Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls Closes September 3, Removal from Apple Arcade August 20

Konami has announced the end of Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls, the mobile installment of the series exclusively available on Apple Arcade since 2021. According to the calendar published on the official website, the game will be removed from the Apple Arcade catalog on August 20, 2026, while the definitive service shutdown is set for September 3. From that moment, Grimoire of Souls will no longer be playable.

The two dates therefore indicate different stages. From August 20, it will no longer be possible to obtain the game through Apple Arcade, while those who have already downloaded it will be able to continue using it until the service is shut down two weeks later. Konami has not provided a specific reason for the decision, and the announcement does not even indicate the possible publication of an offline version or a port for other platforms.

Grimoire of Souls had a rather peculiar journey. Initially conceived as a free-to-play project for mobile devices and soft-launched in Canada in 2019, it did not reach its planned global release in that form. It then returned on September 17, 2021, as an Apple Arcade exclusive, with changes to the progression system and without in-app purchases. The definitive version offers 60 levels and five playable characters, including Alucard, Simon Belmont, Maria Renard, Charlotte Aulin, and Shanoa. Two names historically linked to the series also participated in the production, with character designs by Ayami Kojima and music by Michiru Yamane.

The shutdown primarily raises a preservation issue: as a title tied to Apple's service, the shutdown will also render the primarily single-player component of the experience inaccessible, barring future decisions by Konami. The franchise, meanwhile, will continue on consoles and PC with Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, a new 2D action-exploration game scheduled for October 15, 2026.