There has been a remarkable number of Dragon Ball games on nearly every platform available since the hit franchise first rose to prominence. While a lot of the earlier and handheld Dragon Ball games were short and sweet, a lot of the more recent ones are much longer and have tons of replayability.
What makes ranking Dragon Ball games by length difficult is the degree of variance that can be involved player to player. Moreover, most Dragon Ball games have tons of extras, side quests and unlockables for players to sink their teeth into. With that in mind, the best way to rank Dragon Ball games by length has to be with the help of How Long To Beat, which is an incredible and informative resource. Keeping in mind all the different things a player can do in one of these games, the How Long To Beat information regarding 'Main + Sides' will also be referred to.
8 Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road
Main & Sides: 25 Hours
Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road
Another Road follows the story of Future Trunks, continuing his plot forward after defeating Cell, the game imagines a scenario where Future Trunks has to deal with Babidi, Dabura and Majin Buu. The game follows a similar narrative arc to Dragon Ball: Z Shin Budokai, with the obvious change being Future Trunks as the protagonist. The main story should take most players under ten hours. Following completion, players can also fight in Z-trials, which are essentially a more fleshed out arcade mode.
The game does have some minor branching paths depending on in-game decisions and the outcomes of certain battles. Going back to these branching points to see the alternatives would also beef out the game's run time just a bit. Irrespective of that, Another Road, while a fun game, is easily one of the shortest gaming experiences the Dragon Ball franchise has to offer.
7 Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
Main & Sides: 26 Hours
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
- Released
- October 11, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Spike Chunsoft
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Fighting, Action
- How Long To Beat
- 11 hours
Sparking Zero is one of the most anticipated game releases in a long time. Fortunately for fans, despite all the expectations, most had latched onto this game - it mostly met them all. The actual story mode is fairly standard for games of this type, but players also have access to tournament mode, which can be tweaked with a variety of conditions and rules, as well as a custom mode where tons of variables can be changed. Overall, there are tons of new features for players to check out.
The game has a massive roster which can lead to dozens of hours of learning different movesets and building the best teams. Moreover, players can engage in local multiplayer, as well as hit the ranked ladder and engage in the regular matches and DP battles. The single player content in this game can easily lead to 20 or more of gameplay. However, the PvP elements are where Sparking Zero really shines; various multiplayer modes can lead to hundreds of hours of gameplay.
6 Dragon Ball FighterZ
Main & Sides: 23 Hours
Dragon Ball FighterZ
- Released
- January 26, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Arc System Works
- Platform(s)
- PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 12 Hours
Dragon Ball FighterZ is a tricky game to consider in terms of length. While the story and extra content can be done fairly quickly, as a fighting game it has plenty more to offer. Players can play online matches and climb the ranked leaderboard, or simply just duel with friends - both locally and online, for hundreds of hours easily.
5 Dragon Ball Games With The Best Graphics
With these Dragon Ball games in hand, players can immerse themselves in the style of the iconic manga/anime franchise.
For fighting game fans, this game has so much to offer. Players can easily spend hundreds of hours fine-tuning their team, finding the best balance, and utilizing their assist moves in different ways. Each character has their own moves, strengths and weaknesses and assists, so there's a lot to tinker with. Players can even make entire teams of just different Goku forms. On the other hand, for casual players, beyond the story mode, players can go through the various towers in arcade mode, but there's not much else in terms of non-PvP content.
5
4 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Main & Sides: 24 Hours
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
- Released
- November 9, 2007
- Developer(s)
- Spike
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii
- Genre(s)
- Fighting, Anime, Action
- How Long To Beat
- 12 Hours
is a fan favorite Dragon Ball game, and one which carries tons of nostalgia for an entire generation. Players can play through the entire story of DBZ, Dragon Ball GT, as well as some of the Dragon Ball movies. There are also various towers, tournament modes and dozens of ways to unlock different characters from this game's massive roster.
Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is an extremely comprehensive game, with multiple PvE and PvP modes, with the online multiplayer being exclusive to the Wii. While the game isn't balanced in the way a traditional fighting game would be, there are tons of fun to be had in DP battle and normal battle modes.
3
2 Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
Main & Sides: 39.5 Hours
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
- Released
- October 25, 2016
- Developer(s)
- Dimps
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
Xenoverse 2 is a sort of role-playing fighting game. Where players can create their own character; be it a Saiyan, Human, Namekian or Frost Demon. Players can customize their character to an exceptional degree, and learn multiple new moves from mentors such as Tienshinhan and Piccolo. Another major selling point in the game is the ability to learn new transformations for all the different races.
Xenoverse 2 is a long and comprehensive game with a story mode that is around 20 hours, as well as multiple online multiplayer modes and tons of extra content through DLCs and Expansions. Players can even sink in several hours exploring Conton City, and doing various side-quests and minigames. For a game that is eight years old, the fact that it is still getting updates and DLCs is impressive and bodes well for how much content this game has for players to go through.
1 Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
Main + Sides 42 Hours
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
- Released
- January 16, 2020
- Developer(s)
- CyberConnect2
- Platform(s)
- Stadia, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
- How Long To Beat
- 30 Hours
Dragon Ball Z Kakarot is essentially a retelling of the entire Dragon Ball Z saga from the Saiyan Arc, all the way to the end of the Buu Arc. Later expansions also added the first few Arcs of Dragon Ball Super. Players get to play through Goku's entire story step by step while also getting a chance to play other important characters, such as Vegeta and Gohan.
The game features tons of additional content, be it cooking, fishing or when on Namek, destroying enemy bases. Kakrot doesn't tread any new ground, but in terms of a comprehensive gaming experience of the Dragon Ball Z saga, it is clearly unmatched and provides a solid experience for newcomers and loyal fans alike.
The Best Dragon Ball Games of All Time
From Budokai to FighterZ, here are the best Dragon Ball games ever made, ranked by fun, depth, and how well they capture the anime’s spirit.