The Chronological Order Of The Dragon Quest Games

The Dragon Quest series is one of the most well-known names in the JRPG genre, rivalling even Final Fantasy for fanfare, especially in Japan. And yet, unlike Final Fantasy which resets its world and story for each of its mainline entry, Dragon Quest does maintain a sense of narrative continuity throughout its games… sort of.

While you can absolutely pick up and enjoy any of the main eleven Dragon Quest games in whatever order you want, some entries do share story, character, and world connections with each other. These mini timelines group the Dragon Quest series into three distinct clusters which you can play in chronological order if that takes your fancy.

Only the mainline Dragon Quest games will be discussed in this article and not the series’ many, many spinoffs. Sorry, Torneko’s Great Adventure fans.

The Erdrick Trilogy (Plus Dragon Quest 11)

The first three games of the Dragon Quest series are colloquially known as the Erdrick Trilogy – named after the legendary hero who has a big impact on Dragon Quest 1, 2, and 3. Crucially though, if you want to play this trilogy in chronological order, you actually need to start with the third game, followed by the first, and finally the second.

Dragon Quest 11

While not explicitly stated, there are several hints in DQ11’s story that positions it as a prequel to Dragon Quest 3 and, therefore, the very first game in this particular timeline.

The main hint is that the Hero of Dragon Quest 11 is bestowed the title of ‘Erdrick’. Given there is no context given to any past Heroes with this title, it can be assumed that number 11 is, in fact, number 1 on this occasion.

Dragon Quest 3

The third game in the series is often considered as the true starting point for the Erdrick Trilogy. The story focuses on the titular Hero putting together a party of warriors to take down the evil Zoma. On top of this, the game also takes place in the Kingdom of Alefgard, which is a setting that was previously used in the first two DQ games.

Dragon Quest

The first Dragon Quest game is the second chronologically in the Erdrick trilogy. After a long period of peace following DQ3, a Dragonlord rises up to threaten the land of Alefgard. The hero Erdrick sets off to defeat this evil being, only to mysteriously vanish in the process.

A new Hero who lives in a world post-Erdrick’s disappearance emerges to vanquish the Dragonlord and once again return peace to Aflegard after the fall of its storied saviour.

Dragon Quest 2

At the end of the first Dragon Quest, the Hero and his new princess set off to discover a new land. The events of the second game take place in this new land following three of the descendants of DQ1’s Hero.

The three main characters eventually come across Aflegard on their journey to defeat the corrupt wizard Hargon. Dragon Quest 2 is chronologically the final game of the Erdrick trilogy.

The Zenithia Trilogy

The fourth, fifth, and sixth games in the series are often grouped together as the Zenithia Trilogy.

Dragon Quest 4, 5, and 6 feature the presence of a magic floating castle called Zenithia. Outside this location, and a handful of smaller connections, there isn’t much else tying together this particular trilogy.

Dragon Quest 6

Dragon Quest 6 is generally believed by most fans to come chronologically before DQ 4 and 5. Again, the reasons for this are incredibly minor: a handful of items that are new in DQ 6 appear as old in the fourth and fifth games, as well as some offhand remarks from NPCs.

The actual story of Dragon Quest 6 is split between the ‘Real World’ and the ‘Dream World’, focusing on the Hero and their party taking on, you guess it, the Demon King. The tower of Zenithia is home to said Demon King.

Dragon Quest 4

In Dragon Quest 4, Zenithia Castle is one of the final areas of the game, which you can only access after collecting pieces of the Zenithia armour set.

Dragon Quest 5

Dragon Quest 5 is often considered the final game in the Zenithia Trilogy. This is because the game has no clear references that would place it ahead of DQ6 or DQ4 on the timeline, while still featuring the same castle as those games.

The story of Dragon Quest 5 is an epic, multi-generational tale that explores the full life of the Hero from childbirth through to the lives of his children. Zenithia Castle is revived by the Hero after defeating the villainous Ladja.

All The Other Dragon Quest Games

You may be wondering: where do Dragon Quest 7, 8, 9, and 10 fall on the timeline? The simple answer is that they don’t. At least, not in relation to any of the other mainline Dragon Quest games.

Dragon Quest 7

Dragon Quest 7 focuses on a small island in the middle of a vast ocean, seemingly isolated from anywhere else. The Hero and their companions learn to travel to other islands and bring them back into the real world, gradually piecing the world back together while revealing a darker secret that lies underneath.

Dragon Quest 8

Dragon Quest 8 tells the tale of the Hero guiding a King and Princess – who have been turned into a troll and a horse, respectively – through the world to lift their curse.

Dragon Quest 9

Dragon Quest 9’s story is on the simpler side, following the Hero who is part of an angelic race retrieving pieces of magical fruit throughout the world.

Dragon Quest 10

Dragon Quest 10 shook up the regular formula of the series by being a MMORPG. The story focuses on the Hero being transformed into a race of the player’s choosing after being attacked by the main protagonist: Nelgel the Netherlord.

The Release Order Of The Dragon Quest Games

While the order of release for the mainline Dragon Quest games is incredibly straightforward in the series’ home country of Japan, the international release order is a lot more muddled.

This is because most Dragon Quest games didn’t see an official launch outside of Japan for years – sometimes, even for over a decade. The MMORPG Dragon Quest 10 still hasn’t had a global launch after over 12 years.

Here is a breakdown of the release timeline of the Dragon Quest games for Japan and their first official English versions.

*The exact American release date is not known for the four NES Dragon Quest (known then as Dragon Warrior) games.