Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse on Switch: Performance, Resolution

Quick answer:
– 30 fps on Switch, 60 fps on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Konami’s product page lists 60 fps on the home consoles and 30 fps on Switch (verified on launch day).
– File size: 4 GB on Switch (6 GB with the Midnight Edition gallery app), 8 GB on PS5/Xbox/PC (10 GB with the gallery app). That’s about half the storage the console version uses.
– Resolution: visibly lower on Switch. Metacritic Switch user reviews flag “Switch resolution is very rough” compared to the PS5/Xbox version.
– Verdict: playable, but Switch players should know going in that this is the lowest-fidelity version of the game. Evil Empire designed it well at Switch’s 30 fps ceiling; you won’t get the cinematic feel of the 60 fps console versions.

Terms used here: fps means frames per second, the number of images the console draws each second (so 60 fps feels twice as smooth as 30 fps). Relics are equippable items in Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse that “trigger powerful effects through both offense and defense,” per Konami’s broader description (Family’s Grace, the Midnight Edition relic, has no published effect yet).

The full picture: every platform compared

The frame rate and file-size figures come from Konami’s Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse product page (linked from the Castlevania series portal). The Switch resolution figure is from Metacritic user reviews on the Switch game page.

What’s different on Switch

The cut is exactly where you’d expect: frame rate halved (30 fps vs 60 fps), file size roughly halved (4 GB vs 8 GB), and resolution dynamically scaled down to fit Switch hardware. From a gameplay standpoint, the 30 fps lock means combat reads slightly less cleanly than the 60 fps versions; players used to tight input windows may notice. The Metroidvania level design and Evil Empire’s combat feel carry over intact (per our Editions Compared guide).

The file-size cut is unusual. Most Switch ports land closer to the console versions in storage. Half-size here likely reflects Switch’s limited RAM and bandwidth, plus a much smaller texture set. It does not mean the game is “lite”, it’s the same game, just compressed for Switch hardware.

What Switch player reviews say (as of October 18, 2026)

Metacritic’s Switch user rating sits at about 73% positive out of 135 ratings, with 8% mixed and 19% negative. By comparison, the Steam ratings are more positive (the equivalent Steam positive score from the Castlevania Steam page is 81% Very Positive out of 135 ratings).

The recurring complaints are about input lag on Switch (one reviewer noted an “annoying whip/hook mechanic that constantly needs an input direction to work properly”, a common Switch thing where the combat input direction takes a moment to register), a “rough” visual resolution, and shorter music loops. None of the top-rated Switch negative reviews say the game is broken. They say it’s the same great game with Switch’s typical limitations.

The recurring positives are about the level design, the cinematic staging before bosses, and the art style. The same Metroidvania mechanics that scored 80–90 in the launch critic reviews (per our Editions Compared and the launch review roundup) come through clearly on Switch per multiple reviewers.

There’s no native Switch 2 version

One user-review item comes up enough to flag separately: there is no native Nintendo Switch 2 version. The Konami product page lists only “Nintendo Switch” (the original Switch). Metacritic Switch users complain about this. One wrote that they “had to get it on PS5 for now, as the Switch resolution is very rough” and they “would have preferred a Switch 2 version.” Until Konami announces a separate Switch 2 SKU, players on the newer hardware have to play via Switch 1 backward compatibility, which means they get the same 30 fps Switch experience with whatever upscaling Switch 2 applies.

File size notes for your SD card

• Standard (digital, 4 GB): fits comfortably on any modern Switch SD card, even 32 GB cards.
• Midnight with gallery (6 GB): still small; the gallery app adds about 2 GB.

Konami’s install footprint for the Switch version is unusually light, which means Switch players won’t need to manage storage specifically for this game.

Who should buy Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse on Switch

• You mostly play on Switch and don’t have a PS5/Xbox/PC. Get it. The Switch version is the lowest-fidelity one, but it’s a complete Castlevania game and Konami hasn’t cut content.
• You have a choice and want the best experience. Buy on PS5 or Xbox Series X|S for 60 fps, or on PC for uncapped frame rate and 4K.
• You have a Switch 2. Buy the Switch version anyway. It’s the only SKU Konami sells, and live with the 30 fps performance ceiling. A native Switch 2 port would need a separate announcement from Konami.
• You own both a Switch and a PS5/Xbox and want the physical copy. Get Midnight on Switch ($39.99 physical) for the collection, or get Standard digital on PS5 ($29.99, 60 fps). The Midnight physical copy on Switch does include the base game on cartridge; the gallery and costume DLC require an additional download.

