Every Dragon Quest Game Ranked

I feel like VI is criminally underrated, but then again my favourite Final Fantasy might be V so what do I know? You really can't go wrong at all with DQ III-XI, excluding X which I obviously haven't played.

Personally, I’d give VIII an 11/10 and then allow the poll to control the rest

Wow that is virtually game for game how I'd have my top DQ games.

I think I would have IV a little lower down and VII and VI a bit higher up, but there isn't much to choose between them for me.

Top 4 stand out in particular IMO with XI S the clear winner. V is an all time great though as well, tbf

Love this series.

I do not appreciate where y’all put VI.

@Ryu_Niiyama I'll never get why that is either. The dream world concept was really cool.

Ya ya yaaaaaay

Guess I'll have to play DQ5 at some point then.

I would have put IV a little higher. The ability to play as multiple characters was fun (especially Torneko the Merchant). I feel like 4 had an impressive leap in quality over 3 considering they debuted on the same console.

I like this list

Lord VI is underrated here. So is IX.

@nessisonett @Darlinfan thank y’all! I thought I fell into a nightmare or was turned to stone!

Glad to see fellow fans.

I'd personally put VIII up top, but that top three is solid regardless.

The mere fact that Dragon Quest III can come 8th in a list like this just shows what an incredible series this is. No arguments with No 1.

@Ryu_Niiyama VI was my first classic game and is probably still my favourite out of the 2D entries. The two worlds gimmick has been done quite a few times now but I appreciate VI a lot for what it did at the time. Plus VII is basically just a worse version of that game!

@nessisonett internet high five! You are preaching truth right now.

I've only played the first two games on NES. I actually really did enjoy them, especially the second one with its higher difficulty. The last area of the game was so tough every fight was like its own boss battle. Definitely really grindy which I don't usually enjoy, but somehow I did. I'm sure having a fast forward feature on an emulator helped though. I really want to get the Switch ports of 1 - 3, but I haven't heard very favorable things about them. I'd like to try all the games, but I usually can't muster the patience to play RPGs anymore. I will definitely try XI at some point though. It's so well liked I feel it'd be worth investing the time in.

Only played I, II, VIII, and XI S to date. I is interesting historically, and simple enough to be tolerable, but II was just a miserable slog from beginning to end. VIII is obviously not a bad game, but I didn't care much for its open 3D map filled with empty space and intolerable alchemy system. I also could never get on with its cast.

XI S is basically what I wanted from VIII: gorgeous visuals, great (streamlined) world design, loveable characters, and fun exploration.

I would personally put V followed by VIII and XI myself but this is a fair list.

I wish they'd rerelease IX. I miss the ability to download heroes from past games and still have that poster on the wall in my office.

I actually love every last one of them. The only one I like the least was Dragon Quest seven, but I still enjoyed it. I have fond memories of the NES classics one through four, so the nostalgia is high. I again played four on the DS and enjoyed it immensely. Dragon quest five and six are very solid as well. The List is hard to make.
My top 3
3. Dragon Quest 9
2. Dragon Quest 8
1. Dragon Quest 11

@Ralizah While IX doesn’t have characters with their own personalities, the supporting cast more than makes up for that and the individual stories of each town are unmatched in any JRPG ever. They’re really that good. You should totally jump on it if you can track down a copy.

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride was a main inspiration for Pokémon.

IX, XI, V, VIII in this particular order, for me. A IX remake is long overdue

Shocked by how low DQ3 ranked on this list. If this was a Japan poll, it would be number 1.

Dq5 is my favorite and probably my favorite jrpg in general. And I didn't even play until maybe five years ago.

I definitely prefer the more customizable party types like 3, 5, 6 and 9, so those are my favorites (7 is on the very bottom of my list though). 11 and 8 are good but I wouldn't replay them.

I've only played two, 8 and 11, so I don't feel like I'm missing too much. I think I may prefer 8 over 11 but it's been so long, not sure how 8 would hold up, but at the time it was epic.

@Ralizah I recall DQ8 having an overly large overworld that was fairly empty, and it did get on my nerves how infrequently you found a chest hidden away in a corner. But it did make riding on the animal feel that much better later on b/c I knew how big and empty the world felt walking so I appreciated the ride. So I kind of gave them a pass, that they made it big and empty on purpose to highlight how good the ride was. Didn't hurt that DQ8 was soon after FF7 and I always referred to the ridable great sabercat as Red XIII.

I also liked the monster arena better than any of the sidequests in 11. Played a lot of JRPG since, and several before, DQ8 but that arena still stands out as 1 of the better diversions to me. The Triple Triad card game from FF8 is another. Blitzball from FFX holds the top spot for least favorite, despite how good the rest of the game was. Wakka for President. Or something.

I am glad to see so many people love VI like I do. I am currently replaying it, and it is still great.

Also, VIII is in my opinion one of the greatest RPGs ever created. 11/10.

I played all these games apart from X, and I love every single one. But V is overrated. I played it on the DS and there's no way it can compare to VIII. I have VIII, XI and I as my top 3.

