Hit indie gameVampire Survivorshas always worn itsCastlevaniainspirations on its sleeve, but this Halloween season, it’ll be getting an official crossover in the form of theOde to CastlevaniaDLC.Vampire Survivorsis an infinite roguelike game in which players select from one of aroster of 85 different characters, plop them down into a stage full of ghosts and ghouls, and attempt to survive as long as they can. Each time they level up, they can select froma menu of different weapons, customizing (occasionally broken) builds through their choice of power-ups.
In character design, weapon design, stage design, enemy design, and punny names for all of the above,Vampire Survivorsis obviously inspired by the side-scrolling action seriesCastlevania, which began in 1986 with the game of the same name.Castlevaniamore recentlyspawned an animated seriesand an anthology of remakes in theDominus Collection. Now, it’s coming back in an entirely new form: theVampire Survivorscrossover will be the first major newCastlevaniavideo game content to be released in the past ten years. Here’s what to expect when it comes out.
Vampire Survivors: Ode To Castlevania Release Date, Platforms, & Price
When Does The Castlevania DLC Come Out?
Vampire Survivors’Ode to CastlevaniaDLC will be released on August 01, 2025, coming out, very appropriately, on Halloween itself. It’ll be available on all platforms where the base game can be played: Android, iOS, Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It can currently be pre-purchased on PC; the console and mobile versions may not be available to buy just yet, but should be revealed sometime before the end of the month.
The base game ofVampire Survivorsis currently on sale for $3.99 on PlayStation, and for $3.74 on Steam. It’s also available for no additional fee with Game Pass.
Either way,theOde to CastlevaniaDLC will cost $3.99 USDacross all platforms. That makes itVampire Survivors' most expensive DLC to date, but considering everything that’s included, it might just be worth the price.
Vampire Survivors: Ode To Castlevania DLC New Characters
20+ Fresh Faces
TheOde to CastlevaniaDLC includes over 20 charactersfrom across theCastlevaniafranchise. In the trailer, they’re juxtaposed with theVampire Survivorscharacters based on them - it all seems to have come full circle as the new additions toVampire Survivorsare announced. Confirmed characters already seen in the trailer include:
However, these are naturally not the only characters to be added toVampire Survivorsin the DLC. The trailer literally uses “Everyone is here” as a tagline, so it’s likely that the rest of its roster will include a wide variety of characters from every imaginable corner of theCastlevaniauniverse.
Vampire Survivors: Ode To Castlevania DLC New Features
New Weapons, New Music, New Stage
New characters are all well and good, butVampire Survivorsis getting even more weapons - more than 40- in its next DLC. Some of these can briefly be seen in the trailer. One of them, pictured above, appears to spawn a series of portals, each of which summons an enormous blue spike. On leveling up, players can probably choose to spawn more of these spikes.
Other weapons includethe Belmont Clan’s iconic whip, and a looser, stringier, spectral whip. Players may also wield two rotating red magic sigils, sets of throwing spears, spinning blades, and waves of damaging magic.
How to Unlock Avatar Infernas in Vampire Survivors
To unlock Avatar Infernas in Vampire Survivors, players must complete a challenge in Inverse Mode of the Inlaid Library after beating the final boss.
The DLC will also include over 30new music tracks, likely drawn from the music composed for variousCastlevaniagames by Michiru Yamane. Whether it’ll use the original arrangements or new remixes remains to be seen. Either way,Vampire Survivors' music is close enough in nature toCastlevania’s that the two should fit together seamlessly.
Even the title of the DLC,Ode to Castlevania, relies on theCastlevanianaming convention, in which most games in the series are named after types of musical compositions (Rondo of Blood,Symphony of the Night,Aria of Sorrow).
Finally, it seems liketheOde to CastlevaniaDLC will only include one new stage, as the trailer only describes “one huge castle.” Of course, it seems like it’ll be a rather large level, likely based on Dracula’s Castle and featuring several iconic elements from its appearances throughout the series. The gameplay ofVampire Survivorsmight not allow for any platforming elements, but it’ll likely contain various secrets, a staple ofCastlevaniagames, too.
And if it really is just one level, it’s likely quite a large one. Butwith more than 30 characters to choose from on all the other preexisting levels, it’s unlikely players will get bored.
Vampire Survivors: Ode To Castlevania DLC Trailer
An Extensive Preview
The trailer for theOde to CastlevaniaDLC appears above. It begins with Gennaro fighting a group of demons and ghosts in a castle, animated in a similar style to that of theCastlevaniaNetflix series. As he passes by a mirror, an image of Simon Belmont fighting his own battle appears. SeveralVampire Survivorscharacters are then shown in direct juxtaposition to theCastlevaniacharacters who inspired them.
The trailer then cuts to gameplay footage, where characters like RIchter and Alucard are seen testing out some of the DLC’s new weapons as outlined above. Finally, they’re seen battling new bosses, fending off hordes of enemies, claiming treasures, using items, et cetera. It’s a lot to process in two minutes, but it’s a great first look at the DLC.
For now, that’s everything to know about theOde to CastlevaniaDLC. It represents a long-awaited collaboration for many fans of both franchises:Vampire Survivorshas had a handful of crossovers, and yet has never touched on the franchise that inspired it in the first place. Thankfully, the wait won’t be too much longer, withOde to Castlevaniacoming toVampire Survivorsthis Halloween.
Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors is a roguelike shoot-‘em-up where players choose from one of several characters as they face the hordes of the night to survive and face off with the ultimate evil that awaits them at the end. Levels are thirty-minute survival excursions where players walk around on a map, automatically firing off abilities that they collect to defeat unending waves of enemies. To improve their characters permanently, players can collect gold and complete tasks in the game that will unlock new relics, weapons, and characters as they progress through the game to unlock new levels and new difficulties and save additional survivors.
