Castlevania: Belmont's Curse arrived earlier this year as the franchise's first new installment in 13 years. Polygon ranked the eight best games in the series, with Symphony of the Night taking the top spot nearly 30 years after its release.

Symphony of the Night fused Metroid's design with gothic adventuring. Players control Alucard exploring a sprawling castle filled with creatures. The game contained a major twist partway through when holy spectacles revealed an entirely separate half of the adventure players hadn't discovered.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse placed second. The game uses 2.5D visuals and Metroidvania mechanics. It features fluid combat, a new protagonist, and a soundtrack matching the moonlit visuals. Polygon stated players need to play it because it respects the series' history while mapping out a potential future.

Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse ranked third. The NES title offered multiple heroes with unique play styles and diverging paths through stages.

Aria of Sorrow made the list despite inferior visuals compared to its predecessor Harmony of Dissonance. Players control Soma Cruz, who awakens in Dracula's castle after blacking out during a solar eclipse. He absorbs monster essences to gain strength. The game is available in Castlevania Advance Collection on Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One.

Rondo of Blood remained exclusive to PC Engine CD for over a decade before reaching North America on PSP in 2007 and Virtual Console in 2010. It concludes with events serving as a prologue to Symphony of the Night.

Super Castlevania 4 for Super Nintendo featured Simon whipping in eight directions while jumping, grappling mechanics, and Mode 7 rotation. The game is available in Castlevania Anniversary Collection on Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One.

Castlevania: Bloodlines on Genesis introduced a spear-wielding hero who accessed alternate routes. The game featured World War I settings and a score by Michiru Yamane.

Castlevania Chronicles was a remake of the original 1986 game, originally developed for Sharp X68000 as Akumajo Dracula.