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Dragon Quest RPG: The Cursed Tree and the Chosen Isle Begins Its Journey in 2027
Square Enix is giving mobile players a more traditional trip through the world of Dragon Quest. The gaming giant has revealed Dragon Quest RPG: The Cursed Tree and the Chosen Isle, a new turn-based RPG coming globally to iOS and Android in 2027.
Developed by WFS, the smartphone adventure combines exploration, familiar command-based battles and character progression with a base that grows using resources brought home from each journey.
The announcement comes during a particularly active period for the series. Dragon Quest XII: Beyond Dreams resurfaced earlier this year following a substantial creative rework, while Dragon Quest VII Reimagined expanded one of the series’ older adventures with new story material.
Square Enix’s latest project heads in another direction, aiming to translate a recognisably traditional Dragon Quest RPG into a game designed specifically for smartphones.
Yggdrasil Has Fallen to the Grimvein
The story of Dragon Quest RPG: The Cursed Tree and the Chosen Isle begins on the floating island of Monbelusha, where the protagonist becomes a Warden of the World Tree. After the sacred Yggdrasil is transformed into the corrupted Grimvein, players are entrusted with one of its surviving branches and set out to restore the world. The adventure takes players across open fields and into dungeons as they encounter allies, monsters and new discoveries linking one journey to the next.
The project joins an increasingly varied line-up that also includes monster-focused spin-offs, with Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World among the series projects shown during Nintendo Direct earlier this year.
Fast Strike Skills Add Another Layer to Turn-Based Battles
Despite being designed for mobile, Dragon Quest RPG: The Cursed Tree and the Chosen Isle is not abandoning the series’ traditional combat foundations. Players fight through turn-based encounters, using standard tactical decision-making alongside Fast Strike skills and familiar pep powers. Square Enix says these systems are intended to add tactical options without making the battle system difficult to grasp.
Progress continues once players return from their adventures. Resources and rewards collected in the field can be used to develop the player’s base and strengthen allies, opening the way towards further exploration.
Square Enix has not announced the game’s monetisation model. There is currently no official confirmation of gacha mechanics, character banners or how any potential in-game purchases will operate.
Closed Beta Begins December 8
Players will be able to try the new RPG considerably sooner than its 2027 launch. Applications are now open through the official closed beta registration page until November 23, with testing scheduled to run from December 8 to 15 on iOS and Android.
The test will accommodate 25,000 players. Should applications exceed that number, participants will be selected through a lottery, with successful applicants expected to be notified before testing begins. Progress from the beta will not carry into the finished game.
Dragon Quest RPG: The Cursed Tree and the Chosen Isle launches globally in 2027 for iOS and Android, although Square Enix notes that some regions will be excluded. No more specific release date has been announced.
For a series increasingly spread across remakes, monster-collecting spin-offs and a long-awaited new mainline entry, this latest adventure appears less interested in reinventing Dragon Quest than in seeing how much of its familiar RPG structure can comfortably fit onto a phone.
