The Legend of Dragoon is a role-playing game developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and released for the PlayStation in Japan on 2 December 1999. It reached North America in June 2000 and Europe on 19 January 2001. Production began in 1996 and lasted three years, involved more than 100 people and cost over $16 million. Because of its many CGI movies and pre-rendered backgrounds, the game shipped on four CDs.
In Japan it debuted with over 160,000 copies, second that week only to Pokémon Gold and Silver, but most of its more than one million sales came from North America. The Western release was not a straight conversion: after feedback from Japanese players, the North American version was rebalanced to be less difficult, and the PocketStation mini-game was cut.
The game later returned as a digital re-release on PS3 and PSP, and in 2023 as an emulated PlayStation Plus Classics title for PS4 and PS5. It was nominated for Console Role-Playing Game at the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, losing to Final Fantasy IX.1
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | The Legend of DragoonWikipedia gives 13 June 2000, TCRF gives 11 June 2000. | PlayStation | June 2000 | Sony Computer Entertainment | 1 |
| NA | The Legend of DragoonPlayStation Network re-release. | PlayStation 3 | May 1, 2012 | Sony Computer Entertainment | 1 |
| JP | レジェンド オブ ドラグーンRejendo Obu DoragūnFour CDs. | PlayStation | Dec 2, 1999 | Sony Computer Entertainment | 2 |
| EU | The Legend of Dragoon | PlayStation | Jan 19, 2001 | Sony Computer Entertainment | 1 |
| JP | レジェンド オブ ドラグーンRejendo Obu DoragūnGame Archives (PS3/PSP) digital re-release. | PlayStation 3 | Dec 22, 2010 | Sony Computer Entertainment | 2 |
| WW | The Legend of DragoonEmulated release in the PlayStation Plus Classics catalogue for PS4 and PS5, with rewind, quick saves and video filters. | PlayStation 4 | Feb 21, 2023 | Sony Interactive Entertainment | 1 |
Also known as: レジェンド・オブ・ドラグーン JP1Rejendo Obu Doragūn JP1La Leyenda de los Dragoons EU3
Box art by region
NA The Legend of Dragoon 
EU The Legend of Dragoon 
JP レジェンド オブ ドラグーン
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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DifficultyNAEU
The North American and European versions were made easier after feedback from Japanese players: most enemies have less HP, some give more experience, and magic and items hit harder.4
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GameplayNAEU
The Japanese PocketStation mini-game, which could send gold to the main game, was removed abroad; to make up for it, most enemies drop three times as much gold.4
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ContentNAEU
Outside Japan, the Magic Shiny Bag that Dabas still hands over in Volcano Villude is useless, because the PocketStation game it belonged to was cut.4
Translations
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German Official
Sony Computer EntertainmentPlayStation 4Released
The current PS4/PS5 release lists German voice and text.5
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Spanish Official
Sony Computer Entertainment2001PlayStation · PAL versionReleased
An official Spanish edition was released in Europe in 2001, and the current PS4/PS5 release lists Spanish voice and text alongside English, French, German and Italian.5
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French Official
Sony Computer EntertainmentPlayStation 4Released
The current PS4/PS5 release lists French voice and text.5
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Italian Official
Sony Computer EntertainmentPlayStation 4Released
The current PS4/PS5 release lists Italian voice and text.5
Where to play legally today
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PlayStation Store Subscription
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PlayStation Store Purchase
Reception
The game sold over 160,000 copies in its first week in Japan, and by 2007 over 280,000 in Japan and 823,000 in North America — more than a million worldwide. Metacritic lists 74/100; Famitsu gave it 31/40.1
In lists
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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