Home console ports, also with unique character rosters, were released for the Sega Saturn in Japan and the PlayStation worldwide in 1998.

The game retains the character roster of Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors, omitting Donovan, Huitzil and Pyron from the lineup.

[6] Vampire Savior eschews the traditional round-based system in favor of what is dubbed the "Damage Gauge System":[7] battles take place during a single round, with each fighter having two life bars and corresponding life markers similar to those in Rare's Killer Instinct.

The game also introduces the "Dark Force System" which uses a bar or super meter to allow players to perform special abilities unique to each character for a limited period.

Thanks to the 4MB RAM cartridge, this version more faithfully reproduces the 2D-animation fluidity of the arcade than either of the earlier console releases in the series.

Also in 1998, an update of the game was ported for the PlayStation as Vampire Savior: EX Edition in Japan and Darkstalkers 3 in North America and Europe.

Although it is an EX version of the third canon game in the series, it is actually a compilation of Vampire Savior and its two Japan-only arcade updates.

[13] It was also included in a remastered form as part of the HD remix game Darkstalkers Resurrection for the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.

"[20] GamePro echoed these two conclusions, but in reverse priority: "... Vampire Savior is more of the same 2D fighting-game formula Capcom's been churning out for years.

[20][23] GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann hailed it as "easily the best fighter Capcom has put out in years" and noted it is "very well animated," even on the PlayStation, and "has an excellent soundtrack, and the character voices are all terrific.

Retrospectively, GamesRadar's Lucas Sullivan included Darkstalkers 3 among other lesser-known fighting game classics deserving HD remakes in 2012, stating that "the game's crisp spritework is a marvel to behold – especially in the backgrounds, which convey the kind of creepy atmosphere that complements the supernatural fighters perfectly.