All the major Dragon Quest games, ranked!

I’ve had Dragon Quest on my mind ever since the HD-2D remake of good ol’ number three came out. Well, I almost always have Dragon Quest on my mind, since I see a shelf full of games and stuff on my wall every day when I sit down to work. I like these games, to say the least. The Shacknews staff shared their favorites back when my review came out, but I thought: “Why not rank the whole series? What could possibly go wrong?”

So, here’s my Official Shacknews Freelancer Dragon Quest Ranking, which covers just the core, numbered titles. Also I went with commercials instead of box art or screenshots, because Dragon Quest commercials are wild. Enjoy:

11 - Dragon Quest 2: Luminaries of the Legendary Line (1987)

Best way to play: Probably the HD-2D remake when it drops in 2025, but the mobile version is good in the meantime!

It’s hard to think about these games in terms of “worst,” since they’re all Dragon Quest, and there’s no such thing as a bad one. DQ 2 is the one I’m least likely to replay, though. It’s kind of a pain in the butt to navigate, and it has some annoying difficulty spikes. Them’s the breaks I guess!

10 - Dragon Quest 10: Awakening of the Five Walkers (2012)

Best way to play: Learn Japanese! Or give the unofficial translation more time to cook.

This one was hard to rank, since it’s The MMO One. Square Enix has all but said we’re never seeing this localized, even the offline version that came out in 2022. I have played an in-progress translation of it, but it’s a weird, incomplete-feeling experience. There are things about it that feel off, like the MMO was a giant dinosaur and you’re trekking through its remains looking for treasure. That said, it also has some neat ideas and fun characters, so it barely steps ahead of DQ 2.

9 - Dragon Quest (1986)

Best way to play: A Nintendo, on a CRT, in a dark room, under a blanket, between eight and 15 years-old. Or just what I said for DQ 2.

The OG, and the kind that still holds up thanks to its simplicity and length. You can spend a day or two on the weekend vibing out with this game and feel fully satisfied, ready to do it again in a year or two. Dragon Quest is so good, folks.

8 - Dragon Quest 6: Realms of Revelation (1995)

Best way to play: Nintendo DS or mobile

Dragon Quest 6 is often pushed aside because it simply isn’t as good as the two games it shares a trilogy with. But it has gorgeous visuals, the beginnings of the modern Vocation system, and a cool buff guy with a mohawk.

7 - Dragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King (2004)

Best way to play: 3DS

I don’t like this one nearly as much as a lot of other people do, but it’s also the first Dragon Quest a lot of other people ever played. It has lovely visuals for a PlayStation 2 game and fun voice acting, but the story doesn’t hit that hard for me and I really don’t vibe with the skill point system. It was certainly the most impressive Dragon Quest in terms of production value until 11 hit.

6 - Dragon Quest 7: Fragments of the Forgotten Past (2000)

Best way to play: 3DS

The whole fragment thing was a drag, but Dragon Quest 7’s 3DS remake is one of the best glow-ups in a series full of remakes and ports. The PS1 version is for sickos only, but even then there’s a lot to like that doesn’t get nearly enough credit because of the slow pace.

5 - Dragon Quest 3: The Seeds of Salvation (1988)

Best way to play: HD-2D Remake

This game is a favorite, especially for people who grew up with the series. Its class system is a step up from the original Final Fantasy’s, and the remakes have only made it more fun and fulfilling to dive into. Plus the way it ties into the first two games is really cool, especially for a game of its vintage.

4 - Dragon Quest 4: Chapters of the Chosen (1990)

Best way to play: mobile

Dragon Quest has a stronger history of experimentation than it gets credit for, especially in the ways its stories are told. Giving each main character their own journey is a cool way to build attachments to silent characters, and the payoff when the party finally comes together is huge. The DS remake is great, but the Party Chat feature was not available for some reason in North America, so stick to mobile for the full experience.

3 - Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age (2017)

Best Way to Play: the “S” version on your platform of choice.

It was a bummer to see DQ 8’s skill point system come back, but nearly every other aspect of this adventure makes up for it. It’s huge, gorgeous to look at, the cast is great, and the storytelling is a well-executed blend of vignettes and a bigger picture that has more going for it than “big bad guy hates you.” I have mixed feelings about where the story goes… after the credits roll, but otherwise 11 is peak Dragon Quest.

2 - Dragon Quest 5: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (1992)

Best way to play: Nintendo DS or mobile

There’s just something inherently compelling about a story that lets you follow a character through their whole life, rather than a few days, weeks, or months. You go through so much in DQ 5 despite being a silent protagonist, and part of that is because the story starts in childhood and goes all the way until “you” have kids of your own. You can feel the weight of everything this dude experiences over the course of this story without him needing to say a word.

1 - Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (2009)

Best way to play: Nintendo DS is the only option! Sorry!

It’s simple. There’s a time before I played Dragon Quest 9, and everything after. I still haven’t played anything that’s filled the void this game left behind, and it’s been like 15 years! The brisk combat, the dopamine fountain of a Vocation system, the party building, the incredibly well-written vignette stories… this game fires on all cylinders the whole time. It’s, genuinely, one of the best video games I’ve ever played.

That was fun! Hopefully if you've been curious about the series this list helps you find a place to start, or if you couldn't decide which one to try next. If you disagree with the order, tell me why! I wanna know what you think. Thanks for reading!

Lucas White

Contributing Editor

Lucas plays a lot of videogames. Sometimes he enjoys one. His favorites include Dragon Quest, SaGa, and Mystery Dungeon. He's far too rattled with ADHD to care about world-building lore but will get lost for days in essays about themes and characters. Holds a journalism degree, which makes conversations about Oxford Commas awkward to say the least. Not a trophy hunter but platinumed Sifu out of sheer spite and got 100 percent in Rondo of Blood because it rules. You can find him on Twitter @HokutoNoLucas being curmudgeonly about Square Enix discourse and occasionally saying positive things about Konami.