Dragon Quest Day Hits Hard By Officializing 2 New Games For The 40th Anniversary

The silence has officially been broken. Announced in 2021 under the title Dragon Quest XII The Flames of Fate during the 35th anniversary, the 12th canonical entry had received no substantial update since. Square Enix seized this Dragon Quest Day to unveil a new trailer and most importantly a revealing new subtitle. The game officially becomes Dragon Quest XII Beyond Dreams, suggesting a significant narrative shift for this entry still developed on Unreal Engine 5.

The trailer reveals several characters, including the main hero, as well as a robot and a reptilian creature that strongly recall the universe of Chrono Trigger. Yuji Horii, creator of the franchise, now remains the last member of the historic trio at the helm of the project, following the passing of Akira Toriyama in 2024 and Koichi Sugiyama in 2021. No release date has been communicated, but this first genuine gameplay appearance confirms that development is finally moving forward, after a troubled period marked by the pandemic and internal restructurings at Square Enix.

Originally released on September 27, 2019 on Nintendo Switch, then on December 4, 2020 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC via Steam, Dragon Quest XI S Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition will land on Nintendo Switch 2 on September 24, 2026. The physical edition will be sold on a game-key card, a format specific to Nintendo’s new console that doesn’t contain the game itself but an activation key for download.

This Switch 2 edition benefits from several improvements compared to previous versions. Players will find new chapters focused on each party member, a full Japanese voice-acting option and additional English voices, the ability to switch between 2D and 3D graphic modes, an orchestral score revisited, as well as brand new optimization modes allowing to prioritize either graphics or performance. The adventure of The Luminary in the world of Erdrea remains one of the most acclaimed JRPGs of the past decade, making this Switch 2 port the most complete version available to date.

The choice of May 27, 2026 for these 2 announcements is no coincidence. As we mentioned in our recap of the 3 events for the 40th anniversary, Square Enix systematically capitalizes on the Dragon Quest Day, the anniversary of the release of the very first Dragon Quest on Famicom on May 27, 1986. The 35th anniversary in 2021 had already allowed for the announcement of 6 projects including Dragon Quest XII, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake and Dragon Quest Treasures. The Japanese studio uses this symbolic date as a marketing launch ramp at regular intervals.

With over 95 million copies sold since 1986, the Dragon Quest saga remains one of the historic pillars of the JRPG genre alongside Final Fantasy. The dual announcement of Beyond Dreams and the Switch 2 port confirms Square Enix‘s strategy of maintaining the entire franchise ecosystem. It remains to be seen whether the 41st anniversary will finally bring the long-awaited release date for the 12th canonical entry, along with new revelations on the highly anticipated gameplay partially unveiled this May 27, 2026.