The North American version would go on to sell 230,000 copies in its first year. "Next Generation" reviewed the PlayStation version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that ""Breath of Fire III" is more than matched against the new breed of visually flashy RPGs on the market." The re-release of "Breath of Fire III" for the PlayStation Portable was received similarly to the first in Japan, with "Famitsu" giving the game a marginally better score of 29 out of 40. The game would go on to sell 23,448 units in the region, enough to qualify for a re-release under Capcom's "CapKore" label at a reduced price in January 2007. European reviewers of the game were mixed. Some, like Eurogamer, were critical of the game's aged presentation and gameplay, claiming that "with nine years of intervening genre development since its inception, this is no wunderkind," citing the port's long load times and slow gameplay to be its downfall. Others, such as "Play Magazine", found it to be "pretty generic, as all RPGs never fail to be, but does it all expertly, providing a great adventure that will soak up some hours." "Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine" called the game "archaic yet charming" and recommended it only as a window into the genre's past. The PlayStation Portable version retains a slightly lower average score on Game Rankings at 70.9%.