Highlights from the Dragon Quest 40th Anniversary Celebration

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Dragon Quest, a brief video presentation was streamed on YouTube, showcasing the future of the beloved series. Though the event lasted only about 10 minutes, it packed in plenty of excitement reminiscent of a thrilling puff-puff session.

Among the highlights were some fresh announcements for upcoming Dragon Quest titles, but there was also a sobering update regarding Dragon Quest 12, which is still quite a ways off from release.

Here’s a rundown of the key points from the Dragon Quest 40th anniversary livestream.

Originally teased back in 2021 during the Dragon Quest 35th anniversary event, the game previously known as Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate has resurfaced after five long years with a new title: Dragon Quest 12: Beyond Dreams.

Producer Yosuke Saito shared that the wait for this fantasy RPG will be longer than anticipated. “We’re hard at work on 12, but due to a reshuffle of the team and a restart of development, it’s going to be a bit longer till it’s in your hands,” he explained, noting that the game is being developed from the ground up. “I believe it was the right decision to ensure the next Dragon Quest game will be one that all you fans of the series will really love,” Saito added.

A new trailer for Dragon Quest 12: Beyond Dreams showcases its sleepy-eyed protagonist and hints at an open-world experience. However, no release date or platforms were announced for the game.

Dragon Quest 11 was a standout title when it launched in 2018, and it continues to impress nearly a decade later. The story follows the Luminary, a prophesied hero on a quest to save the world from disaster. With a stunning mid-game twist and a memorable cast, DQ11 embraces classic RPG tropes while breathing new life into them. It’s both familiar and ambitiously fresh.

A couple of years after the original, Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition introduced dedicated story chapters for each party member and a full 2D mode for fans of the classic 16-bit style. It also brought quality-of-life enhancements like faster combat, easier crafting, and more freedom in summoning your horse. The Definitive Edition features Japanese voice acting, a photo mode, and a fully orchestrated soundtrack.

The Switch 2 version of Dragon Quest 11 S doesn’t seem to add many new features. Unfortunately, save data from the original Switch version will not transfer to the Switch 2 release.

Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition is set to launch on Switch 2 on September 24.

In the meantime, the Dragon Quest team hopes to keep fans engaged with a new Dragon Quest Monsters game. Designer Yuji Horii and producer Yosuke Saito unveiled Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World with a charming trailer featuring dual protagonists Bianca and Nera from Dragon Quest 5: Hand of the Heavenly Bride, along with a host of classic DQ enemies to capture.

Details about Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World are still scarce, but this spinoff series is the closest thing to Pokémon within the Dragon Quest universe, allowing players to capture, breed, and battle collectible monsters. The latest entry, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince, was released for Nintendo Switch in 2023.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World is “coming soon” to Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC (via Steam), and Xbox Series X.

If you missed the live broadcast, the entire presentation is available on the Dragon Quest YouTube channel.