Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake has only been out for a week, but it's already set a couple of key records in Japan. As a remake of a classic game in the long-running RPG series, the new take on DQ3 was never likely to have trouble finding an audience. Even so, the game's success so far is noteworthy on another level, marking a major victory for developer and publisher Square Enix.
As reported on the Genki Twitter , which covers Japanese game news, Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake is Square Enix's biggest Japanese launch since the 2017 release of Dragon Quest 11. It's already the best-selling game of the year in Japan, with 821,770 reported sales on Switch and PS5 alone, a number that hadn't been met since the 2023 release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
The launch numbers exceed recent high-budget Square Enix titles like several Final Fantasy games and Kingdom Hearts 3. With Nintendo Switch making up the majority of the reported sales, the release on the handheld platform appears to be a significant boost to the overall performance.
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake Is Hugely Popular In Japan
The Dragon Quest Franchise Is Unstoppable
Although Dragon Quest is a globally popular franchise, it has an extremely secure foothold in Japan, and some franchise entries like the MMORPG Dragon Quest 10 have never made it to the West. Genki also mentions that "many shops" are sold out of the game in Japan and await a restock that won't come until December, following the information with speculation that worldwide sales across all platforms have probably exceeded 2 million.
It's fitting that Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake would reach heights that haven't been seen since Dragon Quest 11. Even if it's unlikely to have the same proportionate level of success in every market worldwide as it has in Japan, Genki's projected numbers would be a fantastic achievement, and the Japanese sales alone should be enough to thoroughly justify its creation.
Our Take: Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Deserves The Success
A Great Remake Getting Its Flowers
DQ3 is iconic for a reason, and Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake brings it back to life in fantastic form. Screen Rant's review of the game awards it with a 9/10 rating and deems it a "new classic of an old classic," and the marriage of a faithful presentation of its original strengths with new additions could be the perfect way for new players to experience the game for the first time.
The game's success should be very welcome for Square Enix, as the studio previously revealed that the sales of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth came as a disappointment earlier this year. I'm hopeful that the contribution of the Switch release to the overall sales of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake will further incentivize a strong multi-platform strategy from Square Enix in the future, especially with the Switch's successor on the horizon to help close the graphical gap.
