Dragon Quest Monsters Returns to PlayStation: PS5 on Dec. 3

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World will release for PlayStation 5 on Dec. 3. The PS5 date confirms the spin-off series’ return to PlayStation hardware after more than two decades.

The game had been announced for PS5 previously; the new release date fixes its arrival for early December and follows a multiplatform approach for the title.

The last Monsters entry on a PlayStation system was the Japan-only Dragon Quest Monsters 1+2 collection for the original PS1 in 2002.

A trailer released with the date shows gameplay that includes recruiting monsters during battle, exploring environments outside combat, and turn-based combat sequences. The footage highlights building teams and customizing monster rosters for strategic encounters.

The Dec. 3 launch places the game in the early December holiday period rather than the crowded September and October windows many publishers favor. No additional platform-specific release dates, edition details or post-launch plans were announced with the PS5 date.

Dragon Quest Monsters is a series that focuses on monster recruitment and party composition rather than the mainline series’ hero-driven narratives. Since the early 2000s, the franchise’s monster-focused entries have mainly appeared on non-PlayStation systems, making The Withered World’s PS5 release the series’ first on Sony hardware in over 20 years.