I only played VIII and XI. Dragon Quest VIII was the reason why I quitted playing Final Fantasy, because I had so much more fun with this game than with any FF.

But Dragon Quest XI is maybe the best JRPG to date (I played the Definitive Edition on Switch). It has a very good story with many unexpected twists, outstanding character movement, a very solid round-based battle system, a motivating alchemy crafting system (forge), large overworld, big towns, fast teleport, a map in dungeons, interesting side quests, good orchestral music. It's actually hard to find any negative point.

I'm currently playing Bravely Default II and it is so much worse in every aspect I mentioned before. Maybe I check out DQ V after beating Bravely Defaul II. It really looks interesting.

7 is by far my favorite. It's so dark. Excellent music. Overall amazing game.

This is a series I wish I had played more of. I played 1, 2, 8 and 11 when they were all considered current games. Out of those I've gotta say that I've enjoyed 8 the most. However, I've heard good things about several of the earlier entries. I also suspect that DQ10 is a very good game, but they aren't really making it available outside of Japan.

XI. But I've only played I, III and XI. Hopefully they'll put the whole series on Game Pass or Switch, because I really loved those games.

Xi is the only one I played through and it was fantastic. I tried playing through VII on an emulator a few years back and couldn't get into it. I also played an hour so of VIII before moving on to something else. Given how much I ended up enjoying XI I wish I would have stuck it out with VIII. Hopefully it gets ported one of these years.

I need to buy XI and I-III on the Switch to have the full picture (minus VII), but so far VIII and V are above the fray, and in that exact order.

Top V (so far):

VIII
V
VI
IV
IX

Dragon Quest 5 is my favourite followed by 9 and 4.
While Dragon Quest 9 didn't have a great story (I think all the Dragon Quests from 6 onward had crap stories) the multiplayer gameplay is still one of the best and experiences that can be had in an RPG. I haven't played Dragon Quest 11 yet, so my story criticisms don't count there. But Dragon Quest 5 had a fantastic story, and then 6, 7, 8 were flat, and not up to par with other RPGs of the time. Dragon Quest 9's story isn't anything special either, but the way the game works really enhances the experience.

So, if I were to rank. It'd probably be something like:
Dragon Quest 10 and 11 (haven't palyed)

1. Dragon Quest 5
2. Dragon Quest 9
3. Dragon Quest 4
4. Dragon Quest Original Trilogy (1-3)*
5. Dragon Quest 8
6. Dragon Quest 6
7. Dragon Quest 7

*As a note, I'm not combining the value of the Dragon Quest trilogy, I like any of the first three games above 8 and below 4 - I combined the three because I feel they should be played in order, not as separate games.

I only played Dragon Warrior on the NES (got it for free from Nintendo Power). I remember enjoying it a lot despite how clunky it could be. I never followed the series after that, not really sure why, I guess Final Fantasy took over.

11 is so good! The twists oh my!

However 8 has a special place in my heart..

I remember playing each of the first 4 games on the NES when I was a kid and enjoyed them all, although none stand out as being my favorite of them today.

I played the XI demo on Switch and that's my first DQ experience since the NES games. I liked the demo and was surprised just how similar the game felt to the original 4, but haven't had the time to dive into the full game yet.