Best Vampire Games That Aren’t Castlevania

The night is dark, the moon is high, and prey roams. That means vampires are lurking in the shadows: ready to strike. Vampires used to be everywhere in films, shows, and, of course, video games. However, bloodsuckers have lost some of their allure in recent years, and vampire games have grown quite rare.

Though vampires have slowed down, they have had quite a history in gaming. Whether they are the main protagonist or the antagonist, vampires have been part of games since the 1980s. Some of the best vampire games ever made know exactly why these disturbing creatures are so riveting, with Castlevania being just one of the many games that capture their allure perfectly! If players are wondering why Vampire Survivors is not mentioned here, it’s because the game doesn’t feature any vampires despite what the name may suggest.

Updated November 5, 2024 by Mark Sammut: Castlevania casts a huge shadow over all gaming vampires, with the franchise being essentially synonymous with the monster. Unfortunately, Konami does not seem particularly interested in exploring new entries in the series, so fans will need to look elsewhere to get their fill of vamps. A 2003 PC-only game has been added as a recommendation, along with galleries for nearly every game.

20 The Incredible Adventures Of Van Helsing (Games)

An Inconsistent Trilogy With Some High Points

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a major reason why vampires have become such a major part of pop culture. Any IP trying to draw inspiration from the same needs to do justice to the source material, and The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing just does enough to justify itself in this department, with fans getting the opportunity to control the son of the great Abraham Van Helsing.

Exterminating monsters in the city of Borgova makes for a great time, even if some people feel that this title didn’t do anything new or revolutionary. Still, fans of cool action RPGs will have a lot of fun in this title and the two sequels that followed, which were considered by many to be improvements over the foundation set in the first game.

19 Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong

A Decent Appetizer While Waiting For A More Fulfilling Course

It’s a shame that Vampire: The Masquerade has fallen out of the mainstream, with Bloodlines being considered the best title that makes the most of this IP. With Bloodlines 2 yet to launch, fans can instead satiate themselves with a wealth of narrative-driven games set in the series that are pretty interesting in their own right.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is one such game that focuses on choice-driven gameplay, with the results being pretty engrossing. The game’s execution can falter at points, but fans of Vampire: The Masquerade as a whole will find Swansong to be a great time.

18 Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi

A Rough But Worthwhile Journey

Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi was not for everyone in 2003, and time has done little to enhance its accessibility. However, at its core, the game has a lot to offer, even if the execution leaves something to be desired. Seemingly inspired by 1922’s Nosferatu, The Wrath of Malachi drops players in a castle and tells them to survive. Also, they have to save their sibling within a time limit, which entails exploring the castle’s unpredictable layout while completing dungeons, acquiring keys, and avoiding (or defeating) monsters.

Clunky and far from polished, Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi does not leave a particularly great first impression, and its positive traits do not become apparent until players gain some familiarity with the mechanics, which usually takes a few failed runs. At that point, the setting and presentation can start to sink their teeth into players, delivering some surprisingly effective scares.

17 El Paso, Elsewhere

A Supremely Cool Third-Person Shooter

Players who want to experience a stylish third-person shooter with a flair for style and finesse will love what El Paso, Elsewhere brings to the table. The game is an ode to Remedy’s stylish action games like Max Payne and is perfect for fans of this studio’s games who want to take on Dracula himself.

The stylish action of this game coupled with its focus on supernatural elements is a blast. The fact that El Paso, Elsewhere manages to nail its action game feel to such an impressive degree speaks volumes about developer Strange Scaffold’s love for both Remedy’s style of action and classic vampire stories.

16 Code Vein

An Anime Take On Vampire-Like Lore

Code Vein is one of the many Soulslikes that adds its unique spin to the formula. This one has a rather unique take on vampires, referring to them as Revenants. The lore and story of this game are pretty interesting as players create a Revenant from scratch and fight the monsters that have awakened during an apocalyptic event called the Great Collapse.

It’s up to the player to figure out what’s going wrong, uncovering a tantalizing mystery and meeting a wealth of intriguing characters in the process. While the level design of this game can be pretty disappointing at times, the core gameplay of Code Vein coupled with its stylistic presentation makes up for its negatives, which are easy to overlook after a point.

15 The Sims 4: Vampires

Living That Vamp Life

The Sims 4 had one of the most disastrous launches in gaming history, missing many features that were commonplace in previous entries and missing the groundbreaking open-world that had made The Sims 3 such an incredible game. It took a long while for EA to help fans come around to this title… and, even then, many detractors aren’t huge fans of The Sims 4 and what they perceive to be a game that is missing the soul of Maxis’ beloved franchise.

