Summary
Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Agehas sold nearly 8.5 million units, according to fine print in one of Square Enix’s recent press releases. The commercial performance update positionsDragon Quest 11as the best-selling individual title in the long-running JRPG franchise.
Dragon Quest 11has been a commercial hit since its Japan-exclusive launchin 2017. A recent Square Enix update revealed that the game had sold more than 7 million units across all platforms as of December 2024.
Half a year later, the publisher provided yet another update on the JRPG’s commercial performance. Fine print in theannouncement of theDragon Quest 1 & 2 Remakerelease dateincludes background on the franchise, noting thatDragon Quest 11has sold nearly 8.5 million units as of today, as spotted byTwisted Voxel.
8.5m
1m
5.3m
4.9m
5.27m
4.2m
5.97m
5.84m
5.89m
5.33m
2m
Total
54.2m
The figure suggests that the critically acclaimed title accounts for nearly 10% of the franchise’s estimated 93 million lifetime sales. When considering only mainline entries,Dragon Quest 11represents nearly 16% of total sales. Its contribution is especially notable given thatDragon Questis one of Square Enix’s top-selling franchisesand the third best-selling (traditional) JRPG series of all time, behind onlyFinal FantasyandPokemon.
The game’s commercial success can be attributed to several factors, including the fact that it’s the first installment in the franchise to truly take off in the West. Long-tail sales were likely supported by Square Enix’s steady platform expansion, which included multiple editions. The 11th numbered entry in theDragon Questserieswas initially released in Japan for the 3DS and PS4 in July 2017, followed by a Western launch for the PS4 and PC in September 2018. While the 3DS version remained Japan-exclusive, Square Enix released an enhanced edition for the Nintendo Switch in 2019, marketed under the lengthy titleDragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition. The Switch exclusivity ended in December 2020, when the updated version also launched on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
The success ofDragon Quest 11appears to have significantly boosted the franchise’s appeal in Western markets. This is reflected in the performance of the recently releasedDragon Quest 3 HD-2Dremake, which surpassed 2 million units sold by early December 2024, a mere three weeks following its launch. Square Enix will be hoping to replicate that success with the upcoming HD-2D remakes of the first two series entries, which are scheduled for a two-pack release on PC and consoles on October 30.