My first dragon quest was IX on ds and have played every release since with 11s being my favourite.
Just wish they would release 10 to the West and can't wait to see what they do with 12

I actually really like this list , but maybe 3 is too low.

I believe that Dragon Quest XIS deserved that top spot!

It’s the only game I’ve played

I think III got really underrated but not a bad list otherwise. DQ11 reminded me why I love JRPGs so much.

@Dezzy
Me too. I've never gotten a chance to play it. Hopefully we'll get it on Switch like we did I, II, III.

@TheWingedAvenger I am glad I am not insane. I think V is still a great game, but I honestly liked the pacing of IV and VIII way more.

Can't argue with the top 5 choices but I think people sleep on VI a bit too often.

Shocked by how low DQ3 ranked on this list. If this was a Japan poll, it would be number 1.

@MARl0 @YatoStAr @MatthewTaranto Thank you. Through the clunky NES gameplay (we had how many buttons??), the awkward renderings of Sugiyama's themes, the grinding, and the general inconvenience, there is so much about DQ3 that shines to make it so memorable.

Is it the journey, the variety in the towns and dungeons, the innovations? For me, I think it is the scenario, and so many little things that game does to make a story. [MINOR DQ3 SPOILERS] If you try to cast Return after defeating the final boss, you find that all the locations on Earth are no longer accessible; you are marooned in Alefgard! The way that the walls close in behind you when exiting the Cave of Erdrick at the end is a nice touch, as well. Hell, I love the entire Alefgard portion of the game.

However much Dragon Quest has grown from its initial chapters, there is something ineffable, something great, crystallized in the third game. The line of Erdrick/Loto had interesting times...

I've had DQ:V on my backlog for ages now. Someday

DW taught me how to read, but I’ll never understand the love for XI. It’s a fine game, but i was incredibly disappointed in it. Palette swaps (eye swaps, I suppose) and repeating huge chunks of the maps were fine when the tech was limited. However, I do also understand it was a sort of homage to the older titles and their presentation, but it sure felt like a ridiculous amount of padding in this day and age. It seems that the added focus on the background of the party members really resonated with western audiences, too. Oh and shoehorning it into the timeline (no spoilers) left me a bit salty. Again, I understood the reasoning —to gain a foothold in the west and allow connectedness and inclusivity. Oh well, it sold well and that only means more DQ for me. Not that it was some kind of terrible game or anything. DQ is the king of foot dragging.

Nice that Dragon Quest V is second in place, there's a reason they make a movie about that one. The story for that was simply heart warming but the game in which you play and grow with the characters and monsters makes it the best.

Mysterious dungeon game of the dude witch was marketeer Torneko, should´ve made the list.

You can really see the difference in artstyle Toriyama has developed comparing older and newer titles

@Thisguyisabutthole I don't get it either, at least not the resounding praise. I kept falling asleep playing the XI demo. I hadn't played a game in the series since way back in the NES days (and also the first DQ Monsters if that counts), and it just felt like a very very pretty version of the old games with all the same trappings. I just can't tolerate that lack of concision anymore.

I think with the NES Dragon Quest games you had to be there. They don't seem like much today, but at the time, they were positively groundbreaking.

I've never met a DQ game I didn't like.

I think the difficulty of DQ2 has been overstated. If you took notes, it's not especially difficult.

I'm okay with this list. IX was my favorite. Meeting up with groups IRL to trade maps was pretty fun. Also, a fully customizable party, for me a BIG plus.

My personal rankings (Still need to play through VI and VIII):

1. DQXI
2. DQIX
3. DQVII
4. DQIV
5. DQV
6. DQIII
7. DQI
8. DQII

IX was my first DQ and will always be a special game for me, but XI is modern JRPG perfection. It's my personal third favorite game of all time, and I really can't wait to see how DQXII goes! DQ's one of my favorite series, and even though it's at the bottom of my list, I still enjoyed DQII.

I know it's the same artist, but I'm not gonna lie, whenever I see artwork for Dragon Quest, all I see is Dragon Ball/Z/GT/Super. Same thing with Chrono Trigger.

Dragon Quest is my all-time favorite JRPG series, even over Final Fantasy, and this list is so much yes.

XI is a GORGEOUS game, and may well be the best of the series, with V a VERY close second.
Magnificent series, not a bad game in the lot.

@Darlinfan I’m right there with you in regards to DQIV and FFV. Two of my favorite rpgs that I hold up alongside Chrono Trigger and Earthbound

Dragon Quest was a relic of it’s time and now seems basic and short; but it was groundbreaking when released. Their is an entire genre than owes a lot to that little game. It will always be one of my favorites and it is a big part (along with DQ3) that I prefer the original trilogy.

Since Nintendo published XI S on switch outside of Japan, shouldn’t they be given publisher credit instead of Square Enix?

