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DRAGON QUEST VIII

SQUARE ENIX Co.,Ltd. · 9,558 ratings · ★ 3.3

3.3
★★★★★
9,558 ratings
5 ★
4,287 (45%)
4 ★
713 (7%)
3 ★
801 (8%)
2 ★
713 (7%)
1 ★
3,034 (32%)
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Top complaints - extracted from 49 negative reviews

Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.

1
"game"
30 negative reviews mention this · 61% of all complaints
★★★★ "this game requires network in order to launch, if using piracy is illegal , so should be this network requirement for a singleplayer game, use piracy, do not buy this or you'll regret it." - Caco Entertainment
2
"version"
9 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★ "Look I love DQ and Square Enix and I hate leaving a 1 star review but youre better off emulating this game with azahar (3ds version) or nethersx2 (ps2 version) . The low frame rate mixed with no controller support is sad. The game is very s…" - BigDaddyZ Tha Doughboy
3
"crashes"
8 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★ "every time I load the game it crashes on me please fix ASAP please because I really do miss playing this game from my childhood and now I can't even get past the second download if I could I would give this a negative star" - John Beiler
4
"controls"
7 negative reviews mention this · 14% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Not only is the soundtrack the neutered bit-crushed version instead of the orchestral one despite the fascist war crime denier who forced it to be so being dead but the voice acting is missing, the camera controls are terrible and the game …" - William Mitchell
5
"square"
6 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★ "Look I love DQ and Square Enix and I hate leaving a 1 star review but youre better off emulating this game with azahar (3ds version) or nethersx2 (ps2 version) . The low frame rate mixed with no controller support is sad. The game is very s…" - BigDaddyZ Tha Doughboy
6
"play"
6 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★ "this game requires network in order to launch, if using piracy is illegal , so should be this network requirement for a singleplayer game, use piracy, do not buy this or you'll regret it." - Caco Entertainment
7
"samsung"
6 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★ "game will close immediately as I open it. I have a Samsung Fold 4" - Bluu_Olive
8
"launch"
5 negative reviews mention this · 10% of all complaints
★★★★ "this game requires network in order to launch, if using piracy is illegal , so should be this network requirement for a singleplayer game, use piracy, do not buy this or you'll regret it." - Caco Entertainment
9
"enix"
5 negative reviews mention this · 10% of all complaints
★★★★ "Look I love DQ and Square Enix and I hate leaving a 1 star review but youre better off emulating this game with azahar (3ds version) or nethersx2 (ps2 version) . The low frame rate mixed with no controller support is sad. The game is very s…" - BigDaddyZ Tha Doughboy
10
"load"
5 negative reviews mention this · 10% of all complaints
★★★★ "every time I load the game it crashes on me please fix ASAP please because I really do miss playing this game from my childhood and now I can't even get past the second download if I could I would give this a negative star" - John Beiler
11
"played"
5 negative reviews mention this · 10% of all complaints
★★★★★ "I don't know what else to say other than THIS GAME REEEALLY NEEDS CONTROLLER SUPPORT! I played an hour or so into this and gave up and immediately un-installed. It's a hard pill to swallow..." - Kasey Carvey

📋 All 49 negative reviews

Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").

