Best Dracula Games

Few literary characters have enjoyed a stranglehold on pop culture quite like Dracula. The instantly recognizable arch-vampire is one of the most-portrayed characters in film. Every time it seems like he’s about to hang up his cloak, he’s refreshed in the public imagination, be it through his self-titled 1992 Francis Ford Coppola movie, or 2024’s Nosferatu.

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It’s a bit different in the gaming sphere. While countless video games have been inspired by Dracula, surprisingly few are about Dracula. If you want to dedicate an evening to gaming with the Count, your selection will be surprisingly thin. Luckily, we’ve handpicked the best ones for you.

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Nosferatu

Kyle engages in fisticuffs with a brick wall in Nosferatu.

If you’re a fan of the classic Prince of Persia, you’ll feel right at home with Nosferatu. This little-known fourth-generation gem was launched on the SNES to little acknowledgment. It’s a shame, because underneath its flaws it’s a surprisingly solid game.

Split images of Prince of Persia characters.

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Despite the title referencing Count Orlok, the opening cutscene of the Japanese version refers to the antagonist as Count Dracula. Much like in Prince of Persia, you work your way through puzzle-platforming segments, so your protagonist can save his beloved from an evil bureaucrat.

7

Wallachia: Reign Of Dracula

Wallachia: Reign of Dracula

Released: February 28, 2020
Developer: Migami Games
Publisher: Pixel Heart S.A.S., STORYBIRD Studio, Storybird Games
Multiplayer: Online Multiplayer
ESRB: m
How Long To Beat: 6 hours
OpenCritic Rating: Weak

Part of the novelty of indie games is that they often wear their influences on their sleeve. Wallachia: Reign of Dracula is no different; the game is filled with Contra and Castlevania’s DNA. It’s a fast-paced, retro-styled action platformer.

While you’d expect Wallachia to be a short game, the campaign is surprisingly substantive, lasting around seven hours on a relaxed playthrough. If the eye-popping art style doesn’t get you, the hectic combat definitely will. The game is available for PC, Switch and PS4.

6

V Rising

V Rising image showing a player at his castle.

Systems

Released: May 17, 2022
Developer(s): Stunlock Studios
Publisher(s): Stunlock Studios
Engine: Unity
Multiplayer: Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
ESRB: T For Teen due to Blood, Violence
How Long To Beat: 40 Hours
OpenCritic Rating: Mighty

If you grew up playing World of Warcraft or Diablo, you’ll feel right at home with V Rising. This open-world survival game has base-building mechanics and online co-op. Though playable alone, the developers themselves recommend playing with a friend.

V Rising features a dark, wintry art style that’s sure to soothe your gothic heart. It’s a very time-consuming game, but well worth the investment. The game features a collaboration with Castlevania as well, allowing your characters to dress up as protagonists from the classic series.

5

Nosferatu: The Wrath Of Malachi

Nosferatu: The Wrath Of Malachi

Systems

Released: October 19, 2003
Developer: Idol FX
Publisher: iGames Publishing
Engine: game engine
ESRB: m
How Long To Beat: 5 Hours

This game is an underappreciated classic. Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi was experimenting with procedural generation and unusual gaming conventions long before the mechanic became an indie staple. It also did away with the complexities of its contemporaries: it featured no inventory, a small selection of weapons and a modest assortment of enemies.

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You have 90 minutes to save a bunch of NPCs in each run, working your way through a randomly generated castle. Nosferatu suffered from some bugs on release due to its experimental nature, but has since then been fixed and made available on Steam and GOG.

4

Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood

Renfield surrounded by enemies, some of which are being splattered. He's standing on a pentagram as energy swirls into the sky in Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood.

For better or for worse, tie-in video games released next to big-budget games have largely been phased out. These clunky titles are a sure source of embarrassment for anyone who grew up during the sixth console generation. While a few were good, most were mediocre to the point of banality.

Enter Renfield, an indie action-roguelike that knows exactly what its audience wants. Based on the Nicholas Cage film, this game presents itself with style and retro finesse, assuring you it isn’t one of those terrible movie-based games you’d pick out for the PS2 in your youth.

3

Dracula: Undead Awakening

Dracula: Undead Awakening

Systems

Released: February 19, 2009
Developer(s): Abstraction Games
Engine: game engine
ESRB: teen
How Long To Beat: 2 Hours
Publishers: Chillingo

There are games that are underappreciated, and then there are games that are virtually unrecognized. Dracula: Undead Awakening belongs in the latter category. This top-down twin-stick shooter for iOS and PSP never managed to garner much attention.

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Given the popularity of Vampire Survivors in the early 2020s, it’s hard not to feel bad for Dracula: Undead Awakening. It’s a similarly compelling game, featuring endless streams of enemies and exciting gameplay. It was simply the wrong game, at the wrong time and on the wrong platforms.

2

Vampire Survivors

Every Castlevania protagonist fighting against Death in Vampire Survivors.

Released: December 17, 2021
Developer(s): Luca Galante
Publisher(s): Luca Galante
Multiplayer: Local Co-Op
Engine: unity
ESRB: T For Teen // Blood, Violence
How Long To Beat: 6 Hours
Metascore: 95
Number of Players: 1-4
Local Co-Op Support: 1-4 Players
OpenCritic Rating: Mighty

In the early 2020s, Vampire Survivors was a phenomenon. The game cannot lay claim to having invented its genre, as action roguelikes had been dime-a-dozen for a while when it came out. However, Vampire Survivors refined the mechanics to the extent that it has an entire genre named after it.

The prototypical Survivors-like, Vampire Survivors was designed to be played as a game with low investment and high rewards. It is compelling due to its simplicity, and has inspired countless indie imitators. Even Castlevania tipped its hat to the game with a collaborative DLC pack.

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Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night

Dracula's most famous line in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

If we wanted, we could fill this entire list with Castlevania games. However, that’s not good for variety. We decided to go with the definitive one: not only is Castlevania SOTN the best Dracula game, but it’s one of the best games on the PS1 overall.

Symphony of the Night was a genre-defining experience that led to the coining of the term Metroidvania. It turned the focus of 2D gaming from linear side-scrollers to open-ended action-platformers, and its influence on indie games is still felt today. It also features the single most recognizable video game depiction of Dracula.

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Nosferatu