Dragon Quest Series — The Classic That Brought RPGs to Japan
How Dragon Quest was born, its easy-to-play RPG design, why it became Japan's national game, and how to play it today, including the HD-2D remakes.
Dragon Quest is a role-playing game (RPG) series that Enix launched on the Family Computer (Famicom) in 1986. It was created by game designer Yuji Horii, Dragon Ball manga artist Akira Toriyama, and composer Koichi Sugiyama, and it has been so beloved in Japan that it's called the national game.
In this post, we look at the background Dragon Quest was born from, the gameplay the series has preserved, and why it's considered the prototype of the Japanese RPG (JRPG).
At the end, we also cover the remakes officially available as of 2026 and the latest news. Dates and sales figures are limited to what we confirmed on Wikipedia and official sites.
At a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| First release | May 27, 1986 (Japan, Famicom) |
| Developer | Chunsoft (first game), later Heartbeat, ArtePiazza, Level-5, and others; Square Enix from X onward |
| Publisher | Enix (now Square Enix) |
| Platforms | Famicom, Super Famicom, PlayStation family, Nintendo DS, 3DS, Switch, PC, Xbox, mobile, and more |
| Genre | Role-playing (RPG) |
In North America, because the name overlapped with the trademark of a tabletop RPG of the same name, the series was released for a long time under the name "Dragon Warrior." The first entry released in North America under the name "Dragon Quest" was VIII in 2005. According to Wikipedia, cumulative series sales, including digital, have exceeded 100 million copies.
Origins
It all began with a game programming contest Enix held in 1982. The contest brought together key members including Yuji Horii, and on a trip to the US that was one of the prizes, Horii encountered Wizardry. Together they made the adventure game The Portopia Serial Murder Case, and Koichi Sugiyama, already known as a TV and pop music composer, came on board for the music after he sent Enix a postcard with his thoughts on one of its games.
Horii wanted to introduce Western-style RPGs, which were mainly played on PCs, to a wider audience in Japan. So he combined Ultima's full-screen map with Wizardry's battle and stats screens to create Dragon Quest's basic framework. He chose the home Famicom because, unlike arcade games, a game over didn't cost more money and you could keep playing.
Akira Toriyama, who knew Horii through Weekly Shōnen Jump, took on the character and monster designs, to set the game apart from other RPGs of the time. The first game, about defeating the Dragonlord who threatens the kingdom of Alefgard and rescuing a princess, was developed by Chunsoft.
How It Plays
Dragon Quest's basic flow still feels familiar today. You buy weapons and armor in towns, fight monsters in the field and dungeons to earn experience and gold, and level up to venture farther.
- Menu-based turn-based battles: When you encounter monsters, the screen changes and you choose Fight, Spell, Item, or Run from a menu. This turn-based menu combat became a symbol of the series. You can't run from boss battles.
- Churches and revival: In most games, you save by talking to a priest or nun at a church. If your whole party is wiped out, you lose half your gold and return to your last save point, and fallen companions are revived for a fee. The Famicom versions of I and II used a password system for continuing.
- Vocations and monster companions: In III, VI, VII, and IX, you can choose vocations such as Warrior, Mage, and Priest. In V and VI, you can recruit monsters as companions to fight alongside you.
- Mini medals: Collectibles first introduced in IV; they have nothing to do with the ending, but you can collect them and trade them for items.
- Slime: A blue, droplet-shaped monster that's the first enemy you meet in most games and the series' official mascot.
Horii places great importance on making the game playable right away without reading a manual or tutorial. That's why he personally tests even details such as how fast text pages advance and how doors open, refining the rhythm of the controls.
Why It's a Classic
First, it's the prototype of the console RPG. According to Wikipedia, the first game is often cited as the first console RPG, and GameSpot said nearly every Japanese RPG since has inherited its gameplay in some way. Final Fantasy, too, got its green light thanks to Dragon Quest's success.
Second, it's an RPG anyone can play. Former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata explained that Dragon Quest was made so that anyone could enjoy it at their own level and according to their own interests. Beginners can enjoy the story and battles, while veterans can dig into deeper content.
Third, it became a social phenomenon. In 1988, III sold 1.1 million copies in Japan in one day and 3 million in a week. Around 300 students who lined up to buy the game on release day were even picked up for truancy. Rumors spread that a law was passed restricting release days as a result, but no such law was actually made; however, mainline games were released on Saturdays until X.
Fourth, the music. Sugiyama said he composed the first game's opening theme in five minutes, and that theme is still used throughout the series. Concerts have been held across Japan every year since 1987, and at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, "Overture" (the Roto theme) was the first game music piece played.
Series and Influence
There are eleven mainline games.
| Group | Titles |
|---|---|
| Erdrick (Loto) trilogy | I (1986), II (1987), III (1988) |
| Zenithian trilogy | IV (1990), V (1992), VI (1995) |
| Standalone stories | VII (2000), VIII (2004), IX (2009), X (2012, online), XI (2017) |
I–III tell the story surrounding the legendary hero Erdrick (Loto), while IV–VI are connected by the Zenithian Castle in the sky. From VII on, each game has a standalone story. X is the series' first MMORPG and the only mainline game never officially released outside Japan.
Spin-offs include Dragon Quest Monsters, in which you collect and raise monsters, and Torneko's Great Adventure, starring Torneko, the merchant from IV. Torneko's Great Adventure later became the standalone Mystery Dungeon series.
Its influence is broad. Wikipedia explains that III's class-change system influenced many RPGs including Final Fantasy, and that V's monster companion system inspired monster-collecting RPGs like Pokémon. In 2019, the series' heroes joined Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Koichi Sugiyama passed away in 2021 and Akira Toriyama in 2024, while Yuji Horii still works on every mainline game.
How to Play Today
As of October 2026, the major titles officially available are as follows.
- Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake: A remake built with the HD-2D graphics style of Octopath Traveler. It came out on November 14, 2024, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series.
- Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake: Released on October 30, 2025, for Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. Together with the III remake, you can enjoy the entire Erdrick trilogy.
- Dragon Quest VII Reimagined: A new remake of VII, released on February 5, 2026, for Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
- Dragon Quest XI S: The definitive edition of XI, released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and more, and also released on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026.
The next mainline game, XII, was announced in May 2026 to be restarting development from scratch, and it was revealed with a new subtitle, "Beyond Dreams."
If you're just starting, we recommend XI S, with its modern convenience features, or the III HD-2D Remake, which lets you enjoy the series' starting point with new graphics.