★★★★ Alejandro Hernandez 4/28/2026 v1.2.4
no voice acting
★★★★ Caco Entertainment 3/11/2026 v1.2.3
this game requires network in order to launch, if using piracy is illegal , so should be this network requirement for a singleplayer game, use piracy, do not buy this or you'll regret it.
★★★★ BigDaddyZ Tha Doughboy 1/27/2026 v1.2.1
Look I love DQ and Square Enix and I hate leaving a 1 star review but youre better off emulating this game with azahar (3ds version) or nethersx2 (ps2 version) . The low frame rate mixed with no controller support is sad. The game is very solid with such a beautiful lovely story but this port is sad. Square please fix this please Id much rather leave you a 5 star and hype this app but no controller support is just buns
★★★★ MOXXIE 12/7/2025 v1.2.3
Big problem! The mobile version has a bug. A major side quest that includes meeting Cameron in port prospect to retrieve the camera is glitched. He's simply not there. And you need this quest to progress later in the game. Meaning you can't can't even finish to the end. Sad!
★★★★ John Beiler 8/12/2025 v1.2.3
every time I load the game it crashes on me please fix ASAP please because I really do miss playing this game from my childhood and now I can't even get past the second download if I could I would give this a negative star
★★★★ flip locs 8/11/2025
game won't even download when I open it
★★★★ Ryan Smith 8/1/2025 v1.2.2
Instantly crashes on launch, making it unplayable.
★★★★ Bluu_Olive 7/26/2025 v1.2.2
game will close immediately as I open it. I have a Samsung Fold 4
★★★★ R0bo5haRk 7/1/2025 v1.2.2
I enjoyed the game until I upgraded my phone. it would be nice if Square Enix would make this game compatible with the S25.
★★★★ John Hancock 6/24/2025 v1.2.2
it's good but for some reason it's not letting me allocate my skill points correctly
★★★★ Thom Nichols 6/10/2025 v1.2.2
Just installed this game yesterday and have seen multiple crashes while loading between zones/towns. Now I'm stuck inside the church of the second village..... Don't remember this game being this bad before.
★★★★ Jason Shearin 5/10/2025
I love the game but this app just does not work anymore
★★★★ tyler rocheleau 5/1/2025 v1.2.2
How is this fun when I spend 75% of the time readjusting the camera. it's not a RPG it's an adjust the camera game. It's extremely frustrating. I have read on here some comments that the controls are great. I'm not sure if this is the first game some of these people have ever played but they are not good
★★★★ Alex Watts 4/6/2025 v1.2.2
it keeps crashing on me. wish I could play it.
★★★★ Sabre Lutus 3/11/2025 v1.2.2
I can't seem to get the game to work. It'll run and the window just closes. The first time I booted it up I entered my name of Hero but then it just crashes.
★★★★ John Thompson 3/6/2025 v1.2.2
The app downloaded but the data don't and it's not doing nothing at halfway and I paid for this one
★★★★ Noppharat Jantharakun 3/3/2025 v1.2.2
I can't play on samsung galaxy fold6 please help
★★★★ Ethan Nicholson 2/19/2025 v1.2.2
UPDATE: This game no longer runs on my s24 ultra. Please fix!! I am playing it on my Samsung S21U, and it runs very well. Sure the touch controls can be a bit wonky, but thank goodness for quick save. I'm a few hours in, but I cant stop playing. So far so good!
★★★★ Jonathan Amaya 2/17/2025 v1.2.2
Crashes on opening. Can't even play
★★★★ James Brown 2/7/2025 v1.2.2
Disappointed. Touch controls are horrible. Could forgive if my blue tooth controller worked, nope! Zero stars for port 4 for the game from what I remember in the past. 10 stars for wasted money.
★★★★ Luke Acha 2/2/2025 v1.2.2
Won't load on samsung s24
★★★★ Josh Lewis 1/28/2025
This version is trash google DQ8 mobile remaster
★★★★ Alan Marno 1/15/2025 v1.2.2
Won't launch on Samsung s24 Ultra.
★★★★ JJ Jinkins 1/12/2025 v1.2.2
Why is this locked in portrait mode. This in every other game should be played in landscape. I'm asking for a refund.
★★★★ Clark Kent 12/28/2024 v1.2.2
Won't start. Tried reinstalling it yet there's no game. Fix this. You are Square friggin Enix. Get ur $#17 together.
★★★★ Carrington Litchfield 12/27/2024 v1.2.2
Game constantly crashes
★★★★ devon taylor 12/25/2024 v1.2.2
Doesn't load. Needs software support desperately for a paid game that's over a decade old
★★★★ Tyler Betts 12/17/2024 v1.2.2
Still 15 frames per second. When the Apple IOS version is 30fps. This game legitimately hurts my eyes. Edit: 15fps in 2025. I hope Square does not base a remaster on this version one day.
★★★★ Gogs Davies 12/16/2024 v1.2.2
