at $0 in the US on October 3. Google Play describes it as on mobile "for a limited time", and both stores note that the game stays playable after its availability on the App Store ends. The App Store lists a size of 6.2 MB, and Konami describes the app as a direct port that plays offline with an on-screen touchpad. Konami warns that external game controllers are not supported. Prices and availability in other regions may differ, so check your own storefront.
How to claim it before it ends
Open the listing from Konami's page or by searching the store, not from a link in a comment. The button reads Install on Google Play or Get on the App Store. Tap it once and check that the game now shows in your library or purchase history. Claim it even if you do not plan to play yet, because you can install it later on any device signed in to the same account.
Konami's deadline is in Japan time. At 23:59 JST on October 24 it is 07:59 in the morning on the US Pacific coast (PDT) and 15:59 in the UK (BST), so the offer closes on October 24 for players in all three places, only earlier on the clock. Claiming it a day early removes any doubt about a store cutting off ahead of the stated time.
Why this is not an ordinary $0 sale
Most free windows work differently. A developer takes a paid app and discounts it to zero for a while. On Google Play, a sale on a paid app can be set to 0, which makes a temporary free sale in all regions, according to Google's Play Console help. Sales run from one day to fourteen days, and each app needs 30 days between the end of one sale and the start of the next. Konami's promotion runs for a month and the app is removed afterwards, which fits a limited-availability release rather than a sale on a paid game.
What Konami has planned next
Konami is also running series discounts. Its Castlevania portal says more are planned. The newest game, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, is dated October 15, 2026 on Konami's official site. It is a 2D action-exploration game set 23 years after Castlevania III, following Rose Belmont, and it is made with Evil Empire and Motion Twin. Konami's site lists a Nintendo Switch release on the same date and announced a demo on September 20.
If the NES original whets your appetite for something newer, the demo is the cheapest way to see how the series plays today. For other time-limited giveaways, see how to claim the free Epic games each week.
What a free window does not cover
In-app purchases you make later are billed as usual, and a subscription prompt or purchase wall before the game means an offer is not free to keep. Check the store page for ads and purchase notes before installing. Third-party deal lists can help you spot offers, but the stores do not review them and they go stale quickly, so confirm the price on the store itself.
Frequently asked questions
When does the free Castlevania offer end?
Konami lists October 24, 2026 at 23:59 JST, which is 07:59 PDT the same day. Claim it earlier to be safe.
Do I keep Castlevania if I claim it while it is free?
Konami says players who download it during the promotion can continue to download and play it afterwards, and the store listing says it stays playable after it leaves the store.
Is this a paid game on sale?
No. It is a free app that Konami will remove from the stores after October 24, not a paid game on a temporary $0 sale.
Can I use a controller?
No. Konami says external game controllers are not supported, and the game uses an on-screen touchpad.
