Dragon Quest is a very popular videogame series from Japan, which is considered to be a classic by many old-school gamers. It is also believed that Dragon Quest introduced and popularized many different concepts to the genre of RPG itself! This video game series has managed to gain over millions of fans throughout the years with its many instalments. Today, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best Dragon Quest Games ever released based on the number of sales.

Please note that some of the data used in this article might not be completely accurate as we are not taking the remakes and bundled sales of these games into account. All the information has been sourced from VGSales.

10 Best Dragon Quest Games (Ranked by Sales)

  • 10. Dragon Quest I (3 million+ copies sold)
  • 9. Dragon Quest IV (3.18 million+ copies sold)
  • 8. Dragon Quest VI (3.2 million+ copies sold)
  • 7. Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry’s Wonderland (3.25 million+ copies sold)
  • 6. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (3.416 million+ copies sold)
  • 5. Dragon Quest III (3.895 million+ copies sold)
  • 4. Dragon Quest VII (4.29 million+ copies sold)
  • 3. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (4.9 million+ copies sold)
  • 2. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (5.35 million+ copies sold)
  • 1. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (6 million+ copies sold)

10. Dragon Quest I (3 million+ copies sold)dragon quest 1

Released originally for the NES, Dragon Quest 1 might’ve been at the top of this list of the best Dragon Quest games if we also consider the sales of all of its many remakes. This game is cited by many as a genre builder for RPGs! The story of Dragon Quest 1 is as simple as its gameplay design; the player controls a young hero that is on a journey to defeat the Dragonlord.

Click here to buy enhanced versions of Dragon Quest I, II and III as a bundle for the Nintendo Switch.

Check out the gameplay of Dragon Quest I on the Nintendo Switch below.

 

 

9. Dragon Quest IV (3.18 million+ copies sold)dragon quest 4

Dragon Quest IV is the 4th instalment in the main series, and this game made some notable improvements compared to the first three games. We also get an amazing story that spans across 5 different chapters and focuses on different interesting characters. This game was also originally released for the NES.

You can buy the remake of Dragon Quest IV for the Nintendo DS by clicking here.

8. Dragon Quest VI (3.2 million+ copies sold)dragon quest 6

Dragon Quest VI gives us better graphics compared to the other two entries mentioned so far as it was originally released for the SNES. This game has a class system, and it provides us with a turn-based RPG gameplay. The story is somewhat similar to the previous games and is set in the medieval era.

You can buy the remake of Dragon Quest VI for the Nintendo DS on eBay by clicking here.

7. Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry’s Wonderland (3.25 million+ copies sold)dragon quest monster

At the seventh spot on this list, we have a spin-off title that focuses on the story of a side character from Dragon Quest VI. This game was originally released for the GBC. The gameplay mechanics are quite similar to other games in the series but there are a lot of twists that make this entry pretty interesting.

 

6. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (3.416 million+ copies sold)dragon quest 5

While the original Dragon Quest V did not generate as much sales as some of the other entries in the series, this remake released in 2002 for the NDS and PS2 got a lot of attention. This version of Dragon Quest V features very beautiful 3D graphics and the same gameplay mechanics and story.

 

5. Dragon Quest III (3.895 million+ copies sold)dragon quest 3

Dragon Quest III was a majorly successful game released for the NES as the third instalment of the series. It was the first game in the series to include a class system and gave us a pretty engaging story.

You can buy the remake of Dragon Quest III for your mobile phone by clicking here.

4. Dragon Quest VII (4.29 million+ copies sold)dragon quest 7

Dragon Quest VII is one of the longest-running games in the entire series and took players over 100 hours to complete. Released originally for the PS1, the game had extremely beautiful graphics. However, the gameplay mechanics were kept quite similar. The story is also very interesting and includes concepts like time travel.

You can buy Dragon Quest VII remake for the Nintendo 3DS by clicking here.

3. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (4.9 million+ copies sold)dragon quest 8

Dragon Quest VIII was the first Dragon Quest game released for the PS2 and showed amazing graphical improvements in a beautiful 3D environment. The game was way more detailed and gave us turn-based RPG gameplay. In this game, we play as a Guard who is on a journey to break a sinister spell.

You can buy Dragon Quest VIII for the PS2 by clicking here.

2. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (5.35 million+ copies sold)dragon quest 9

Dragon Quest IX only got released for the Nintendo DS and never got an official remake. The game is also the first game in the main series to offer a complete multi-player experience. Despite looking pretty different, Dragon Quest IX maintains the highly loved turn-based battle system and provides us with another amazing Dragon Quest style story!

You can purchase this game by clicking here.

Check out the cinematic trailer for Dragon Quest IX below!

 

1. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (6 million+ copies sold)dragon quest 11

Dragon Quest XI is the latest addition to the main series and also the most successful Dragon Quest game! Released on the PS4, Pc, N3DS and Switch, this game offers us the most beautiful 3D graphics ever seen in a Dragon Quest game. The 3DS and remastered versions of Dragon Quest XI also let players switch to 2D graphics for a more nostalgic experience. The story focuses on a pretty tragic hero whose entire kingdom was destroyed by an army of monsters.

Click here to purchase Dragon Quest XI for the PS4.

 

Check out the cinematic trailer for Dragon Quest XI below!

The success of the latest Dragon Quest game shows us that this classic franchise is not dying out any time soon! Starting all the way back in 1989, Dragon Quest has always been a genre-defining game that is still used as inspiration by modern RPGs today.

Also interested in other Japanese game franchises? You can read about the top 10 Dragon Ball games!

 

Dragon Quest Merch

Consider yourself a diehard fan of the franchise? Check out some must-have dragon quest merch sold exclusively in Japan via our partner Zenplus:

Leave a Reply