Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake does, in fact, still exist, and during today's Nintendo Direct developer Square Enix confirmed that the updated JRPG is finally set to launch this year.
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake officially launches on November 14, 2024. While the news was announced as part of today's Nintendo presentation, a teaser a few weeks ago seemed to confirm the game was also on the way to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Expect official confirmation from Square Enix soon enough, but the release across consoles matches with the publisher's publicly stated intentions to "aggressively" pursue a multiplatform strategy.
As the name suggests, this game is an upgrade of the 8-bit classic Dragon Quest 3 with the gorgeous HD-2D treatment Square Enix has been building since Octopath Traveler. Fans of the publisher's classic JRPGs have been begging for remakes in the HD-2D style for ages, and it looks like those are finally a reality - first with the remake of cult classic Live A Live back in 2022, and now with a more mainstream hit in Dragon Quest 3.
The HD-2D treatment looks gorgeous here - just as it did way back in 2021 when Square Enix first announced the project with a brief teaser trailer. Despite multiple assurances that the remake was still in the works, it's still a relief to see it resurface with a proper release date here.
It might seem odd to start remaking Dragon Quest with the third entry in the series, but Dragon Quest 3 is actually a prequel set before the original two games. And it just so happens that Square Enix also announced an HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest 1 and 2 set to launch in 2025.
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