Konami has officially confirmed that its title Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls will be taken offline next month, ending its presence on Apple Arcade. The game, which has been available exclusively through Apple’s subscription service since its arrival in September 2021, will first be removed from the storefront on August 20. After that date, players will no longer be able to download or purchase the title.
The final shutdown is scheduled for September 3, at which point the game’s servers will be turned off and the experience will become completely unplayable for anyone who still has it installed. In a statement posted on the company’s website, Konami reflected on the game’s lifespan and the decision to end support. "Since its launch on Apple Arcade in September 2021, the game has continued to be supported by many players," the announcement read.
"However, we have decided to terminate the service [in September]." The publisher went on to thank its community, saying, "We would like to express our gratitude to all of our players for their enthusiastic support throughout the years. The entire development and operations team sincerely thanks you for being part of this journey." Grimoire of Souls originally debuted in September 2019 as a free‑to‑play mobile title for iOS and Android, initially rolling out only in Canada. After a year of operation, the mobile version was discontinued, but the game found a new home when Konami partnered with Apple Arcade.
In the fall of 2021, the title was relaunched across Apple’s ecosystem, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac. This second life came with a series of substantial upgrades: the developers stripped out the original in‑game currency and microtransaction model, overhauled the user interface, and delivered a visual polish that brought the classic Castlevania aesthetic into a modern, high‑definition format.
The decision to retire Grimoire of Souls comes as part of a broader trend of online‑dependent games reaching the end of their service windows. Konami has indicated that several other titles are slated for similar fates in the coming months. For example, the popular mobile racing game Mario Kart Tour is slated to cease operations in September. Following that, the animated‑themed shooter Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem will be taken offline in October, and the vehicular combat title Destruction AllStars is scheduled for a November shutdown.
These closures reflect the challenges of maintaining live‑service games, especially as player bases shift and the cost of server upkeep rises. For fans of Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls, the upcoming shutdown means that any progress made in the game will be lost after September 3, and the ability to experience the game’s unique blend of classic Castlevania lore with a collectible‑card style progression system will disappear. Those who wish to revisit the experience should consider downloading the game before the August 20 delisting, although even a local copy will become unusable once the online components are disabled. The broader Castlevania franchise continues to thrive through other avenues, including recent releases on consoles and the upcoming projects announced by Konami’s development teams.
While Grimoire of Souls will no longer be accessible, the legacy of the series lives on in its many iterations, from the critically acclaimed Bloodstains series on modern consoles to the upcoming collaborations that keep the vampire‑hunting mythos alive for new generations. In summary, Konami’s announcement marks the end of an era for Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls on Apple Arcade.
The game will be removed from the service on August 20, and its online functionality will cease entirely on September 3, rendering it unplayable. The company expressed sincere thanks to its community, acknowledging the support that sustained the title throughout its run.
This shutdown is part of a larger wave of service terminations affecting several mobile and live‑service games in the near future, underscoring the evolving landscape of digital game distribution and the finite lifespan of online‑only experiences.