Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Demo Guide

• Free on four platforms

  Since October 1, 2026

  PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S and Steam. Konami does not list a separate Xbox on PC demo.

• The opening chapter

  Sewers to The Fallen

  The Parisian sewers and reservoir, ending after the first boss fight, with time left to explore afterwards.

• Progress carries over

  Same platform, same account

  Level, stats and Works of Mercy progress transfer to the full game if you keep the demo save.

• 3 GB to 6 GB

  Smaller than the full game

  Konami lists 6 GB on PS5, 5 GB on Xbox, 4 GB on Steam and 3 GB on Switch.

Where to download the demo

On PlayStation, the demo has its own PlayStation Store page(opens in a new tab); on Xbox it is the Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Demo listing(opens in a new tab); on Steam, use the “Download demo” button on the main store page(opens in a new tab). Text is available in all 11 of the game's languages. On Switch, search the eShop for the game and look for the demo download.

What the demo covers

The demo is the start of the full game. Trevor and Rose Belmont arrive in a burning Paris, and while Trevor meets the bishop who summoned him, Rose heads into the Parisian sewers and the underground reservoir to find the source of the monster outbreak. You start with a sword and the Cursed Flame tarot card, and you explore until you reach the first boss, The Fallen.

Beating The Fallen seals his soul into one of the tarot cards that Rose's mother, Sypha, left her, and it unlocks the Arcane Whip, which can latch onto the golden anchors you will have noticed but could not use before. That single upgrade opens new routes back through the earlier areas, a classic Castlevania moment. The demo officially ends after the second save point, but you can keep exploring the sewers afterwards.

Demo route at a glance

1. Opening scenes in burning Paris, then into the sewers with a sword and the Cursed Flame Arcana.
2. Explore the sewers and reservoir: break candles for health ampoules, note locked doors and out-of-reach ledges and anchors.
3. Reach a mirror-shaped save room, which also becomes your respawn point.
4. Fight The Fallen. Our boss guide collects the tactics reported by preview players.
5. Take his Arcana and the Arcane Whip; the door in his arena needs three keys, and he holds one of them.
6. Swing back through the sewers to reach new areas, then continue until the second save point ends the demo.

Save transfer: what carries over

Demo progress carries over to the full game: your level, stats and Works of Mercy progress. Konami's official demo page sets four conditions, and missing any of them can cost you the transfer:

• Play the demo and the full game on the same platform. A PS5 demo save does not move to Steam, and vice versa.
• Use the same account for both.
• Keep the demo save data until the transfer is done; without it there is nothing to carry over.
• Update the full game to the latest version before transferring.

Tips to get the most from the demo

• Use Cursed Flame often and in different situations. Works of Mercy reward using an Arcana a set number of times under specific conditions, and that progress carries over to the full game.
• Hit enemies with normal attacks to refill MP. RPGFan reports that standard hits restore the mana your spells spend, so mix sword and whip strikes between casts.
• Break every candle. They drop health ampoules and the occasional food item, which is your healing before the boss.
• Remember the golden anchors. You cannot swing from them until after The Fallen, and they mark the routes worth revisiting.
• Save at every mirror. Mirror save rooms are also your respawn point if Rose falls.

How long is the demo?

Konami has not given an official length as of 2026-10-14. For a sense of scale, Impulse Gamer's preview reached The Fallen about eight minutes into its build, and RPGFan's Tokyo Game Show session lasted 20 minutes. Because you can keep exploring the sewers after the end point, a thorough player will spend longer, especially hunting for areas the new whip opens up.

Demo versus full game

Demo timeline

1. 2026-09-20

   Konami announces the demo on the official site.

2. 2026-10-01

   The demo launches on PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X|S and Steam. The US PlayStation listing opens at 04:00 UTC (midnight ET), and Steam shows September 30 for US visitors.

3. 2026-10-01

   Konami posts the “Demo OUT Now” trailer on its YouTube channel.

4. 2026-10-15

   The full game launches and demo saves can be carried over.

Is the demo worth playing?

Yes, for three reasons. It is the best way to judge performance on your own hardware, which matters most on Switch, where the game runs at 30 fps and reviewers have raised performance concerns. It shows you the core loop, whip traversal plus boss-to-Arcana progression, honestly. And it is not wasted time, because the progress carries over. Once you finish, our beginner's guide picks up where the demo leaves off, and the release date page tells you when to come back.