Dragon Quest Builders

Dragon Quest Builders arrives on Steam, presenting a unique building adventure set in Alefgard, where players tackle the role of the Builder to rejuvenate a darkened world. The game's charm lies in its construction mechanics and Free Mode, offering endless creativity despite the absence of multiplayer support. The PC version enhances the experience with included DLCs and customizable controls, yet its late release and comparison to its sequel may influence its recommendation at full price.

Dragon Quest Builders is an absolute delight on the PC. It balances story with building and still has time to sprinkle some familiar Dragon Quest RPG essence into the mix. While the camera is still a pain within tight spots, and when building large walls, the overall body of work is still solid.

Dragon Quest Builders is a crafting game that's a joy to play even all these years later, and it runs brilliantly on both PC and Steam Deck.

In its current state, Dragon Quest Builders is a fantastic game, but one I can only recommend with some big caveats and if you will stick to playing it on a modern iPhone. If you care about cloud saves, it isn’t here. Controller support is basically absent as well.

Dragon Quest Builders is a fine balance between freedom of exploration and an actually decent plot you need to follow. Building entire cities with a very legitimate coat of paint is incredibly entertaining, exploring every single cave and secret area in order to find valuable items and recipes feels very rewarding, and the story itself isn’t bad at all, especially given how it ties directly to the original Dragon Quest game. Fear not, my fellow readers: this is no opportunistic cash grab, this is a very good sandbox game that will please both Dragon Quest and Minecraft fans.

Overall, Dragon Quest Builder’s gameplay plays to the strengths of the Nintendo Switch’s intended purposes. There are countless hours to be had here, and players with extra creativity will find reasons to come back even after the land of Alefgard has been restored.