Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball has been a staple of pop culture for roughly four decades, and Goku has been starring in games for about as long as he has been on our TV screens. Even when the manga and anime stopped producing new content for roughly 20 years, Bandai continued to release DBZ games at an almost annual rate, ensuring Saiyan-themed adventures were always on the horizon. Despite, honestly, having a pretty mediocre overall track record, there is just something about the franchise that gets people excited. Personally, I will be forever ready to try a new Dragon Ball project.
Over the years, quite a few Dragon Ball games failed to live up to their hype. Even though I got some enjoyment out of them, Battle of Z, DBZ: For Kinect, The Breakers, Ultimate Tenkaichi, and Extreme Butōden fell well short of even moderate expectations. The sheer volume of releases also causes new projects to feel like retreads of past glories, even if the games end up being great in key areas (aka, Raging Blast 2's gameplay). However, every once in a while, expectations fuse with quality to provide all-time great Dragon Ball games.
Here are some criteria:
- This is not a list of the best Dragon Ball games, as we already have that topic covered. This article's focus is on projects that were extremely hyped and, for the most part, lived up to those standards. So, a decent title that satisfied moderate hype will rank higher than a very good game that struggled to meet overwhelming expectations.
- Except for one game that will be included for personal and historical reasons, the selection will be limited to modern-ish releases, as it is difficult to calculate the hype surrounding very old projects.
6 Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
The Gameplay Is About As Good As Ever, But The Return To Budokai Tenkaichi Is Flawed
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
- Released
- October 11, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Spike Chunsoft
- Genre(s)
- Fighting, Action
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Without exception, Sparking! Zero is the most hyped Dragon Ball game ever. Promoted as Budokai Tenkaichi 4, many fans had been waiting for this spiritual successor/sequel since the PS2 era. Along with featuring the best graphics in the franchise's history, Sparking! Zero was set to launch with a massive roster of more than 170 characters. Beyond that, Spike Chunsoft announced the inclusion of custom What If events, essentially allowing players to tell their own stories. The hype was so loud and strong, Sparking! Zero needed to be pretty much unquestionably the greatest Dragon Ball game ever to meet expectations.
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Once the initial honeymoon phase passed, some of Sparking! Zero's shortcomings started to become more obvious. The much-hyped custom scenarios feature ended up being pretty shallow, and the single-player content largely consisted of short episodes covering arcs that had been covered to death (and better) already. The game came with a few built-in What If scenarios, but they were all over the place in terms of quality. Sparking! Zero still has a decently active online scene, but you need to put in a lot of time to even stand a chance of putting up a fight.
So, clearly, the game is not perfect. However, Sparking! Zero shines in a few very important areas. In terms of 3D arena fighters, Spike Chunsoft put together pretty much the best and smoothest gameplay ever, and that goes beyond just Dragon Ball. Yes, the AI is not particularly well-balanced, but the combat is otherwise fantastic. Visually, the game is jaw-dropping, and the roster was exhaustive at launch and has only grown more impressive since then. The fact that Sparking! Zero even came close to living up to the hype speaks to its quality, even if some things could have been done better or needed more time in the oven.
5 Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
We Are Son Goku
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
- Released
- January 16, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- CyberConnect2
- Platform(s)
- Stadia, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
After two Xenoverse games and FighterZ, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot needed to do something special to stand out. Firstly, Bandai Namco hired CyberConnect2, the developer that created magic with the Naruto franchise. Secondly, Kakarot dove into open-world RPG territory, promising to provide one of the most detailed and extensive retellings of DBZ's arcs. Finally, the live-action "We Are Son Goku" commercial dropped.
If you haven't seen this commercial, give it a search on YouTube. Some unofficial uploads are available.
This commercial is the definition of hype. Frankly, I was not particularly excited about another DBZ game that goes through the main arcs while centering around basic 3D arena combat; however, this video got me right in the nostalgia and feels. Yes, we can all be Son Goku. Fortunately, Kakarot ended up being pretty good and a solid story-driven alternative to FighterZ's multiplayer-focused action. The open-world was somewhat empty, but it was fun to explore and just about good enough to scratch that nostalgic itch. The RPG elements were decent, too, as was the combat. The latter played like a stripped-down version of Xenoverse 2's system, albeit with a heavier focus on spectacle. It suited the game.
