Are you a JRPG fan? Thank Dragon Quest. Since 1986, the franchise has set the standard for role-playing games in general. It’s also the franchise that spawned the ‘Dragon Quest Law’ – to prevent kids and adults slacking off school and work in Japan, the devs deliberately release them on Saturdays!
Needless to say then, the Dragon Quest games really are that good. And while the series doesn’t quite get as creative with its battle systems as Final Fantasy, it does consistently provide quality doses of classic turn-based JRPG medicine for those that seek it out.
But, as with any long-running videogame franchise, some games are better than others. Here, we list what we think the top ten Dragon Quest games of the bunch!
10) Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Line (1987)
Platforms: NES, MSX, MSX2, SNES, GameBoy Color, Mobile, iOS, Android, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, PS4, Switch
As with any good sequel, Dragon Quest II improves upon everything from its predecessor. Whereas the first game had you participate in one-to-one combat, DQII is the first installment to feature a party of playable characters battling against multiple enemies. This, of course, would be standard practice in future entries – and the JRPG genre in general.
Although ports with expanded features have since been developed, it’s commendable that the original NES version almost maxed out the cartridge space. The completed product had only 10 bytes of free space left, which meant many ideas had to wait for the remakes or sequels.
9) Dragon Quest III: Seeds of Salvation (1988)
Platforms: NES, SNES, GameBoy Color, Mobile, Android, iOS, Nintendo 3DS, PS4, Switch
The first two Dragon Quest games are decent JRPG titles, but many agree that it’s Dragon Quest III where the series truly found its identity. It birthed many features that would stick in later games including a day/night cycle, class system, an expanded open world as well as a story with considerably more thought than previous titles.
Interestingly, a character’s ability growth rate is determined by their personalities. While your Hero’s personality is determined by choices you make in the opening sequence, your other characters’ personalities can be changed via certain accessories or by reading books. This, among its other introduction into DQ, makes Dragon Quest III one of the best games in the series.
8) Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (2009)
Platforms: Nintendo DS
Dragon Quest IX packs a lot of punch for a game developed for the Nintendo DS. The game is huge – for you completionists out there you’re looking at hundreds of hours worth of content. And even if you’re just navigating the game’s main story, you’re looking at roughly 80 hours of playtime. Luckily, those hours are filled with addictive RPG action.
What makes DQIX stand out among its brothers and sisters is its customization features. You can actually design the look of your heroes and when you equip armor, it actually visibly changes their appearance (quite revolutionary for the JRPG genre!). Similar somewhat to DQVI and VII, you can also choose your characters’ classes (or vocations as they’re called here). There’s never been a DQ game so full of content.
7) Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (Nintendo DS, 2006)
Platforms: Nintendo DS
The first iteration of the Dragon Quest Monsters series managed to squeeze an impressively detailed world inside it when you consider the graphical limitations of the Nintendo DS. The game, like its GameBoy predecessors, builds upon the monster-catching elements of Dragon Quest V and makes them the central focus of gameplay. What ensues is a Pokemon-esque collectible monster-battling RPG.
While the aforementioned description can come across as groan-worthy, DQ Monsters: Joker succeeds in giving you an addictive, monster-battling and exploration experience that makes itself distinct from other ‘Mon games. It also surprisingly succeeds in creating a compelling in-game universe that revolves around the aforementioned activity.
6) Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past (2001)
Platforms: PSOne, Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android
Dragon Quest VII is the PSOne’s first (and only) DQ title, bursting onto the platform with its predecessor’s class-based system in tow. Unlike Final Fantasy, which upgraded to 3D modeled characters on pre-rendered environments, DQVII retained the sprite-based presentation of its previous titles. At least, it did until the 3DS remake, which upgraded to 3D characters and environments in a birds-eye style reminiscent of Dragon Quest IX.
Dragon Quest VII doesn’t build much on its predecessors, but still has the same vein of quality gameplay we’ve come to expect from the franchise – as well as a slightly deeper story than its earlier siblings.
5) Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie (1995)
Platforms: Super Famicom, Nintendo DS, iOS, Android
The third game in the ‘Zenithia trilogy’ (with IV and V being the first two), Dragon Quest VI doesn’t quite impress as much as its predecessors but is a worthy addition nonetheless. Unlike its predecessors, the game boasts a Final Fantasy-esque class system whereby you choose classes for your party members, each with different abilities for them to learn. Once a party member has mastered a certain class, they gain access to even more powerful hybrid classes. It’s a worth-playing finale to the Zenithia trilogy.
4) Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (1990)
Platforms: Famicom/NES, PSOne, Nintendo DS, Android, iOS
Chapters of the Chosen is a profoundly different beast from its brothers and sisters on this list. Rather than focus merely on the Hero, the game has you experience the story from four other perspectives, allowing you to see how your future party members meet you. And in doing this, Square-Enix gives the game a level of depth that would be absent had it done otherwise.
Controlling different characters and parties gives you a more diverse look at the game’s world since they come from different countries and situations (cleverly, the Nintendo DS version actually gives each country a different dialect, helping them feel even more distinct from each other). It also explores the motivations of the characters as they band with the Hero to take down the main villain, Psaro the Man-Slayer. If you’re looking for a multi-quest, in-depth JRPG, you’d do well to take up Dragon Quest IV.
3) Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (1992)
Platforms: Super Famicom, PS2, Nintendo DS, Android, iOS
Do yourself a favor and skip the Netflix animated anime adaptation, Dragon Quest: Your Story, and play this instead. Hand of the Heavenly Bride frequently graces the top threes of most ‘Top Ten’ Dragon Quest games lists and for good reason. It takes the player on an affectionate journey from childhood to adulthood, as their hero experiences tragedy and life changes along the way. Prepare some tissues for this one, folks.
It’s also famous for allowing you to choose your hero’s wife partway through the game. While this admittedly doesn’t make any major narrative changes in the game’s storyline, it is a nice touch. Also since your wife and kids eventually join your battle party, you’re essentially choosing whose personality to put up with for the rest of the game. So, choose wisely!
2) Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (2017)
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, PS4, Windows, Switch, Xbox One, Stadia
Dragon Quest XI remains a truly important game in the long-running JRPG franchise. Firstly, it helped re-establish the series in the West, shifting six million copies as of September 2020. Secondly, it really is as damn good as people say it is.
The game is a visual sight-for-sore-eyes, taking full advantage of current-gen technology. The story is darker than ever and the characters are among the franchise’s most memorable. The game also introduces a new crafting system into the mix, allowing you to build your own weapons from materials you collect. Dragon Quest XI combines all the right things to create one of the best games in the series. If you’re serious about JRPGs, you’d be foolish to miss out on this gem.
1) Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (2005)
Platforms: PS2, Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android
Dragon Quest’s first foray into three dimensions was handled beautifully by Level-5. The Fukuoka-based development studio created a vibrant, immersive fantasy world that really stretched the PlayStation 2’s power. There’s nothing quite like traversing roams of gorgeous countryside, only to gauge a castle standing in the near distance. This feeling of grandiose adventure is further amplified by the game’s orchestral soundtrack in the PAL version, sweeping strings following you as you move boldly ahead.
Level-5 also took advantage of the hardware through its characters’ expressions. Not only does DQVIII boast some of the most endearing characters in the entire series, but it is the first game in the series to truly bring Akira Toriyama’s iconic character designs to life. It’s the game’s graphical prowess, exploration and unapologetically classic turn-based battle system that makes it easy to forgive its cliché narrative (which itself is forgivable since it pulls off its classic tropes incredibly well).
What do you think are the best Dragon Quest games in the series? Do you agree or disagree with our list? Looking forward to the 12th main title, The Flames of Fate? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!