Dragon Quest Monsters was released by Enix in Japan on 25 September 1998, developed by Tose. The cartridge works on both the original Game Boy and the Game Boy Color, and it was the only dual-compatible title released before the Game Boy Color itself launched on 21 October 1998. Yuji Horii handled the scenario and game design, Akira Toriyama drew the characters and Koichi Sugiyama wrote the music.
The game stars Terry and Milly from Dragon Quest VI, both shown as children. Instead of catching monsters in battle, Terry wins them over with meat, and breeding is the heart of the game: bred monsters get better stats and more skills, and some exist only through breeding.
In 2000 the game reached North America as Dragon Warrior Monsters and Europe as Dragon Quest Monsters, the first Dragon Quest game released in Europe. It was later remade for the PlayStation in 2002 and the Nintendo 3DS in 2012, and the Game Boy version was ported to the Switch in 2019.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Dragon Warrior MonstersCo-published by Eidos Interactive | Game Boy Color | 2000 | Eidos Interactive | 2 |
| JP | ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ テリーのワンダーランドDoragon Kuesuto Monsutāzu: Terī no WandārandoWorks on both Game Boy and Game Boy Color; released before the Game Boy Color itself | Game Boy Color | Sep 25, 1998 | Enix | 1 |
| EU | Dragon Quest MonstersCo-published by Eidos Interactive | Game Boy Color | 2000 | Eidos Interactive | 2 |
| JP | ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ1・2 星降りの勇者と牧場の仲間たちCompilation with the sequel | PlayStation | 2002 | Enix | 1 |
| JP | ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ テリーのワンダーランドSPSmartphone version; also Android | iOS | Nov 7, 2018 | Square Enix | 1 |
| JP | ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ テリーのワンダーランド RETROPort of the Game Boy version | Switch | Sep 17, 2019 | Square Enix | 1 |
Also known as: ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ テリーのワンダーランド JP1Doragon Kuesuto Monsutāzu: Terī no Wandārando JP2Dragon Quest Monsters EU2
Box art by region
NA Dragon Warrior Monsters 
EU Dragon Quest Monsters
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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CoverGB/GBC (JP)
Japanese cartridges sold before the Game Boy Color launch were gray, like Game Boy software; later ones were black, the color used for Game Boy/Game Boy Color dual-compatible games, with a revised box and label.1
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TitleGBC (NA)GBC (EU)
The game was called Dragon Warrior Monsters in North America and Dragon Quest Monsters in Europe.2
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GameplaySwitch RETRO (2019)
The 2019 Switch port adds screen color and size options, shows map and party information outside the game frame and allows slightly faster movement, but it drops link battles and link breeding.1
Translations
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English Official
Eidos Interactive2000Game Boy Color · Japanese versionReleased · complete
The English version came out in North America and Europe in 2000, co-published by Eidos Interactive.2
Reception
In Japan the game sold 2.35 million copies, 1.22 million of them in 1998, which made it the fourth best-selling game of that year. In North America 60,000 copies had sold by April 2000. GameRankings averaged 78.9% from 12 reviews, and critics often compared it with Pokémon.2
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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