The 5 Best Dragon Ball Z Games You Can Play Right Now

Few franchises have done this the ongoing intergenerational impact of Dragon Ball. Created by Akira Toriyama, the martial arts manga was created in 1984, adapted as an anime in 1986, and translated from Japanese into dozens of languages in the late 1990s, becoming a global phenomenon. The forefather of modern anime, Dragon BallThe ubiquity of “Goku” goes beyond the niche subculture – everyone, everywhere is likely to recognize its protagonist, Goku. He had not one, but two balloons in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

For those who may be only partially familiar with it: Dragon Ball began as a comprehensive adaptation of the classic Chinese epic Journey to the Westwith a monkey-tailed boy named Goku on a hero’s quest to become the strongest fighter in the world. The original manga (then anime) continued with two sequel series from the 1988s Dragon Ball Z – which most people know and upon which the majority of the franchise’s media is based – and 2015 Dragon Ball Super. Both tell the ongoing stories of an adult Goku and his extended family and friends as they deal with increasingly ridiculous threats to the world. This week the latest addition to the saga began with Dragon Ball Daimathe last series of the franchise worked on by Akira Toriyama, who died in March 2024.

Since it’s such a staple of Japanese and later global pop culture, it’s obvious that there will be plenty of it Dragon Ball Video games. In fact there are over 150; The problem is that most of them aren’t really that good. Certain sub-series were hits Great butoden or Budokai TenkaichiBoth were fighting games that spawned waves of iterative sequels. But which game is considered the best probably depends on which game the player enjoyed playing most as a child.

For me this is the year 1997 Dragon Ball GT: Final Battle for the original PlayStation, but by all accounts it’s considered a terrible game. For someone else it might be 2002 The legacy of Goku for Game Boy Advance. That means many things to different people.

Like other long-standing multimedia franchises star Wars, Dragon BallDue to decades of cultural saturation, there have been many different types of games to explore across all genres. The fighting is clear – this is a martial arts saga, after all – but some of the best entries in the series’ gaming canon have also been action games and role-playing games.

One thing is certain: there is no shortage of it Dragon Ball There are games to be found to satisfy every palate, but it’s also true that now is probably the best time you could ever dive into. Since many older, clunkier games aren’t readily available outside of emulation, new fans will probably pick up a newer version anyway, but these also happen to be some of the best.

But which one should you play? Here is Rolling Stoneis the list of the best Dragon Ball Games you can play now.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (2016)

Image source: Bandai Namco

For everyone who is looking for role play in the Dragon Ball world, the Xenoverse Sub-series fits perfectly. 2016s Xenoverse 2 is the latest entry and has been regularly updated, including a special modern version released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

In XenoversePlayers can create their own custom character to compete and trade fists with the sprawling cast of the Dragon Ball Story. The story revolves around the Custom protagonist, the Time Patroller, whose job is to maintain the proper flow of the story and protect reality from threats. DBZ Fans know that time travel shenanigans are an integral part of the series, and XenoverseThe setup not only fits in, but also allows players to relive important moments from various famous sagas, with different twists and changes making their way. With branching narratives, players can control how the story progresses.

Xenoverse It also has tons of online multiplayer options and years of expansion and downloadable content, making it a massive experience for anyone who picks it up right now. Unlike most Dragon Ball Games that are either single-player games or focus on competitive multiplayer games, XenoverseThe game’s online servers feature a cooperative PvE (player versus enemy) variant, which is rare for the franchise.
“Dragon Ball: The Breakers” (2022)

Image source: Bandai Namco

Posted in the same universe as that Xenoverse games, The breakers is one of the most bizarre versions of one Dragon Ball game at all. While most are powerful fantasies that allow players to unleash the full might of the strongest warrior in the universe, The breakers takes a more methodical approach and emphasizes hard-fought survival.

An asymmetrical online multiplayer game in the style of the 2016 horror hit Dead by daylight, The breakers puts seven players in the roles of ordinary people trapped in a time stream, with one of them Dragon BallThe most famous villains like Frieza or Buu are on the hunt (controlled by an eighth player). The mostly powerless survivors must act carefully and work together to prevent the villain (called the Robber) from unleashing his full power and destroying everything in their path.

