JRPG fans rejoice to learn Dragon Quest 3 HD is "progressing quite steadily" despite years of silence

Dragon Quest 3 HD
(Image credit: Square Enix)

At long last, Square Enix has confirmed that Dragon Quest 3 HD isn't just a dream we all had and somehow have screenshots of. In fact, Dragon Quest series creator Yuji Horii told Famitsu (thanks, Gematsu) that development on the remake is "progressing quite steadily."

Dragon Quest 3 in HD-2D, the working title for an upcoming remake of one of the best JRPGs of all time, was first announced back in May 2021 with a gameplay trailer. In the two-and-a-half years since, I've waited not entirely patiently for an update on the remake, whether that's a new trailer, a release date, or simply some new information. But until now, there's been nothing.

Granted, simply confirming that the game is still in development and moving along at a steady pace is about as meager an update as you can possibly give a game, but I'll gladly take it over more radio silence. 

Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate, meanwhile, was announced at the same time as the Dragon Quest 3 remake and has also gone largely silent since. In the same Famitsu interview, Horii simply said, "There’s still not much I can say." Bummer.

Dragon Quest 3, first released all the way back in 1988, puts you in the shoes of the son or daughter (you get to choose) of the legendary warrior Ortega, who's tasked by the save the world from the threat of the Demon Lord Baramos. The game is noted for greatly expanding on the foundation of the first two games with a new, more open-world setting, introducing the day/night system, allowing players to freely swap  party members, and more. 

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Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.