Every Dragon Quest Game Ranked

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.

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.

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 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

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.

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.

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.

Same top 3, but I put DQ V above VIII.

i thought dragon quest 8 on the ps 2 was better then the 3ds version?

The top 3 should have been obvious, only the order was in question. I'd put 5 over 8, 5 is on the same level as FF6, Chrono Trigger, Lunar 2- it's just about perfect.

What I would pay to have X in English. Please Square, forget NFTs and go for this instead.

@Giygas_95 XI is the classic jrpg perfected.

Having played all of the main series by now DQ4 (DS version) stands still as my favorite easily, I consider it to be a top tier JRPG.

3, 5 and 11 are all pretty good as well.

I actually started with 9 and I personally found that one to be just awful, almost turned me off the series, but thankfully I managed to collect 4 from a bargain bin and didn't end up missing one of my all time favorites.

My personal take:

XI
VIII
V
IV
III

Should be the top 5. I never thought I'd see the day VIII was topped, but damned if Horii & co. didn't outdo themselves spectacularly with that entry. While I look forward to the day XII releases, the Dream Team is truly no more, so we've hit a turning point for the series.

Here's how I rank all the Dragon Quest games that I had play so far:

1. Dragon Quest V: Hands of the Heavenly Bride (Nintendo DS, Super NES)
2. Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (Nintendo DS, NES)
3. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (Nintendo DS)
4. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (Nintendo Switch, PC)
5. Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation (Nintendo DS, Super NES)
6. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (3DS, PS2)
7. Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past (3DS, PS1)
8. Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation (Nintendo Switch, NES, Game Boy Color, Super NES)
9. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 (Nintendo DS)
10. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 (Nintendo DS)
11. Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Cobi's Journey (Game Boy Color)
12. Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Tara's Adventure (Game Boy Color)
13. Dragon Quest Monsters 1 (Game Boy Color)
14. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 1 (Nintendo DS)
15. Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line (Nintendo Switch, NES, Game Boy Color, Super NES)
16. Dragon Quest Heroes II: Twin Kings and the End of Prophecy (Nintendo Switch, PS4)
17. Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (Nintendo DS, also known as Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest 2: Daisensha to Shippo Dan in Japan)
18. Dragon Quest Wars (Nintendo Wii)
19. Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below (Nintendo Switch, PS4)
20. Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors (Nintendo Wii)
21. Dragon Quest 1 (Nintendo Switch, NES, Game Boy Color, Super NES)

The only 9 Dragon Quest games I had not play yet are these:

• Dragon Quest Monsters: Caravan Heart (Game Boy Advance)
• Dragon Quest Builders (Nintendo Switch, PC)
• Dragon Quest Builders 2 (Nintendo Switch, PC)
• Dragon Quest X (Nintendo Wii, Wii U, 3DS, Switch, PS4, PC, every entry of it)
• Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai - A Hero's Bonds (Mobile)
• Dragon Quest Treasures (Nintendo Switch, I recently bought the game but hadn't start playing it yet)
• Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest: Shougeki No Shippo Dan (Game Boy Advance, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime Zero)
• Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest 3: Daikaizoku to Shippo Dan (Nintendo 3DS, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime 2)
• Dragon Quest XII (Coming soon I guess)

Dragon Quest VIII, on PS2, is as good as any piece of software that has ever been created (and well deserves an HD version). It's not just a game, it's got soul.

Second, I'd put DQ XI, which is still a 10/10 game, it just doesn't have quite the same spirit.

Dragon Quest IX was a very addictive experience at the time (Saturday nights exploring Grottoes) and if I was to recommend a 2D one, it'd be V. Despite this being my favourite series, I wouldn't massively recommend playing them all, but I think VIII and XI are so good you know whether you want more just by them.

Quality list. My top 8 would only very slightly be reordered. As a gringo who has played many hours of X in Japanese, can confirm it's pretty chill. It'd be nice to see it translated, but as I have elucidated in several other places I just don't see it ever happening. I'm currently playing through the 3DS version of XI and it's delightful.

Tired of waiting for the 2D-HD remakes tbh. I want IV-VI on Switch. Ideally with DS version content but including party talk for any of them that had it removed.

My personal favorite is XI atm.

I’m playing 11 now. Only ever played 1 before that. Gotta be honest it feels very grindy and drawn out. That’s great for the fans but it’s maybe something I should have steered clear of.

5 is the best. Scientifically proven.

DQVII should be at the bottom as that game has the worst pacing in the series and the story is terminally boring.

@Vash0125 that may have been one of if not the longest japanese rpg games i ever played took forever to finish it

I have never played this serie but the Switch 1 looks the best. 3D game.

The Nintendo DS is the best way to enjoy [Dragon Quest IV] these days, if you can find it for a reasonable price."