Anyone who has played (or seen) an asymmetrical game like Dead by daylight, Friday the 13th^Th: The game (2017) or this year Killer Klowns from Outer Space knows that the tense thrill of survival against an unstoppable force can lead to an extremely addictive loop.

By putting aside the strongest fighters and focusing on being the little guy, The breakers offers one of the most unique and high-quality concept variants Dragon Ball Tradition.
“Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot” (2020)

Image source: Bandai Namco

Whereas Xenoverse And The breakers Put a player-driven twist on the world of Dragon Ball2020s Kakarot adheres slavishly to the plot of the series. A single player action RPG, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is essentially a playable version of the anime, reenacting all the major saga and famous storylines in great detail.

Controls like popular action RPGs Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014), Kakarot (named after Goku’s true name) will be familiar to anyone who has played a modern action game. It serves as an intuitive and immersive way to fly through the well-known story of Dragon Ball Z and parts of the sequel series Super in a more immersive, less passive way.

With massive fight sequences that revisit important plot points from the series, such as Goku’s fight with the great ape Vegeta or the first Super Saiyan appearance against Frieza, Kakarot has the dynamism of the best DBZ Fighting games without the need to compete. With tons of side quests, open environments to explore, and RPG-style progression systems, it’s a long-term investment for anyone looking for a deep single-player experience.
“Dragon Ball FighterZ” (2018)

Image source: Bandai Namco

While most Dragon Ball Games are developed by studios such as Bandai Namco subsidiary Dimps. There are some rare exceptions where another developer steps in with their own house style. With Dragon Ball FighterZ (2018), this developer was Arc System Works, famous for fighting game series like Guilty equipment And BlazBlue.

Unlike most modern ones Dragon Ball Fighting games, which are usually fully 3D, FighterZ harkens back to the days of Butōden with a 2D brawler (technically 2.5D, as the camera moves a lot in the game). But to take it a step further, the game also features 3v3 tag team mechanics, which combined with the high speed and over-the-top action offers a great gaming experience FighterZ are similar to another arcade classic: Marvel vs Capcom 2.

The parallels are clear in the game design, which is frenetic. In many ways FighterZ feels like a true successor to MvC2 than all sequels in this series. While others Dragon Ball Sub-series choose not to scale their characters – meaning characters that are weak or strong in the anime remain that way in the games – FighterZ strives for balance, allowing lower level characters like Yamcha or Krillin to stand a chance against world-destroying threats like Broly. This balance and tightness of the game ensured that FighterZ a major competitive game at the professional level that was featured at esports events such as Evo in 2018, 2019 and 2024.

With his family tree, FighterZ doesn’t just remain one of the best Dragon Ball games, but one of the best fighting games of all time.
“Dragon Ball: Sparks! Zero’ (2024)

Photo credit: Bandai Namco

Published on Oct. 11, Spark! Zero that’s probably it most Dragon Ball game ever made. A return to the anime arena fighter format that made the anime popular Budokai Tenkaichi Sub-series a favorite, Spark! Zero is pretty much every fan’s dream.

Like most Dragon Ball games, Spark! ZeroIn story mode, the well-known legends of the anime are retold from the beginning Dragon Ball Z through the newer one Super. As opposed to FighterZ, Spark! Zero explicitly adheres to the canon of how powerful each character should be, with different versions of each character throughout the series’ chronology displaying varying levels of strength. This means that there is no balance between low and high tier fighters, but that is by design. The game not only carefully adapts the anime’s plot, but also relies heavily on the delights of fanfiction to give players the opportunity to try out different scenarios that enjoy the “What if?” theme. Style of storytelling.

What if an early Saiyan Saga era Goku faced off against the God of Destruction Beerus? It would be an impossible fight for Goku – but here you can try.

With 182 playable characters, Spark! Zero plunders the depths of the Dragon Ball Tradition, to be sure all is there, regardless of how minor their role or the validity of their place in the canon. By truly recreating the look, atmosphere and spirit of the anime, Spark! Zero could just be that only Dragon Ball game you ever need to play.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (2016)

“Dragon Ball: The Breakers” (2022)

“Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot” (2020)

“Dragon Ball FighterZ” (2018)

“Dragon Ball: Sparks! Zero’ (2024)

Recent Posts