The Dragon Quest series has spanned over thirty years and is regarded as one of the best RPG series ever. The series is more celebrated in its home country than Final Fantasy and has had some of the most talented artists and developers working on it since it began.

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In typical Dragon Quest fashion, character development and complicated storytelling have never been at the forefront of the series. However, it is about taking you on a grand adventure as a hero and defeating evils as you go. While many other RPGs are trying to streamline, modernize, and reinvent the genre for current audiences, Dragon Quest is a series that stays true to its roots and is all the better for it. If you are interested in the series, look at how the mainline Dragon Quest series ranks from worst to best.

Updated January 15, 2023, by Michael Llewellyn: The Dragon Quest series is perfect for gamers looking for something light but still features great characters, worlds, and stories. This list is updated to include one more entry and information about an upcoming remake of one of the classics.

12 Dragon Quest 10

The party ready for battle

Dragon Quest 10 is the only game in the series that took on the massively multiplayer online RPG genre. Similarly to Final Fantasy 14, Dragon Quest 10 allows players to join others in online quests using the familiar DQ series lore and backdrop.

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Unfortunately, this entry lacks the engagement and focus of the single-player experience, and worse still, it never saw a western launch. There has been some demand to play this title launched outside of Japan, so there is a possibility that Square-Enix will listen in the future. Time will tell.

11 Dragon Quest 2: Luminaries Of The Legendary Line

Dragon Quest the hero and party of facing off against the enemy

Visually, Dragon Quest 2: Luminaries of the Legendary Line is not a step up from the original title. Only a year had passed since its launch in 1987, but significant work went into refining the RPG experience.

The execution of its storytelling, music, and art direction were all noticeably improved over the first title. However, Dragon Quest 2 is notoriously difficult to the point of being unfair, and as a result, it is one of the least enjoyable entries in the series.

10 Dragon Quest

The hero fighting a dragon in promo art

The first Dragon Quest is still an 8-bit classic of an RPG and would lay the groundwork for one of the most extensive role-playing series of all time. The distinct style of famed Manga artist Akira Toriyama was used as he took the lead on character design, helping to bring the descendant of Eldrick and his friends to life.

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Originally launched as Dragon Warrior in the west, the game introduced many design mechanics familiar to the genre, making it one of the most influential RPGs ever made. As a piece of gaming history, Dragon Quest is as relevant as it gets, but showing its age now and requires a lot of patience to get through.

9 Dragon Quest 3: The Seeds Of Salvation

Dragon Quest 3 the hero and party of a cliffside

Dragon Quest 3: The Seeds of Salvation is often regarded as one of the most favorite RPGs of all time in Japan. It featured several significant improvements and innovations over the first two games in the series, such as a day and night system and an in-game banking system.

Dragon Quest 3’s popularity was so great that Enix ensured the series would avoid launching on a school day again. Where the original is the most influential to the genre, the third title was the most innovative and ahead of its time, making it one of the most highly regarded RPGs ever made. Excitingly, Dragon Quest 3 is getting an HD-2D remake in the style of Live A Live.

8 Dragon Quest 6: Realms Of Revelation

Dragon Quest 6 the party in a bar

Dragon Quest 6 Realms of Revelation was a significant step up for the series. Even when compared to Dragon Quest 5 - which also made its way to the Super Nintendo - the innovations in DQ6 seemed a generation apart.

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Visually, it looks like its predecessors, and the story in Dragon Quest 6 was standard for the series, but it had some memorable moments. The class system was more refined, and the combination of the real to dream world settings will remind players of The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past.

7 Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels Of The Starry Skies

Dragon Quest 9 party vs monsters

Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skies was launched on the Nintendo DS in 2009. Following on from the hugely popular Dragon Quest 8 on the PS2, it seemed like a tall order that the ninth entry would live up to the lofty expectations of a DQ title on a weaker system.

However, DQ9 did things not thought possible by squeezing every last bit of processing power out of the system. It was a fantastic title scoring perfect scores in the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu. It is let down quite a bit by the amount of monotonous grinding needed to unlock job classes and better equipment for your characters.

6 Dragon Warrior 7

Dragon Warrior 7 the hero and party exploring a castle

The seventh installment of the Dragon Quest series hit North American stores in 2000. The PS1 title differs significantly from its 3DS remake in terms of its visuals and some of the mechanics. Dragon Warrior 7 is a 2D game with 3D turn-based battle mechanics.

It has a complex class system and a massive world to explore and is the longest game in the series. However, the localization issues present in the western version were not addressed until the 3DS version, making the 3DS remake a better experience.

5 Dragon Quest 7: Fragments Of A Forgotten Past

Dragon Quest 7 exploring the overworld

Dragon Quest 7: Fragments Of A Forgotten Past is a 3DS remake of the PlayStation classic better known as Dragon Warrior 7. It is one of the lengthiest entries in the series, with a story that can last around 80 to 100 hours of gameplay.

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As an old-school RPG, there is some repetition, but the narrative and world-building are developed in an incredibly original and satisfying way. The hero has to travel to different continents and free them of evil by time-traveling. The plot develops after completing each continent with cutscenes and NPC interactions.

4 Dragon Quest 4: Chapters Of The Chosen

Dragon Quest 4 main hero  male and female

Dragon Quest 4: Chapters Of The Chosen was the last game in the series to appear on the NES but was the first game in the Zenithia trilogy – all three of which were remastered for the Nintendo DS.

Similarly to Final Fantasy 6, each character has a dedicated chapter to explain their backstory. Then taking on the role of the main character, you build a team of the characters comprised of the main cast. It was a groundbreaking way to tell a story on such a limited console.

3 Dragon Quest 8: Journey Of The Cursed King

Dragon Quest 8 artwork featuring the hero and multiple other characters

Dragon Quest 8: Journey Of The Cursed King was launched in the west on the PlayStation 2 in 2005/6. It was the first game under the Square and Enix merger and came bundled with a Final Fantasy 12 demo to help boost sales.

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Developed by RPG masters Level-5 Dragon Quest 8 is a vast, beautiful, and vibrant world that pushed the PS2 to its absolute limits. It lacks a complex story, and a lot of level-grinding is expected, but the sense of taking part in a grand adventure with a great cast of characters was unrivaled at the time.

2 Dragon Quest 5: Hand Of The Heavenly Bride

Dragon Quest 5 main cast promo

Dragon Quest 5: Hand Of The Heavenly Bride was the second game in the Zenith trilogy and is often praised as having the best story in the series. It is also the first in the series to introduce the recruitable Dragon Quest: Monsters mechanics. In addition, there is a feature film based on DQ5 on Netflix called Dragon Quest: Your Story.

The story is divided into different periods spanning generations. The plot develops through the marriage to a girl of their choosing. Eventually, your avatar, his wife, and your grown-up children will fight evil together.

1 Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age - Definitive Edition

dragon quest 11 Luminary in combat against Slimes

The most recent entry and by far most accessible is Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of An Elusive Age. It was launched worldwide in 2018 on the PlayStation 4. However, the definitive edition that features orchestral music, a classic-looking 2D mode, and other quality-of-life features makes it the best version.

Dragon Quest 11 does a fantastic job of combining the traditional elements of classic RPGs with beautifully modernized visuals. The narrative is pure high fantasy in the Dragon Quest mold but offers up enough twists and turns in its execution of a world-saving scenario to keep things interesting. DQ11 is the perfect entry point and arguably the best game in the series. Fans may also want to check out Dragon Quest Treasures, a prequel featuring DQ11 characters Erik and Mia.

NEXT: Dragon Quest Treasures: Where To Get All The Seven Dragonstones