Incorrect! Mobile (iOS, Android) is the best way to enjoy it these days, and the price is $15. Apparently Square or Nintendo didn't finish localizing party chat in time for the English DS release, so they just left it out. The mobile version does have it.

Honestly the first six DQ games are all great on mobile. Normally I strongly prefer button controls, but these games are entirely turn-based, so the touch controls are fine. They play in portrait mode, which is a little weird but I got used to it very quickly.

@johnedwin as soon as VIII came out I stopped playing it amd never went back, the two games are like night and day.

Always sad to see 6 ranked so low. Personally I’d put it above 5 and 9, and well above 7, but oh well. You really can’t go wrong with any of these titles, even with the weaker entries.

@Vash0125 Agreed, the PS1 version is near unplayable by todays standards. The 3DS version fixed a lot of the pacing issues, but by design the game is just such a slow burn that its hard to go back to.

@TheWingedAvenger Agreed that 5 is overrated. Very cool game, but it suffers from a lack of direction in the final act that makes the whole thing feel rather anticlimactic. If we were ranking the series by individual points in the story, I’d say the small portion of the game where it’s just the Hero and his monsters is peak Dragon Quest however.

I like 3 the most of the ones I've played. I get it's old and doesn't have all the bells and whistles of new games but whatever. That's the disadvantage old games have. They're old so automatically -100 points. Even if they were one of the most influential games in history and still a pretty charming and fun game. I think it's okay to like older games for their impact and if they're still overall solid. So imo that one still is a top tier game.

VIII is number one for me, without a doubt. Then V, and XI in third. Maybe VI fourth. I've played IV, VII, and IX, but didnt care for them near as much as my top four.

@SpoonySpoons What made it worse is by taking out the random encounters and having enemies appear on the field it ended up doing the reverse of what it was supposed to do and increasend the rate of encounters exponentially in dungeons because of the narrow corridors, plus the game takes too long to introduce the class system which wouldve spiced up the combat a lot sooner. DQVII was just poorly paced and had uninteresting characters and story, VIII trounces it in every way.

I really wish you could get versions of I-III on the eSop that didn't look ugly as sin. Does Squeenix butcher their old pixel art out of spite?

I hated VII on 3DS with a burning passion. I was able to stand II, but couldn't get past hour 40 in VII. It was so easy, it dragged so much, there were few characters to work with, and-worst of all-enemies were shoved into the tight corridors of the original maps, so avoiding fights was at times inconceivable.

I need to play/ replay and actually finish a few of them but here's my ranking.
1. V (DS)
2. VIII (PS2- orchestral soundtrack just adds so much more to the game for me than the QoL features in the 3DS version)
3. IV (Mobile)
4. XI (Switch)
5. III (SNES)
6. IX (DS)
7. I (SNES - It's a personal darling, so easy to pick up and play all the way through)
8. VI (DS)
9. VII (3DS)
10. II (SNES)
11. X (not played)

1. XI S
2. V
3. III

The rest of the series I have no definitive order but man, XI S was such a blast to play, an absolute gem of a game. Made me remember why I enjoy gaming and rpgs so much. V and III deserve all the love they get as well. Can't wake for 2D HD remake of Seeds of Salvation. III has a special place in my heart.

@MatthewYoung If you care for any homebrew mods, there was one for 7 and 8 that patched the Orchestrated music back in from the JP versions.

Ironically, 2 will always be my favorite. DQ1 was my introduction to RPG's at a young age. I played it as a 10 year old, pretty much at launch. So moving on to 2, where you actually met up with other characters who joined your party *gasp! well that was a big deal. I love how the overworld theme changed when you had the whole party together. It was like, "OK, here we go. NOW, we can actually start the game for real!" Pretty innovative design, since it really had never been done before. There was an air of mystery about the game, the kind you really only get when you play them as a kid. Simple things that I would take for granted today, were magical, like the little dog that follows you around until you hold up the magic mirror and turn her into the princess. Another special moment was toward the end of the game, when you return to the continent from the first game and the DQ1 music started playing. Amazing! Games just don't hit like they used to. I think I've played too many. Lol

I won't even deny that Dragon Quest XI was a fantastic title. I loved every minute of playing it, and even though the game was rather lengthy, time flew by while playing it. That is one sign of a fantastic game. Other honorable mentioned for me would be Dragon Quest V and Dragon Quest VIII. Both of which are fantastic in their own right. I don't think I personally could choose a best entry. There are so many quality entries. I would say storyline-wise though, that Dragon Quest V was the best. And Dragon Quest XI is the best, gameplay-wise. So much gaming goodness.

@SpoonySpoons Thanks for the info! I will absolutely utilize that the next time I play either.