After years of waiting, Dragon Quest 12 has finally resurfaced. Square Enix shared an update in celebration of the series’ 40th anniversary today.
Dragon Quest 12 was revealed five years ago today. However, since that initial announcement, Square Enix has been keeping quiet on the game – we had yet to see it since then. It was originally known as Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate.
Dragon Quest 12 will feature a story of a young hero “who’s beset by strange visions in their sleep,” according to series creator Yuji Horii. He further teased: “What lies beyond dreams? Surely not a world of darkness, but a bright and exciting future.” Horii added that the game “has gone in a different direction to the one we originally announced”.
Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, who passed away in 2024, is responsible for the game’s character. The project features Koichi Sugiyama’s music as well.
Executive producer Yosuke Saito had this to say about the long wait: “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. Work on the original version, Dragon Quest 12: The Flames of Fate, hit a lot of hurdles along the way. But as we kept talking with [Dragon Quest series creator] Mr. [Yuji] Horii and pined down what a mainline Dragon Quest game should look like, we decided to move things around and start over from scratch. It was a major decision, but I believe it was the right one to ensure the next Dragon Quest game will be the one that all you fans of the series will really love. As part of this new direction, we’ve also changed the game’s logo and subtitle.”
Here’s a look at the protagonist:
Get a first look at Dragon Quest 12: Beyond Dreams with the trailer below.
Reveal Trailer
Square Enix also just unveiled Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World for Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch today. We have more on that here.