Best Dragon Quest Games
Image: Nintendo Life

Update: To celebrate the release of Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, we've completely overhauled our Best Dragon Quest list to include every single Dragon Quest game released on a Nintendo system in the West. Enjoy!


Dragon Quest – or maybe you know it better as Dragon Warrior – might be one of the most well-known JRPG franchises in the world. It’s known for bringing crowds in Japan thanks to its cosy, comfy gameplay structure, adventurous stories, and homely feel. Dragon Quest is RPG comfort food at its finest.

With such a wide variety of games — with spin-offs ranging from Minecraft-likes to monster-catching adventures — you might be wondering “What’s the best Dragon Quest?” Well, we’ve compiled this list of every single Dragon Quest game released on a Nintendo system, including remakes, spin-offs, and multiple versions, though no imports – sorry, Dragon Quest X!

With that out of the way, a wild list appears!

Best Dragon Quest Games


The list is defeated! Each party member obtains… wait, this isn’t a battle? Just a list. Well, congrats for making it to the end, anyway!

This video is a few years old and only features mainline entries, but is worth checking out if you're interested in the differences between the biggest DQs.
Watch on YouTube

Best Dragon Quest FAQ

Feeling confused after that bumper list of Dragon Quest games and spin-offs? Let’s guide you through some questions and answers, then.

What was the first Dragon Quest game?

The Dragon Quest series started life on the Famicom on 27th May 1986 in Japan. A North American release for the NES followed in 1989 under the name Dragon Warrior. The series would go on to be known as Dragon Warrior in the West until 2004’s Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King on PS2.

As for Europe? Well, the first Dragon Quest game we got was Dragon Warrior Monsters on the Game Boy Color in 2000. We wouldn't see a numbered entry until Dragon Quest VIII.

What's the latest Dragon Quest game?

There are a few answers to this, so let’s break it down.

The most recent Dragon Quest game is Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, a remake of Dragon Warrior III on the NES. It launched on the Switch on 14th November 2024.

In terms of mainline releases, the last game in the series to release was Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition, which came to Switch on 27th September 2019.

For spin-offs, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince was the last one to grace the world. We got this on Switch on 1st December 2023.

Which Dragon Quest character is playable in Smash Ultimate?

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate added 'Hero' from Dragon Quest in July 2019 as part of Fighters Pass Vol. 1. While his default appearance is the Luminary from Dragon Quest XI (the Yggdrasil's Altar stage is also from DQXI), Hero's alternate costumes actually change his appearance to look like other protagonists from other Dragon Quest games.

The other three appearances are Erdrick from Dragon Quest III, Solo from Dragon Quest IV, and Eight from Dragon Quest VIII. Each character also has an alternate colour that is a reference to other Dragon Quest heroes.

Gigaslash, Hero's Final Smash, features all the missing protagonists, so no one gets left out, really!

Wait, where is Dragon Quest X?

Yes, there is a Dragon Quest X, but it's never, ever been released in English. And, as we said in our intro, this list doesn't include imports.

It's a darn shame Dragon Quest X has never left Japan — it's available on multiple Nintendo platforms, including the Switch — but at this point, we've sort of given up hope. It's an MMORPG that's well over 12 years old at this point.

But what about Dragon Quest X Offline? Well... it's been over a year and we've had nothing on a Western release yet. Plus, it only covers Volume 1 of the MMO. So we'd still be missing out on a lot if we ever got this version.

Is Dragon Quest Monsters a bit like Pokémon?

Sort of? Well, they're a little different.

The concept of Dragon Quest Monsters actually pre-dates Pokémon, originating in Dragon Quest V on the Super Famicom. In that game, the protagonist could tame wild monsters and recruit them into their party, allowing them to fight alongside him. It's a very cool feature and incredibly fun — especially if you're really lucky and recruit a Green Dragon or a Golem.

That's also the basis of the Monsters sub-series, with the first game launching on Game Boy Color in 1998. Battles are turn-based, and you can battle with teams of three (or four) monsters. You get Monsters by defeating them, and you can fuse or breed them to create new monsters in some games. Every single monster has a different personality, and depending on that personality, they might have issues obeying orders.

So, there are similarities, for sure, but you're using Dragon Quest monsters instead of Pocket Monsters.

Are the Dragon Quest Heroes games on Switch?

They are... but not in English, unfortunately. You can get Dragon Quest Heroes I•II in Japan — it was actually a launch title for the Switch. But if you want to play these spin-offs in English, you'll have to pick up the PS4 or PC versions.

If you don't know what the Heroes games are, Dragon Quest Heroes is a sub-series developed by Omega Force, the team known for the Dynasty Warriors series. And, as you'd expect, these are Musou-style action RPGs where you can play as a range of popular Dragon Quest characters including Alena, Bianca, Terry, Yangus, Ruff, and Torneko.

When is Dragon Quest XII coming out?

Honestly? We have no idea!

Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate was originally announced back in 2021 during the series' 35th-anniversary stream — at the same time as Dragon Quest III HD-2D no less. It's supposedly going to have a "darker" story, and may well be changing up the battle system as we know it.

In 2023, the game got a minor logo update, and in 2024, series creator Yuji Horii said that he "still can't share details", though he was "in a meeting" about the game. There had been rumours of concerns about the Dragon Quest team, but hopefully, with the HD-2D Remakes finally coming out, Dragon Quest should be back on track.

Are Dragon Quest I & II being remade?

They are indeed, in the same style as the recent Dragon Quest III remake, no less!

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remaster will be released as a bundle sometime in 2025, and it's already confirmed for Switch. The package was announced at the same time that Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake was re-revealed to the world during the June 2024 Nintendo Direct.

How can I change the ranking in this article?

Just like all of our other lists, this Best Dragon Quest Game list is determined by you lovely readers. So, naturally, you can influence the rankings.

The order above is updated in real-time according to each game's User Rating in our little NL game database. So, if you think the NES version of Dragon Quest IV is better than the DS one, for example, then let us know by scoring those games as you see fit!

That's a big ol' list of games, right? Let us know what your favourite Dragon Quest game of all time is — spin-off, mainline, whatever — and get chatting about this lovely series in the comments.