Hadn't played this for a while, went to play it again just now and doesnt even open. Reinstalled and still nothing. What a load of tosh
★★★★ Ben McClung 12/8/2024 v1.2.2
The game doesn't open on my pixel 8 pro. So it's relatively useless
★★★★ Jimmy H 11/30/2024
Terrible, even on black shark 5 pro game runs slow and low fps. I can run the game through citra and get full speed and 45 to 60 fps. It runs 1000 times better all while having to emulate 3ds hardware which is just insane.
★★★★ Avi Bloomstein 11/29/2024
Getting 15 frames on a Pixel 6 Pro. This game needs an update Update: It's been years and Square Enix is still selling this game. It's unplayable, even on top-end hardware and they should not be taking your money. I topped out at 15 FPS, which is completely unacceptable. Tried emulating the game on my phone and easily got it locked to 60. Square, fix this. I'll give you money if you give me a chance, but you need to give me a working product
★★★★ juergen blaeul 11/23/2024 v1.2.2
Unplayable game won't launch.
★★★★ sebastian rodriguez 11/23/2024 v1.2.2
Unplayable literally won't run on a s24 ultra
★★★★ Luke Gorman 11/20/2024 v1.2.2
The game runs very poorly. Frame rate is awful and the orchestral music and voice acting have been removed from the PS2 version.
★★★★ U H 11/15/2024 v1.2.2
I'd rate this higher but the fact is you can't play offline? Please UPDATE the game and add offline play it's major bs. + non of the characters talk in this version?
★★★★ Stevie Tapscott 10/18/2024 v1.2.2
Does not launch on a z flip 4. Crashes on the occasion it opens for more than 1 second.
★★★★ Dean Moran 10/10/2024 v1.2.2
Game keeps resetting after the first scene so I don't know what to do I paid 20 pounds for this game and it keeps resetting
★★★★ Ba'Gamnan91 9/21/2024 v1.2.2
For some reason the audio is crackly now and it doesn't fix itself when i power the app down if anyone can help me I'd appreciate it!
★★★★ John Dick 9/10/2024
Super slow and annoying controls, doesn't work anything like the original. Square Enix should be ashamed for releasing this trash. I've played every dragon quest in the US except builders and this is the worst remake for ios. I've bought a few without any complaints but I wanted a refund on this one and they wouldn't give it. Seems like they just released this to Squeeze more money out of loyal fans.
★★★★ Dhruv Arora 8/14/2024 v1.2.2
Why is it demanding internet connection everytime I start this game. I only purchased this game because of how it was written that it is offline. Please, remove this online requirement from the game and I will give it 5 star
★★★★★ Tyler 1/12/2026
there's someone out there who this is for but it's not me.
★★★★★ William Mitchell 10/8/2025 v1.2.3
Not only is the soundtrack the neutered bit-crushed version instead of the orchestral one despite the fascist war crime denier who forced it to be so being dead but the voice acting is missing, the camera controls are terrible and the game is missing easy to implement improvements such as the ability to reset skill points (or proper descriptions for skills that don't mislead players). Overall despite the base game being amazing, this version is the worst way to play it and nowhere near worth £20
★★★★★ Kasey Carvey 5/21/2025
I don't know what else to say other than THIS GAME REEEALLY NEEDS CONTROLLER SUPPORT! I played an hour or so into this and gave up and immediately un-installed. It's a hard pill to swallow...
★★★★★ wolfdoc _the_dire 4/19/2025 v1.2.2
I grew up on this game and absolutely adore it. but the mobile version is absolutely depressing. no voice audio for the game makes me instantly not like it. and the controls are absolutely garbage. I'd have better luck getting a copy of the disk on the old PS2 then keep it. will be trying for a refund
★★★★★ Ruvel Qualls 2/23/2025
willing to change review if u can make an offline save? option.
★★★★★ Ronnie “Ron” Marston 1/25/2025 v1.2.2
Reinstalled and it won't load, it keeps crashing
★★★★★ Derek Jefferson 9/30/2024 v1.2.2
Crashes Constantly. Samsung Fold. Re-installed, cleared cache, but to no avail. This seriously needs an update.
★★★★★ D G 9/23/2024 v1.2.2
The game looks good. And the virtual controls are fine for this type of game. The only down side is the games frame rate is locked to 15-24 fps no matter what phone you have. If you can tolerate it, then go ahead and get it. The story and turn based gameplay are great. If not, get the 3DS version.

Sentiment summary

52%
Positive (4-5★)
8%
Neutral (3★)
39%
Negative (1-2★)

⚠ Mostly positive but real complaints exist - opportunity if you fix the top 2-3 issues.