10 BEST Dragon Quest Games

“Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of Starry Skies” (2009)

Dragon Quest IX sees you, a fallen celestrian, navigating a world of mortals and trying to get back home, and the story's themes of sacrifice and unexpected belonging hit harder than you'd expect. The fully customizable party system and job class framework gave players remarkable freedom. Admittedly, there was also quite a bit of crafting involved in order to get some of the best weapons in the game, a process that could make or break some players. Nevertheless, fans are still passionately campaigning for a modern remake, which is proof that DQ9 left a footprint far larger than its portable origins might suggest.

“Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake” (2025)

The original iterations of “Dragon Quest” and “Dragon Quest II” have not aged well at all. If you like the old-school difficulty, then maybe you like them. However, the quality-of-life improvements seen in this remake bundle make both games accessible to newcomers without alienating veterans. The visuals are a nice touch-up, sure, but the improvements in combat mechanics, difficulty scaling, and even includes new quests that expand the story even further. That said, this bundle was an excellent way to bring forward and preserve two NES classics.

“Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince” (2023)

The Dark Prince brought Dragon Quest's beloved Monsters sub-series back with real purpose. Psaro — a memorable villain from Dragon Quest IV — is reimagined here as a young man cursed to never harm monsters directly, making recruitment and creature synthesis the foundation of every strategy. That narrative hook isn't just clever flavor; it shapes the entire experience. Psaro's complicated relationship with humanity and his fierce protectiveness toward monsters adds genuine emotional depth rarely found in spin-offs. Fans responded enthusiastically in 2023, widely calling it the strongest Monsters entry in years.

“Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past” (2001)

“Dragon Quest VII” is slow — deliberately, unapologetically slow — and that slow burn is exactly its strength. Most of the world has vanished, and you must travel back in time to restore each lost landmass by resolving the tragedies that erased it. Every recovered island tells its own self-contained story, with tonal range stretching from heartbreaking to deeply unsettling. The 3DS remake brought it to Western audiences for the first time, and the 2026 remake has further accelerated appreciation among players for its extraordinary emotional impact. Give it the time, and you will see that it's genuinely unforgettable.

“Dragon Quest Builders 2” (2019)

Nobody expected a sandbox spin-off to deliver one of “Dragon Quest's” most emotionally resonant stories, and “Builders 2” absolutely delivers just as the first “Builders” game did. Mechanically, the island-building system, cooperative multiplayer, and expanded crafting gave players hundreds of hours of content. Fan reception has remained enthusiastically positive, with many considering “Builders 2” to be the better iteration between it and its 2016 prequel. It’s amazing what you can do with a more focused story, a cleaner UI, and improved controls. It’s almost enough to make us okay with the idea of a third game never coming to fruition. …Okay, that’s a lie. We want more of this.

“Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen” (1992)

“Dragon Quest IV” remains one of the most ambitious narrative experiments in RPG history. Rather than following one hero, you inhabit five distinct characters — a loyal soldier, a headstrong princess, an ambitious merchant, and a pair of sisters — before they converge to meet our Hero. Each chapter plays differently and tells each character’s story in such a captivating way that it’s hard to put DQ4 down. By the time the party assembles, your attachments are deep and personal. The additional chapter seen in the PS1 and DS remakes somehow manage to elevate Psaro’s story even more than we had expected. Many fans frequently cite “Dragon Quest IV” as the entry that turned them into lifelong devotees — and it's easy to understand why after just an hour of playtime.

“Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride” (2009)

No other Dragon Quest attempts what V does — a multigenerational saga following one character from childhood through marriage, parenthood, and devastating loss. You really live the life of a hero in this game. The marriage mechanic, where you choose from multiple candidates and build a family, sounds simple but creates profound emotional stakes. When the story takes its darkest turn, the pain is real because the investment is real. Monster recruitment adds strategic variety and replayability. The DS remake polished the experience considerably, and fan debates about the best marriage choice have been raging — affectionately — for decades.

"Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake” (2024)

The 2024 remake honored the original DQ3’s legacy with extraordinary care. The job system, allowing players to build custom parties from diverse classes including Warrior, Mage, Thief, and more, remains one of gaming's most satisfying customization frameworks. The story's final narrative twist — decades old and still widely spoiler-protected — hits with full force in the remake's gorgeous presentation. New players experiencing that revelation for the first time sparked genuine excitement across Dragon Quest communities, proving timeless design never truly ages. Plus, finding all of the friendly monsters and making them fight “Pokemon”-style makes for a fun break from the main adventure.

“Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King” (2005)

“Dragon Quest VIII” is the game that made the West fall in love with this franchise. Its cel-shaded art direction, bursting with warmth and color, gave the adventure a timeless storybook quality. The story balances genuine comedy with emotional heft, particularly between the comedic companions and the tragedy-stricken villain. For newcomers especially, Yangus, Jessica, and Angelo will grow on you in a heartbeat with their personality and growth, perhaps even more quickly if you’re playing the expanded 3DS remake. For the longest time, this was THE best “Dragon Quest” game of all time…until our final entry was released over a decade later.

“Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age” (2019)

“Dragon Quest XI” is the franchise's masterpiece — and given nearly forty years of history, that truly means something. The Luminary's journey from becoming an orphan to realizing his origins represents some of the boldest storytelling in modern RPG history. The ensemble cast consisting of Jade, Erik, Sylvando, and many other memorable characters — were written with extraordinary care as each arc saw fully fleshed out stories and character development. With the Definitive Edition adding a retro 2D mode, orchestrated music, expanded character stories, and a Dragon Quest III crossover prologue, “Dragon Quest XI” is not only the best in the series — for many, it's among the finest RPGs ever made.

Which Dragon Quest holds the biggest place in your heart? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo for more gaming countdowns!