However, fans who gave The Sims 4 a chance after the many expansions and updates that were released are pleased by the way this game has turned its reputation around, establishing itself as one of the best life simulation titles on the market. Many DLCs were launched for this game, including The Sims 4: Vampires, which added the creatures of the night to the title and let players control numerous Vampire Sims who had to blend into society while feeding off other Sims to satiate their bloodthirst.

14 Darkest Dungeon – The Crimson Court

A Great And Bloody Expansion

Darkest Dungeon has a reputation for having a punishing difficulty level. It’s not enough that one’s party of intrepid heroes can be stabbed, bludgeoned, melted, and otherwise killed by the legion of horrific monsters they face; they must also avoid losing their minds to stress. This grim premise is the perfect backdrop for introducing the vampiric curse and making things that much worse for players.

Characters afflicted with the Crimson Curse develop an insatiable thirst for blood. The player can try to cure their characters of this vampiric malady, but it may be preferable to let them dive deeper into their unnatural hunger. Characters who succumb to the Crimson Curse and are allowed to feed bolster their strength with the supernatural power of blood, leaving it up to the player to decide whether the Crimson Curse is more of a horrific blessing in disguise.

13 A Vampyre Story

A Biting Point And Click Adventure

A point-and-click adventure reminiscent of classics such as the Monkey Island series, A Vampyre Story follows Mona, a woman who is unwillingly turned into a vampire and forced to live in a castle. After her “husband” comes into intimate contact with a stake, Mona sets out on an adventure to head back to Paris.

A puzzle game with a somewhat cheesy sense of humor, A Vampyre Story benefits greatly from having a devilishly charming art style. Mona is a fine enough protagonist, and it is just a shame that her story’s continuation was canceled as A Vampyre Story: Year One never made it to store shelves.

12 Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds

Overcoming The Licensed Game Curse

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of the best vampire-related TV shows of all time, and the franchise even spawned a few decent games. 2002’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the Xbox is a fun action-adventure title, but 2003’s Chaos Bleeds is slightly superior. Taking place during the fifth season of the show and involving the “First,” the personification of pure evil in Buffy‘s universe, Chaos Bleeds ties into the series impressively well, serving something more satisfying than just fan service.

Along with Buffy, Chaos Bleeds comes with a couple of other playable characters, including Spike. So, not only does this game offer players the chance to kill vampires as the slayer, but they can also step into the shadows of a vamp.

11 Infamous 2: Festival Of Blood

A Short But Sweet Expansion That Blends Superhero Action With Vampires

Cole MacGrath has led quite a peculiar life. As gaining superpowers was not weird enough, Infamous: Festival of Blood throws vampires into the mix. Now, this game is not canon, and Cole’s meeting with Bloody Mary is just a story told by Zeke, but that doesn’t make Festival of Blood any less enjoyable to play through.

The expansion reuses Infamous 2’s map, but Cole’s new powers and the UGC missions more than make up for it. Festival of Blood might not last too long, but it is one of the best vampire games on not just the PS3, but any console.

10 Hunter: The Reckoning

A Respectable Adaptation Of A Tabletop Game

Based on a tabletop RPG, Hunter: The Reckoning is a hack-and-slash action game that only launched on the GameCube and original Xbox. This exclusivity led to Hunter becoming an overlooked gem of that era despite good reviews.

Vampires and a legion of monsters have taken over, and it’s up to the player to fight back. While certainly no Diablo 2, the game is a fun enough equivalent for those wanting a vampire hunter game. Hunter: The Reckoning also spawned two sequels, called Wayward and Redeemer.

9 Lunar Knights

Kojima Productions’ Action RPG For The DS

When acclaimed game developer Hideo Kojima comes up, most are quick to think of the Metal Gear Solid games or the recent and disappointing Death Stranding. In 2006, Kojima released an action RPG focusing on vampire hunters…hunting vampires. Pretty straightforward.

Originally, the Japanese version featured an exclusive mechanic using a solar sensor and a microphone. However, when Lunar Knights was revamped for international release, these mechanics were removed. This does not stop Lunar Knights from being a fun dungeon crawler with awesome vampiric bosses to contend with.

8 BloodRayne

Clunky But Charming Camp Game

BloodRayne is a third-person action game that follows the story of Rayne, a dhampir who must stop Nazi occultists from using supernatural artifacts to win World War 2. That premise sounds insane yet does a great job of showcasing what BloodRayne is all about.

