Journey into a fantastical world on a quest for revenge in Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince. Psaro is cursed and is unable to harm anything with monster blood. Now, he must become a Monster Wrangler to create an army for battle.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince features Psaro, the demon prince, whose curse prevents him from harming monsters. As a result, he must become a Monster Wrangler, recruiting, and fighting alongside monsters throughout the various environments of the fantastical world of Nadiria. Over the course of this adventure, the seasons will regularly cycle through Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall, which not only changes the landscape, but also opens new areas and players will encounter different monsters specific to that season.

One of the most powerful tools in the player arsenal is the newly evolved synthesis system which allows players to create completely new monsters by combining those already on their roster. Players can experiment and eventually unlock over 500 monsters, including franchise favorites, dark lords, and completely new creatures. Once players have assembled their dream roster, they can take their teams of powerful monsters online, to  battle against other Monster Wranglers around the world.

With the launch of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince around the corner, Square Enix announced new details for the game’s online features with a mix of fan-favorite and new online game modes available at launch.

Competing against friends and rivals from around the world, players can hone their skills, strengthen their monsters, and battle to become the highest ranked monster wrangler. The demo is currently available in the Nintendo eShop for fans looking to jump into Psaro’s adventure early and transfer their monster team to the full game at launch.

Much-loved Online Battles will return to the Dragon Quest Monsters series, bolstered further by new gameplay features, such as Quickfire Contests. As Psaro progresses through the game’s story, Fizzy will become available in Rosehill Tower and share the online options currently available to experience, as well as the chance to purchase DLC content. There's something here for new and returning players to enjoy while honing each monsters’ skills in challenging battles with other monster wranglers.

The game's three main online features include: Online Battles, Quickfire Contests and the Online Shop. Players who perform well in Online Battles and Quickfire Contests can earn rewards that include new monsters and rare items. In the Online Shop, fans will be able spend gold coins earned in the main game to obtain items like scrolls, which teach a new Talent to one of the monsters within the team roster. Whether players are looking to test their skills or simply doing a little shopping, there are plenty of ways to improve as a monster wrangler through the game’s online offerings.

Online Battles

Several different battle categories to choose from, including:

• Ranked Matches: This mode pits wranglers against other players from around the globe as each competes to take top spot in the rankings. By rising through the ranks, fans can earn rare accessories and other items to strengthen monsters within their party. 
• Friend Matches: Players will play for fun against other wranglers from within their registered friends in a player’s Nintendo account.
• Multiplayer Tournaments: Up to eight players will clash in a knockout format against friends and rivals until only one reaches the top.

Quickfire Contests

Once a player registers their party's data, they will be ready to compete in Quickfire Contests. These massive competitions use the data of 30 players to conduct battles automatically in the blink of an eye. Participants can only earn rewards from a Quickfire Contest once per day, but they include items that can raise your monsters' stats, as well as identical monsters (B Rank and below only) from any teams defeated over the course of the competition. After a contest, players can view the details of each battle, as well as use opponents' party data to conduct Sparring Matches for practice. Utilize this information to improve one’s party composition and tweak battle tactics. Quickfire Contests are a fast and easy way to strengthen your party, recruit new monsters and earn useful items.

The Online Shop

The Online Shop updates its stock every day (real-world days, rather than in-game days), but the items available can also change as each player progresses through the story. With special scrolls that can teach a new Talent to a monster, many powerful accessories, and a selection of delectable meats available, the Online Shop has something of value for monster wranglers of all levels. Be sure to check back regularly and try not to let all that in-game gold burn a hole in Psaro’s pocket.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is now available for digital pre-orders and pre-purchase exclusively for Nintendo Switch via the Square Enix official store and at retail. Players who pre-order or pre-purchase the game will also receive the Head Start Set which includes:

• Stardust Earrings x1
• Scholar's Specs x1
• Bonus Ball x5

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is coming to Nintendo Switch, December 1, 2023.