Square Enix has released a free playable demo of Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World on the Nintendo eShop, following its appearance in a sizzle reel during this week's Nintendo Direct. The demo lets players sample the opening portion of the upcoming monster-collecting RPG and, notably, allows progress to carry over into the full game once it launches, giving early adopters a head start.

The demo covers the story from the beginning up to the conclusion of events in Witherwood, letting players try out recruiting, raising and synthesising monsters, though only monsters of rank G and rank F can be recruited at this stage. Players who complete the demo receive a "Wrangler's Bundle" item set for the full game (a Ring of Impulse, a Bonus Ball and five Smoked Sirloins), and those who keep their save data can transfer up to eight monsters from their main party and reserves into the full release; bonus content itself cannot be claimed within the demo.