Dragon Warrior IV is easily the best, with VI and I being must play games. Also what about Dragon Quest Monsters on the GBC? Such an awesome little game

DQ is one of the most consistent franchises in gaming history. The worst thing that you can say about any DQ game is that you prefer another one over it. I love that about the series. You always know it’ll be that old turn-based gameplay. You always know it’ll have a great story, simple though it may be. You always know that it’ll be exactly what you want out of a DQ game. I remember a time when I thought RPGs couldn’t surpass DQIV. Then DQV happened. Then DQVI happened. Etc. And here we are at DQXI, the best in the series and so little has changed outside the visuals. Not many games can remain timeless in the way DQ has.

In my personal experience (standout title):
DQ V : unique stories. Told from different generation
DQ VII : the sense of adventure strong on this title
DQ VIII : best story. IMO
DQ XI : best production value

I missed out on Dragon Quest VI which I am always kicking myself for. I have a copy of all the other ones (except X). When VI was released on DS I had just played IV and V pretty close together and was ready for a break from Dragon Quest for a bit, fully expecting to pick it up a bit later. I ended up never getting it and I have been kicking myself since. I know I could just bye the smartphone version but I am not a fan of the look, or playing games on my smartphone. Maybe someday.

I've played 1,2,3,8,9, and 11. I'd love to play the rest but don't really feel like digging out a DS and overpaying for them online. A rerelease would be day 1 for me.

@Darknyht I also love the original trilogy. Don't get me wrong, XI was fine, but something about the older titles just takes me back to a simpler time and all is good.

DQ XI is definitely the best, absolutely amazing game. The entire series is awesome so glad it has an entire ranking to itself

Ok , I am a Dragon Quest junkie supreme, but I never understood why 5 is always rated so high on DQ lists. Sure it’s good but 3, 7, and 8 are better imo.
But any talk about DQ is awesome 👏🏻 Good list and yes, 11 is GOTY.

@rjejr I think the open/empty world is why I loved VIII, so much.

On the PS2, it DID seem a bit barren, but with the addition of the visible monsters in the 3DS remake, I fell in love with it, all over again.

It was the first DQ game I'd picked up since IV, back in the 90s, and inspired me to go back and give VII a go, on the PS1.

I would hazard the opinion that VIII's overworld theme, "Strange World ~ Marching Through the Fields," is one of the best overworld themes in a game. It's not overly triumphant; not overly march-y (like XI's overworld theme, "The Hero Goes Forth with Determination"). It made running through the world seem peaceful and not stressful.

@mjhopkins81 Yeah, DQVIII's overworld theme is excellent and greatly contributes to the game's atmosphere. I used it throughout Act 1 of DQXI and I think it worked better in that context than DQXI's own overworld theme (which always felt just a tad too bombastic to me. Guess they were going for a DQIII feel).

@MatthewTaranto Absolutely.

As a musician (by classical training, now abandoned for a job in infectious disease research), XI's score is probably one of the weakest in the series. None of it is "forgettable," but none of the tracks are really ones that are earworms in a GOOD way.

I couldn't forget the XI overworld theme, because it's just a simple march repeated over and over, again.

I've never played a Dragon's Quest (hides behind rock).

Correct Top 3

good job

Dragon Quest is so amazing that you can pick any game from the series as your favorite game and no one will question you because of how quality they all are

I'm still working my way through the series, and while 1/2/3 (which I only played for the first time last year) are obviously quite dated, it was a fun and interesting experience, and there is a vast increase in quality across all three games.

@mjhopkins81 Never played it on 3DS. Maybe it will get a Switch port. Or the hill I'll die on next gen SwitchDS. I still think Nintendo has too many DS and 3DS games not to have another dual screen model for ports. And still no XCX port, which used the Wii U Gameapd to great advantage. Maybe nearly complete Pikmin 4 will be complete when we get a SwitchDS? 🤣

New 2DS/3DS really should have had TV out mini-HDMI ports for the top screen. Guess they didn't want to steal the Switch's thunder tho. 🤷‍♂️

XI is great but V is a masterpiece. Hope to see positions swap around a little

@Jackpaza0508 Remake of VI was on DS but of course is playable on the 3ds (as is the entire mainline series).

@Ryu_Niiyama Oh I accidentally typed VI instead of XI! The fact that XI was on 3ds is still mind blowing tho

@Jackpaza0508 oh yeah that’s where the 2d version came from in the S edition. They even released a dual pack (ps4/3ds) in Japan originally. Solid version, it was the first version of XI that I bought (and then stopped playing when the switch version was announced).

@PBandSmelly

It’s had a similar development to dragon ball.

I love Toriyama, but I think we can all admit that the guy has a fairly slim list of designs that he used for Dragon Ball, Chrono Trigger, and Dragon Quest.

The Luminary of DQXI was literally Trunks with brown hair and a different skin tone. And Crono was just Goku with red hair and a bandana.

But eh, I’m fine with it because I love his art style.

@Dpishere my list is very similar to yours, but for me it would be a toss up between Dragon Quest VIII and XI. Both of them are so good. I do think in terms of story, Dragon Quest 5 is the best though.

IX is my top pick.