The game features fast-paced, acrobatic combat, with Rayne using her vampiric abilities to slice and dice her way through hordes of enemies. BloodRayne is known for its stylish and gory gameplay, as well as its unique blend of vampire lore and historical fiction. Players were glad to see that this title and its sequel received an updated release as well, even if the work put into the same was minimal at best.

BloodRayne 2
is also pretty great, although it plays quite differently from its successor.

Expanding On Vampire Lore

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim featured a decent vampire addition but nothing worth writing home about. That changed with the Dawnguard expansion, which added a new faction for the Dragonborn to join. The Dawnguard battle a legion of vampires known as Volkihar.

While it can be considered cheating to add DLC to the list: the Dawnguard DLC is one of the best vampire experiences in gaming. The addition of the crossbow, the lore, and the locations all make it stand out perfectly. For those who wish to play this DLC natively on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, Skyrim: Anniversary Edition is a solid option.

6 V Rising

A Good Balance Of Gameplay And World-Building

Many vampire games are narrow affairs. As a member of the undead, one is beset by enemies on all sides, and the player’s top priority is making sure their undeath isn’t abruptly ended. There’s nothing wrong with such plots, but they don’t leave much room for exploring other aspects of vampiric life, such as what a vampire is supposed to do with all the time their immortality gives them.

V Rising is an ambitious title that does its best to answer that question, at least in part. In it, the player is free to travel the countryside, develop their castle, and make friends (and enemies) among the living and the dead, all while avoiding the killing glare of the sun. With crafting, base-building, combat, and numerous other activities to get sunk into, V Rising makes a compelling case for being one of the most complete undead experiences out there, ensuring it won’t be forgotten any time soon.

5 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Blood And Wine

Setting The Standard For Both Expansions And Vampire-Themed RPG Storylines

Yet another DLC expansion, this time for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. With over ten hours of main story gameplay and about fifty hours of side missions, Blood And Wine is long enough to be its own standalone game.

Geralt is contracted by the Duchess of Toussaint to investigate and kill the monster stalking her lands. This results in a lot of vampire action and, as usual with The Witcher 3, a seemingly endless list of side missions to have fun with.

4 Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver

Something Special

The Legacy Of Kain series is often labeled as one of the pinnacle vampire gaming franchises. It combines unique lore with epic storytelling. One of the most beloved entries in the franchise is the second game, Soul Reaver. The main protagonist is a ghostly vampire which allows him to swap between the real world and the astral plane.

Combined with addictive hack-and-slash gameplay, Soul Reaver has become a classic that spawned several sequels that are even better in some areas (an argument could be made that Blood Omen 2 is even better). That said, the entries franchise is worth playing, with everything coming together to tell one of the more complex stories in gaming.

3 Darkwatch: Curse Of The West

Drenched In Gorgeous Gothic Imagery

While games like Legacy Of Kain and Vampire The Masquerade reigned supreme, there was another vampire title that passed under the radar. Darkwatch: Curse of the West is a first-person shooter about a gunslinger turned vampire named Jericho Cross who joins the Darkwatch organization to stop a demonic vampire lord named Lazarus.

Darkwatch: Curse of the West uses a morality system to determine what upgrades the player gets. The wild west setting was different for the time and the undead monsters are all exquisitely designed. There was a planned sequel but it was unfortunately canceled.

2 Vampyr

Strong Writing, Decent Combat, And Immersive Setting

After a long dry spell with barely a pip from any bloodsucker, Vampyr marked the big return of vampires to gaming. It focuses on Jonathan Reid, a vampire who is a surgeon in post-World War 1 London with the influenza outbreak.

Vampyr can best be described as a vampiric version of Mass Effect. Tons of dialogue options, story decisions, and RPG mechanics to keep the player hooked for hours. The 1918 London setting also makes for a visually stunning Gothic look for the game. For anyone in need of a modern vampire game, Vampyr is the best option.

1 Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines

One Of The Greatest RPGs Ever

Vampyr is an amazing contender for the best vampire game, however, as great of an RPG as that game is, it still does not manage to beat Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. There’s a reason why Bloodlines 2 is so anticipated: the first game is one of the most unique and massive RPGs of its time.

With Vampyr, Jonathan Reid and his awesome abilities are all the player gets. In Bloodlines, there are many classes of vampires to become and evolve in the open-ended world. It can essentially be considered the Skyrim of vampire games, that’s how free the player is with Bloodlines. Fans can only hope the long-awaited sequel lives up to the legacy that this RPG left in its wake.