If you have $600 spare, you can experience every Dragon Quest game ever made

Dragon Quest has 40 years of JRPG history under its belt, but how much would it cost you to experience it all for yourself?

Dragon Quest games cost: The hero of 7 reimagined outlined in white and pasted on a pink Switch Lite with a 2DS and a white Wii flanking it
Daz Skubich Avatar

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Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined 

It's been 26 years since Dragon Quest VII initially released in Japan on the PS1, but it's back in our consciousness thanks to a fresh remake from Square Enix for the Nintendo Switch 2. As well as this release, 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of Yuji Horii's iconic JRPG series that defined the genre in the Western world and inspired countless other fantastic games.

Square Enix is more than aware of the cultural impact of Dragon Quest, as you can see from the three recent HD-2D remakes of the series' humble beginnings, bringing the classic adventures to a modern audience. However, these remakes are far from the first time that the company has ported older Dragon Quest games, giving us plenty of options for experiencing the series in its entirety. As a certified JRPG-lover and a big fan of a bargain, I wondered how much it would cost to play through all eleven mainline games in the series, and I'm here to take you on that journey with me.

Just as I did with my Pokémon price breakdown, let's start with hardware. Unlike Game Freak's creature collector, Dragon Quest has never been tied to just one console, sharing releases on both Nintendo and Sony hardware from the early days and later expanding to Xbox and PC. However, you don't need tons of retro consoles to play through this series, mostly thanks to Square Enix's dedication to also putting old Dragon Quest adventures on smartphones.

The average gamer reading this breakdown will already own a mid-range to high-end iOS or Android smartphone, more than capable of running these pixelated ports, so I won't include the cost of this device in the total. Smartphones are too integrated into modern life to count as an additional expense. The most modern port - Dragon Quest VIII - recommends an iPhone 6 or above, or any device that can run Android 8.0.

Dragon Quest games cost: A picture of a Switch 2 on the DQ XI store page with a DQ IX cart on top of it on a blanket

So, what hardware do you need aside from a phone? The first thing is a handheld from the 3DS family. As I previously discovered, the cheapest option is a second-hand Nintendo 2DS, which you can grab on eBay for around $125. You'll need this to play Dragon Quest IX, a game that was only ever released on the DS, and the 3DS version of Dragon Quest VII's original remaster. At the time of writing, you can grab both games on the resale market for $60, or the same price as Dragon Quest VII Reimagined for the Switch 2.

Even with my glowing Dragon Quest I+II HD-2D Remaster review, I can't recommend spending $60 on that game when you can play the original versions on mobile for $2.99 and $4.99, respectively. However, you will still need a Switch system for Dragon Quest XI. Square Enix originally made this game for the 3DS and PS4 and then ported it to the Switch, so a Nintendo Switch Lite is more than suitable. You can currently grab a refurbished Coral Pink one on Amazon for $169.99.

The last piece of hardware you require is an odd one. Square Enix has never ported Dragon Quest X, the MMORPG wildcard of the series, to American consoles. As an online multiplayer game, it's difficult to capture the true experience without an internet connection, but there are some offline elements to experience. If you're truly dedicated to the cause, you can buy a Japanese region-locked Wii console on eBay for around $50 (excluding shipping) and a copy of the game for $10. If I were you, I'd just look up gameplay on YouTube, but here we are.

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So, the hardware cost alone brings us to $344.99, but what about all the games? As we've seen, Dragon Quest's mobile ports are the most affordable way to play the majority of the series' early history, both in terms of retail price and the fact that you don't have to invest in retro hardware. Here's the full price breakdown of the cheapest way to purchase every mainline Dragon Quest game:

Combined with the hardware costs from earlier, it'll set you back $635.32 to play all eleven mainline Dragon Quest games. That's pretty steep, but it's still cheaper than every Pokémon generation and under half the price of the entire The Sims 4 cost. Square Enix's mobile port library is a real testament to videogame preservation, housing not only the seven listed Dragon Quest titles, but also retro versions of early Final Fantasy games, Secrets of Mana, Romancing SaGa, and spin-offs like Dragon Quest Monsters and Dragon Quest Builders.

So, if you fancy diving into some of the best JRPGs of all time, check out your phone's App Store. Or, if you don't mind spending a little extra for a more modern experience, take a look at our list of the best Switch games on the market right now.

If you’re looking for a rhythm game aficionado or obsessive Pokéfan, Daz is the person you should seek out. They’ll give any genre a go at least once (they’ve even tried a few Roblox games) but tend to gravitate towards anything with cutesy aesthetics. They love exploring the cosmos in Honkai Star Rail, hunting down shinies in Pokémon Go, and catching up on the goings-on in Teyvat. Daz is also a fan of a bargain, so they love testing out the best 4G phones on the market like the Tecno Pova 5, and seeking out indie gem deals on the Nintendo eShop. They freelanced for years and still occasionally dabble in writing for Wargamer and PCGamesN, as well as streaming indie games on Twitch. Daz’s expert gaming opinion is that you can get by just fine with a full team of four-stars in Genshin Impact.

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