# Castlevania vs Vampire Survivors

The clearest difference is price: Vampire Survivors at Free against Castlevania's $2.99. Vampire Survivors also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.9) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 29 months). Castlevania's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and chart position (#30 vs unranked). On ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Vampire Survivors is free to download; Castlevania costs $2.99 up front. Vampire Survivors sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Castlevania asks for nothing beyond the download.

Vampire Survivors holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.8K and 5.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Castlevania's written reviews are positive against 70% of Vampire Survivors's.

Castlevania ships an update every 29 months, Vampire Survivors every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Castlevania | Vampire Survivors |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.9 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castlevania-sotn/id1435456830/reviews) | **[4.6 (5.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vampire-survivors/id6444525702/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.8K | **5.2K** |
| Positive reviews | 53.7% of reviews | **69.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 29 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#30** | — |
| Size | 326 MB | 961 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [KONAMI](https://appshunter.io/developer/299580230) | [Poncle](https://appshunter.io/developer/1655125278) |

## What reviewers say

### Castlevania

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castlevania-sotn/id1435456830)

**Currently charting:** #30 Top Paid · Adventure, #53 Top Paid · Action, #149 Top Paid · Games (US App Store)

Experience a classic action RPG on mobile. Explore a vast castle, battle unique enemies, and uncover secrets as Alucard. This port features updated controls and achievements.

**Highlights:** Direct port of the console classic, Play as Alucard, Jump, dash, and slash combat, Vast castle exploration, Game controller compatibility, New continue feature, Unlockable achievements

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Faithful port of a classic game
- 🎮 Works well with controllers
- 💰 Great value for the price

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎮 Unresponsive touch controls
- 🔍 Small action buttons
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (clock room issue, save system issues)

**Reported bugs**

- Clock room not functioning properly
- Save system issues (not saving, losing progress)
- Audio issues (no sound, pitch/speed problems)

**Requested features**

- Customizable controls and button layout
- Original voice acting option
- Improved cutscene quality
- Cloud save support


### Vampire Survivors

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vampire-survivors/id6444525702)

Survive endless waves of monsters in this roguelike survival RPG. Mow down thousands of enemies, gather gold for upgrades, and become a powerful warrior. Explore diverse stages and choose your weapons to become the last survivor.

**Highlights:** Minimalistic gameplay, Bullet hell survival, Gold collection for upgrades, Hundreds of monsters, Weapon and skill upgrades, Couch co-op mode

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Emerald Diorama | Free | one-time |
| Legacy of the Bloodmoon | $0.99 | one-time |
| Legacy of the Moonspell | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tides of the Foscari | $1.79 | one-time |
| Emergency Meeting | $2.49 | one-time |
| Operation Guns | $2.49 | one-time |
| Ode to Castlevania | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Faithful port of PC version
- 👍 No intrusive ads, only optional ones
- 👍 Great value, tons of content for free
- 🚀 Smooth performance, handles late-game well
- 👍 Retro pixel art style with charm

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and progress loss when switching apps
- 🐛 Occasional freezing and performance issues
- 🔋 No suspend/resume feature, runs reset when app is closed

**Reported bugs**

- Merchant UI not working properly
- Certain level mechanics (Infernas) causing soft-locks
- Movement and controls sometimes unresponsive

**Requested features**

- Add suspend/resume functionality to save progress
- Implement cross-save between devices
- Add controller support for better controls


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Castlevania free?

Castlevania costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Vampire Survivors free?

Vampire Survivors is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Castlevania or Vampire Survivors?

Vampire Survivors is rated higher. Castlevania averages 3.9 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Vampire Survivors averages 4.6 from 5.2K ratings.

### Do Castlevania or Vampire Survivors have ads?

Neither Castlevania nor Vampire Survivors shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Castlevania or Vampire Survivors?

Castlevania ships an update every 29 months, and Vampire Survivors every 3 weeks. Most recently, Castlevania was updated on November 11, 2026 and Vampire Survivors on November 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*