What order is the Erdrick trilogy?
Dragon Quest III, then I, then II. Square Enix's HD-2D releases follow that order: III in November 2024, then the combined I & II remake on October 30, 2025. The games originally shipped I, II, III.
All series / Dragon Quest
Series guide · 1986–2026
Dragon Quest
Eleven single-player sagas, two of them trilogies told out of order, plus an online game that never fully left Japan.
At a glance
- Version to play
- Dragon Quest XI S, or the HD-2D Erdrick trio if you want the classic legend
- Number of games
- 11
Which version should I play today?
For one great modern game, play Dragon Quest XI S. For the original legend, play the HD-2D remakes in story order: Dragon Quest III, then the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D package. That package launched October 30, 2025, and III HD-2D launched November 14, 2024.
Dragon Quest VII's current version is VII Reimagined (February 5, 2026). IV, V, VI, and VIII are on iOS and Android. IX is still the Nintendo DS game. X is a Japanese online game with offline packages. XII is announced and not out.
- Erdrick story order: III HD-2D, then I & II HD-2D.
- Zenithian story order: VI, then IV, then V. The phone ports are the easy current copies. The DS versions are the other widely recommended editions.
- VII: Dragon Quest VII Reimagined on PC, PlayStation 5, Switch, Switch 2, and Xbox Series.
- XI: Dragon Quest XI S on PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, Switch 2, and Xbox One.
- IX has no confirmed modern port. XII: Beyond Dreams has no release date.
Release order
Numbered games in the order they first shipped in Japan. North America called the early games Dragon Warrior through Dragon Quest VII. HD-2D remakes and VII Reimagined are new editions of those same stories.
- 01
- 02
- 03 Dragon Quest III
A prequel. The HD-2D remake is the version to play.
- 04 Zenithian Dragon Quest IV
- 05
- 06 Dragon Quest VI
Earliest of this trilogy in the fiction.
- 07
- 08
- 09 Dragon Quest IX
Nintendo DS only.
- 10
- 11
Story timeline
Two trilogies have an internal order. Everything else can be played alone. Square Enix's own HD-2D marketing calls I and II the continuation of III. The Zenithian order VI, then IV, then V comes from a post-game scene in the DS version of VI, which places IV's cast in a nearer future and V's cast in a farther one. Square Enix's North American DS campaign called IV the first Zenithian installment because it was the first of those three DS releases, not because it happens first.
Erdrick trilogy
- 01 Dragon Quest III
The legend begins.
- 02
- 03 Dragon Quest II
A later generation.
Zenithian trilogy
- 01
- 02
- 03
Standalone single-player games
Each one is a complete story. XI nods at older legends and does not need them.
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
Outside those orders
- 01 Dragon Quest X
Japanese online game and offline packages. Not placed inside either trilogy here.
Platforms and where to buy
Years are the first release. The play-today column is the version to look for now. Store listings change, so treat the Amazon link as a search, not a stock promise.
Affiliate disclosure. Where to buy opens an Amazon search. The affiliate tag in the site config is empty, so these are ordinary search links and do not pay a commission yet. Full disclosure.
| Game | Year | First platforms | Play today | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Quest The first Dragon Quest. In the fiction it follows Dragon Quest III. | 1986 | Famicom | Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake (October 30, 2025) on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and Xbox Series. Older phone and Switch ports of the 8-bit version also exist. | Where to buy |
| Dragon Quest II A generational sequel to Dragon Quest I, sold with it in the HD-2D package. | 1987 | Famicom | Included in the Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake. Play it after the HD-2D version of Dragon Quest I. | Where to buy |
| Dragon Quest III A prequel to the first two games, and the HD-2D story to play before them. | 1988 | Famicom | Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake (November 14, 2024) on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series. It is also in the Erdrick trilogy collection with I & II. | Where to buy |
| Dragon Quest IV The middle story of the Zenithian trilogy. It shipped first of the three. | 1990 | Famicom | The iOS and Android port, Chapters of the Chosen. The Nintendo DS version is the other widely recommended edition. | Where to buy |
| Dragon Quest V The last story of the Zenithian trilogy, told across generations. | 1992 | Super Famicom | The iOS and Android port, Hand of the Heavenly Bride. The Nintendo DS version is the other widely recommended edition. | Where to buy |
| Dragon Quest VI The earliest Zenithian story, released last of the three. | 1995 | Super Famicom | The iOS and Android port, Realms of Revelation (Realms of Reverie in Europe). The Nintendo DS version is the other widely recommended edition. | Where to buy |
| Dragon Quest VII A standalone epic. Reimagined is the current version, not a new numbered sequel. | 2000 | PlayStation | Dragon Quest VII Reimagined (February 5, 2026) on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and Xbox Series. The Japanese Steam date was February 6, 2026. | Where to buy |
| Dragon Quest VIII A standalone story, and the first mainline game released in the West under the Dragon Quest name. | 2004 | PlayStation 2 | The iOS and Android port, Journey of the Cursed King. A Nintendo 3DS version from 2015 added extra content. No newer console remake was confirmed. | Where to buy |
| Dragon Quest IX A standalone multiplayer-friendly DS game. Still stuck on that hardware. | 2009 | Nintendo DS | Nintendo DS only. No phone, Switch, or PC port was confirmed. | Where to buy |
| Dragon Quest X The series' online game. It is not part of the Erdrick or Zenithian trilogies. | 2012 | Wii | Japanese online version, plus Japanese offline packages. The official Japanese catalog lists an all-in-one package for PlayStation 4 and Switch on June 25, 2026. A full official English release was not confirmed. | Where to buy |
| Dragon Quest XI A standalone modern Dragon Quest, and the easiest single game to start with. | 2017 | PlayStation 4, Windows | Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition on PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and Xbox One. | Where to buy |
FAQ
What order is the Zenithian trilogy?
Story order is VI, then IV, then V. Release order was IV, V, VI, and Square Enix marketed the DS versions in that same sequence. The story order comes from the DS version of VI, whose post-game places the other two casts in later futures.
Which games have a current HD-2D or reimagined version?
III HD-2D, the combined I & II HD-2D remake, and VII Reimagined. XI S is a definitive edition of XI, not an HD-2D remake. IV, V, VI, and VIII are current as phone ports. IX is not.
What about Dragon Quest X and XII?
X is the Japanese online game, with offline packages in Japan, including a June 25, 2026 all-in-one on PlayStation 4 and Switch. This guide did not confirm a full official English release. XII: Beyond Dreams has been announced and has no release date, so it is not in the lists.
Can I play Dragon Quest IX anywhere but a DS?
Not on a platform this guide could confirm. IX remains the 2009 Nintendo DS game. There is no HD-2D or phone port to recommend.
Sources
Last verified: October 29, 2026
- List of Dragon Quest media (Wikipedia) — Japanese first-release dates through XI, and the original platforms.
- Square Enix: Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake — October 30, 2025 platforms, and the statement that I and II follow III.
- Square Enix North America product schedule — III HD-2D, VII Reimagined, XI S, and the phone-port listings for IV through VIII.
- Dragon Quest product list (Square Enix Japan) — VII Reimagined's February 2026 dates and the June 25, 2026 Dragon Quest X all-in-one packages.
- Zenithian chronology note — The DS version of VI placing IV and V in later futures.