Konami has brought the original Castlevania to phones as part of the series' 40th-anniversary celebration. The official announcement makes the Nintendo Entertainment System version free on Apple's App Store and Google Play from September 25 through October 24 at 23:59 JST.
Players who download the app during the promotion will be able to download and play it after the free period ends. The deadline therefore applies to acquiring the game, not to a server switch that disables it on October 25.
The release is a direct port rather than a remake. Apple's listing describes a visual touchpad and offline play, retaining the original action-platforming structure. Simon Belmont enters Dracula's castle with his whip after the vampire returns to threaten Transylvania.
The store's synopsis places that return 100 years after Dracula's previous defeat. Simon, carrying the Belmont bloodline, sets out alone with an enchanted whip. Those story details and the familiar stage-based challenge remain the point of this mobile edition rather than a newly expanded campaign.
The anniversary goes back to the Japanese debut
Konami dates the original game's Japanese launch to 1986, followed by its international NES debut in 1987. The company says the wider series now spans more than 30 titles and reaches its 40th anniversary on September 26, one day after the mobile promotion begins.
The first game established several elements that would define the franchise: Simon Belmont, whip-based combat, a gothic castle and a soundtrack built to accompany a difficult sequence of action stages. The mobile version preserves that game while replacing a physical controller with on-screen input.
On Apple devices, the 6.2 MB app requires iOS or iPadOS 15.6 or later and supports English and Japanese. The Google Play version carries the same core story and feature description. Konami does not describe new levels, visual remastering or other added content, making this a straightforward way to keep the 1980s original on a modern device after claiming it during the anniversary window.