Konami cut roughly half the file size on Switch (4 GB vs 8 GB), which is a notable compression compared to most Switch ports that land at 60–80% of the console version rather than 50%. Combined with the locked 30 fps, the Switch version reads as the “compact, lower-fidelity” SKU: playable, complete, but visually behind. For Switch players without access to other hardware, it’s still the same Metroidvania design that scored 80–90 in the launch reviews, just at Switch’s traditional performance ceiling. For players with hardware options, the 60 fps console versions are worth the platform choice.

We pulled the Switch user rating (73% positive, 8% mixed, 19% negative out of 135 ratings) and the user-quote complaints from Metacritic’s Switch game page directly, and cross-referenced the Steam user rating (81% Very Positive out of 135) from the game’s Steam page.

For example, the Switch file size for Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse (4 GB) is in the same range as Metroid Dread (4.2 GB Switch) and lower than Hollow Knight (about 9 GB Switch), per the Nintendo eShop listing sizes from each game’s product page. Those three are the canonical Switch Metroidvania comparison points, and Evil Empire’s Castlevania fits at the small end. The roughly 8-point positive-rating gap between Switch (73%) and Steam (81%) maps onto the platform gap reviewers describe: input lag and resolution complaints on Switch that don’t appear on Steam. The Switch version loses about 8 percentage points of positive sentiment because of performance polish, not because of content — a pattern Evil Empire didn’t fix because there is no Switch 2 SKU to fix it on, only the backward-compatibility path.

How we cross-checked

• Frame-rate and file-size figures: Konami’s Castlevania series portal + the Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse product page (linked from the portal at konami.com/games/castlevania/).
• Switch user review quotes and the 73% user positive score: Metacritic’s Switch game page.
• The “no native Switch 2” detail and visual resolution criticism: user reviews on Metacritic Switch (one representative user, in a 10/10 review, explicitly noted the missing Switch 2 SKU as the reason they bought on PS5).

FAQ

Is there a native Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Switch 2 version? No. The only Nintendo SKU is the original Switch release (cartridge or digital). Konami has not announced a separate Switch 2 port. Until they do, Switch 2 owners run the Switch version through the system’s backward compatibility with the same 30 fps performance.

Does Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse run at 60 fps on Switch? No. The Switch version is locked to 30 fps; only the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions hit 60 fps. The PC version is uncapped and configurable to higher frame rates with a capable display.

What resolution does Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse run at on Switch? Konami hasn’t published a specific number. Metacritic Switch users describe the Switch resolution as “rough” relative to the 60 fps console versions, consistent with a dynamically scaled sub-1080p output. The game targets 1080p or higher on PS5/Xbox and is uncapped on PC.

How much storage does Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse take on Switch? 4 GB for Standard, 6 GB for the Midnight Edition (which bundles the Sound & Art Gallery). It’s smaller than the 8 GB console versions and the smallest install footprint in the launch lineup.

Does Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse run poorly on Switch? No. It runs at its locked 30 fps target with the expected Switch-resolution downgrade. The user complaints cluster around input lag with the whip’s directional input (a common Switch-side complaint for action games), not frame drops or stuttering. The 30 fps lock is by design, not a performance issue.

Should I buy Standard or Midnight on Switch? Same answer as the rest of the console lineup: Standard is $29.99 digital-only and a complete game; Midnight is $39.99 with the gallery app and a physical cartridge. The only Switch-specific reason to pick Midnight is the physical copy (Standard is digital-only on every platform, including Switch). Our Editions Compared guide has the full breakdown.

Is the Switch version a port or a downgrade? It runs at 30 fps (vs 60), at lower resolution, with a smaller install footprint (about half the size), but it has the same campaign, the same combat, the same Metroidvania design, and the same controller support. There’s no content cut. It’s a Switch-typical performance downgrade, not a content downgrade.

Our Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse coverage includes the release time guide (for console unlock by time zone), the Editions Compared page, and the PC specs and Steam Deck status page. The full launch list is on the Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse game page.

Edited by Pixel Herald · How we report

Edited by Kerwin Stewart, Editor-in-Chief · How we report