4 Dragon Ball: Xenoverse (And The Superior Sequel)
Create Your Own Dragon Ball Hero And Leave Your Mark On History
Dragon Ball Xenoverse
- Released
- February 24, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
After Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Dragon Ball games kind of fell off a cliff. While producing a few decent projects over the next decade, Bandai Namco struggled to find a subseries that could define this new era. With the anime returning in the form of Dragon Ball Super, the franchise needed to strike while the iron was hot and craft a game that deserved to carry the DB name. Xenoverse was that project.
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After a string of some of the most disappointing DB games of all time, Xenoverse was a breath of fresh air, particularly its custom playable character feature and the introduction of new(ish) villains who would drive an original story. Dragon Ball needed Xenoverse to be a success, and it mostly lived up to those expectations. The idea of picking a race, creating a unique character, and gradually increasing their power level was incredibly exciting in 2015, and it was a novel idea for a console release. The roster was reminiscent of the Budokai Tenkaichi days, and the combat was flashy and easy to grasp.
If there is something that holds the original Xenoverse back, it is the fact that a sequel dropped the very next year. Xenoverse 2 rendered its predecessor obsolete, and there is absolutely no reason to pick up the latter anymore. The sequel is still around, too, as Bandai dropped Daima DLC in 2025. As a series, Xenoverse was clearly a triumph.
3 Dragon Ball Fusions
Not Faultless, But Fusions Delivered Exactly What Its Title Promised
Dragon Ball Fusions
- Released
- November 22, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ganbarion
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo 3DS
Going by the endless galleries of stunning fan art, people love their non-canonical Dragon Ball fusions. So, it was only a matter of time before Bandai Namco would try to tap into this part of the fandom. This attempt came in the form of a Nintendo 3DS exclusive rather than a multi-platform release, but Dragon Ball Fusions proved to be a good fit for the handheld system since it would not need to compete with Xenoverse 2, which dropped in the same year.
Fusions is a turn-based JRPG with very long battles that, honestly, outstay their welcome after a few hours. Telling an original story that follows a similar "What If" time-traveling structure as Xenoverse, the story is pretty good by the standards of Dragon Ball games, even if it gets repetitive after a while.
Ultimately, none of the above matters. Dragon Ball Fusions' hype was entirely dependent on the possibility of merging dozens of characters to create combos that used to be restricted to fan fiction. In that area, the game completely knocked it out of the park, providing a ridiculous array of silly and awesome fusions that are as addictive to discover as Pokemon are to catch.
2 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
This One Is Personal
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
- Released
- November 9, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Spike
- Genre(s)
- Fighting, Anime, Action
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii
OK, look, I don't exactly know how hyped Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 was in 2007. I assume most fans were dying to get their hands on this sequel based on this subseries' reputation and this game's iconic status nowadays, but that is still somewhat speculative. That said, as somebody who lived and breathed Budokai and Budokai Tenkaichi, there was no other 2007 release I needed more. Yes, in a year that produced Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, BioShock, Super Mario Galaxy, Mass Effect, God of War 2, Manhunt 2, and Halo 3, Budokai Tenkaichi 3 was still THE game.
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Even after nearly two decades and multiple projects with arguably superior combat/graphics/stories/etc, Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is still considered to be the standard-bearer by quite a lot of people. Part of that is nostalgia, but Spike Chunsoft created the pinnacle of fanservice that launched with enough content to keep someone busy for months, if not years. BT3 is the best celebration of Dragon Ball of all time, and a culmination of years of consistent work. Is it dated nowadays? Sure, but that is part of its charm.
1 Dragon Ball FighterZ
Finally, Dragon Ball Becomes Competitive
Dragon Ball FighterZ
- Released
- January 26, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Arc System Works
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
- Platform(s)
- PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
For a license known for its fighting, Dragon Ball never had a presence in the competitive scene. Super Dragon Ball Z came the closest to crossing that line, but it flew under the radar and was never a big deal. However, everything changed with the announcement of Dragon Ball FighterZ, a 2D fighter by Arc System Works, a developer known for fantastic anime fighters. The trailers were spectacular, the visuals looked like the anime but better, the studio has an undeniable pedigree, and the small roster seemed well-tuned for balance. FighterZ seemed almost too good to be true.
Then the game came out, and most fears were put to bed. Putting aside the fun but repetitive single-player campaigns, FighterZ married depth, accessibility, style, and skill nearly perfectly, creating an experience that was welcoming to beginners looking for a casual fighter and veterans craving a new PvP prospect to sink their teeth into. You could argue that FighterZ even surpassed expectations, as Arc was known for creating overwhelming combat systems that took a long time to master. That was not the case with this 2018 masterpiece, so it even managed to introduce a wide audience to Arc System Works.
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