Play Order (Release = Chronological)Recommended
0 / 14 playedMainline games I through XI in release order, then current remakes. Start at XI or the III remake.
Erdrick trilogy
- 1 Dragon Quest
- 2 Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line
- 3 Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation
Zenithian trilogy
- 4 Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen
- 5 Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
- 6 Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation
Standalone entries
- 7 Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past
- 8 Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
- 9 Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies
- 10 Dragon Quest X: Awakening of the Five Tribes Japan-only MMO; safe to skip.
- 11 Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age Best modern entry point.
Current remakes
- 12 Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake The version of III to play.
- 13 Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake
- 14 Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Ground-up remake; the version of VII to play.
About Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest is Enix and now Square Enix's flagship RPG series, running from the 1986 original through eleven mainline games. The first three form the Erdrick trilogy, the next three the Zenithian trilogy, and VII onward are standalone stories. Release order is the recommended play order, and the HD-2D remakes of I through III plus VII Reimagined are the current versions of those entries.
Newcomers can start with Dragon Quest XI, the most modern single-player entry, or with the III HD-2D Remake for the classic trilogy. Dragon Quest X is a Japan-only MMO most players skip. The Monsters and Joker monster-catching spinoffs are separate and optional.
Good to know
Years use first release in any region. X never released outside Japan. III HD-2D Remake (November 2024) precedes I and II HD-2D (October 2025) in release order even though III is first chronologically. VII Reimagined (February 2026) is a ground-up remake, distinct from the 2013 3DS remake. Dragon Quest XII was rebooted and retitled Beyond Dreams with no date; it is tracked in upcoming releases with uncertainty. Monsters/Joker spinoffs and Builders are excluded from the list.
