There are lots of Dragon Ball video games out there that have aged like wine. If you’re one of the numerous fans of the notorious franchise, there are specific titles that you should definitely give a try if you’re also at least a bit into gaming.
The Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series will be revived in 2024 with a brand-new game, and it seems that it will have the biggest roster ever of any Dragon Ball game ever released. However, history has taught us that Dragon Ball games don’t necessarily have to feature mind-blowing graphics in order to be successful. Let’s check out some of the best titles out there that you should definitely try if you’re a Dragon Ball fan:
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (PS2, Wii)
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is easily one of the best Dragon Ball games ever released, if not the best of all time. This game has more than 150 characters in its roster of fighters, and you can use them across various modes of the game. You can play one-on-one, go for the story mode, play in tournaments, or even challenge your friends.
The story mode of the game recreates most of the iconic moments from Dragon Ball Z, GT, and even the original Dragon Ball when Goku was a kid. Even many of the Dragon Ball movies have been included in the game, as you can fight against opponents such as Cooler, Meta Cooler, Broly, Janemba, and more.
The gameplay mechanics of Budokai Tenkaichi 3 are absolutely amazing for their time, as it assures many hours of gameplay and a strong addiction to any fan of Dragon Ball. For a game released 17 years ago, this game is a true marvel. It obviously lacks any elements of Dragon Ball Super since that series came out much later.
Oh, yeah, and the soundtracks in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 are fabulously beautiful.
Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai – Another Road (PSP)
Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai: Another Road came out for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) back in 2007, and it’s a very fun game to play for those who mainly want Dragon Ball duels and lots of energy blasts. Of course, the power-ups and transformations are also there, waiting for the player to use or unlock them.
Shin Budokai: Another Road has some elements in common with Budokai Tenkaichi 3, but the main difference is that the former has significantly fewer fighters on the roster. However, it has characters that you don’t see all the time, such as Dabura, Meta Cooler, Janemba, and more.
Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai: Another Road stands out for offering many “what if” scenarios that the player can enjoy, such as fighting an army of Majin Buus or evil clones of good characters such as Goku and Vegeta.
Dragon Ball Advanced Adventure (GBA)
Released 20 years ago for the Game Boy Advance platform, the Dragon Ball Advanced Adventure game is a beat ’em up game that focuses on Goku’s battles when he was a child. It’s a very fun game to play, although it doesn’t follow the recipe of the other games mentioned in this article. Dragon Ball Advanced Adventure lets you step in the shoes of kid Goku and fight hordes of enemies coming at you at once. There are even bosses in this game, and believe it or not, but Yamcha is one of them.
You will also fight opponents such as Tien or Krillin in this game. Playing as Goku, you can punch, kick, and hit with your power pole, as well as fire Kamehameha waves when you have enough energy.
Dragon Ball FighterZ
Initially released back in 2018, Dragon Ball FighterZ (DBFZ) is available on multiple platforms, such as Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/Series S, and Windows PC. This game is the only one from our list that also includes elements from the Dragon Ball Super franchise, such as the Super Saiyan Blue or Golden Frieza transformations, and new characters, such as Beerus, Hit, and others.
DBFZ is also the game with the best graphics on our list, and it qualifies as a 2D fighting game in which you have to practice a lot to be good enough. Apart from the classic one-on-one battles where there are a lot of techniques, power-ups, and transformations to use, this game also has a pretty unique and diverse story mode that the fans can try. There are both “what if” and wacky scenarios available, such as Goku losing his powers, among others.
The devs from Arc System Works constantly update Dragon Ball FighterZ with new elements and characters, as the game has received characters such as Master Roshi, Baby, and others after its initial release.
Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Budokai 2
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 came out for PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo Wii back in 2006, and it also has an impressive number of playable characters, similar to its successor, Budokai Tenkaichi 3. The second game of the notorious series has 129 playable characters and plenty of transformations.
Also, similarly to Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Tenkaichi 2 has destructible environments, which adds to the “realism” of the fights. Players even have the chance to customize some aspects of the characters, play against others, and more.
These are just some of the amazing Dragon Ball games available out there in the world. Feel free to tell us which one is your favorite and why!
