Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age is now available on Switch 2, four months after Square Enix announced the port during the series’ 40th anniversary livestream and opened preorders the same day. The Switch 2 version is priced at $39.99, though there are a few catches worth knowing before buying. Square Enix has no plans to sell an upgrade pack for those who already own the Switch version, save data isn’t compatible between the two versions, and the physical release is a game-key card rather than a cartridge with the full game on it.
If you somehow skipped it on the original Switch, Dragon Quest XI S is the expanded version of Dragon Quest XI, and it first launched on Switch in September 2019 before heading to PlayStation 4, XBOX One, and PC in December 2020. As I said back in May when the port was announced, it’s one of the best JRPGs in recent memory, and the core game has held up incredibly well. I also noted at the time that the display mode toggle is the only real new addition, but a more capable handheld is a great way to revisit it or play it for the first time.
That display mode toggle lets players prioritize either graphics or frame rate, and it’s the one feature Square Enix has focused on with the Switch 2 version. Everything else carries over from the original Switch release, including the character side stories, the retro 2D mode, the 16-bit world of Tickington, English and Japanese voiceover, photo mode, and a fully orchestrated soundtrack that can be swapped back to the original synthesized version. Square Enix has the full feature rundown on the official Dragon Quest XI site.
The Switch 2 release arrives just over a week after the series passed 100 million games sold, a milestone Square Enix announced on September 16 as part of the same 40th anniversary year. Dragon Quest Heroes: Torneko’s Mystery Dungeon Classic HD, a 1993 spinoff that had never been released outside Japan, shadow dropped during the Nintendo Direct on September 9 for PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2, and PC. Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World follows on December 3 for the same platforms, and a free demo covering its first chapter is already available on all of them, along with an early purchase bonus for anyone who buys by January 4, 2027. As for Dragon Quest XII: Beyond Dreams, Square Enix announced back in May that development had restarted under a new team structure, and it has yet to share a release window or platforms.
