With there being well over 9000 video games based on Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball manga and subsequent anime, narrowing down the list to the best titles of all time is far from an easy feat. Admittedly, this is less about being spoiled for choice and more a case of there just being a ton of mediocre Dragon Ball games that barely try to stick out from the crowd.
In 1986, Epoch published Dragon Ball: Dragon Daihikyō for the Super Cassette Vision, marking the iconic series’ first foray into gaming. Similar to most of Dragon Ball‘s earliest titles, the shoot’em up – yes, shoot’em up – never made it out of Japan. While the West needed around another decade to truly catch Goku fever, nowadays, a year can barely pass without a Saiyan-themed fighting game or RPG hitting shelves.
With so many projects associated with the series, what exactly are the best Dragon Ball games?
Updated September 29, 2024 by Mark Sammut:Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is nearly here, with the game debuting on October 11, 2024. To help fill the time, two more older games have been added, and they are both relatively obscure Nintendo exclusives.
29 Dragon Ball: The Breakers
Decent Idea, Underwhelming Execution
Dragon Ball: The Breakers deserves some praise for taking the series in a different direction, separating itself from the many, many DBZ fighting games. However, that does not mean much when the final product is generally underwhelming. Adopting the asymmetrical multiplayer formula popularized by projects like Dead by Daylight, The Breakers pits a group of underpowered Survivors against a few of Dragon Ball‘s iconic villains, with both sides controlled by players. The former have to try to find a few keys to secure their exit, although they can also take the battle to Cell and company by finding unique items or temporarily transforming into superpowered heroes like Goku, Gohan, etc.
The Breakers is by no means terrible, and it can be enjoyable for a couple of play sessions. Unfortunately, the gameplay loop does not have the complexity required to grant longevity to these types of titles, resulting in an experience that is fun in burst but unexciting to revisit. Relying entirely on an active community, the game has struggled to remain alive in recent months; that said, The Breakers is still attracting a small audience on Steam.
28 Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Z
Team-Focused Gameplay Just About Saves This One
Released in 2014, Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of Z didn’t exactly receive a standing ovation. In fact, it is one of the franchise’s lowest-rated modern games, with criticism being leveled at its by-the-numbers storyline and overly simplistic combat.
While not up to much on consoles, Battle Of Z fares much better on Sony’s PS Vita. Along with the game looking great and running quite smoothly, Battle of Z differentiates itself from other Dragon Ball games by emphasizing team-building and co-op play. Even in the lengthy single-player mode, the focus is more on crafting a balanced team rather than the combat. There are better Dragon Ball games on the PS3 and Xbox 360, but the same cannot be said for the PS Vita.
27 Dragon Ball Z: Attack Of The Saiyans
Decent Entry-Level Turn-Based RPG
Nintendo’s handheld systems seem to inspire Dragon Ball to try something slightly different, at least for the franchise. Dragon Ball Z: Attack Of The Saiyans is a turn-based RPG with a limited roster of characters and some exploration. As the campaign does not simply jump from one fight to the next, it only covers a fraction of Dragon Ball Z‘s storyline, concluding with the Saiyan Saga.
Attack Of The Saiyans does very little to separate itself from other turn-based RPGs, but it is a serviceable one that should please fans of the franchise and the genre. While derivative in the grand scheme of things, this Nintendo DS title is relatively unique in the Dragon Ball world.
26 Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo
Reliving Goku’s Formative Years
Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo seems to have been wiped from existence, barely existing as a footnote in the franchise’s gaming history. Along with being a Wii exclusive, it is not quite as good as the Origins games on the Nintendo DS, despite delivering a similar overall experience. Still, Revenge of King Piccolo deserves recognition for being a home console release that moves away from DBZ, instead focusing on Akira Toriyama’s first few manga arcs and their anime adaptation. This simple creative decision instantly sets the game apart from nearly every other post-2000s Dragon Ball release, justifying a recommendation in the process.
So, what does Revenge of King Piccolo play like? Well, it is essentially a straightforward beat ’em up with some lite platforming. For the most part, players will rush through linear levels while frequently stopping to bash out encounters with enemies. Although simple, the combat is more than flashy and fast-paced enough to keep things interesting throughout the relatively short campaign. Ultimately, Revenge of King Piccolo is just a middle package that has nothing to offer non-fans but could hit the mark with diehards.
25 Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle
Something A Bit Different
Like with any popular anime property, Dragon Ball has spawned more than a few mobile games. The main two are Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle and Dragon Ball Legends, both of which have been around for a few years and feature original storylines. Trepidation towards mobile titles is to be expected, particularly free-to-play ones, but these two titles are better than average.
Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle has quite a unique twist on gameplay. The anime game incorporates puzzle elements, forcing players to think their way through battles. Dokkan Battle cannot compare to the franchise’s best Dragon Ball Z games on consoles, however, in the world of mobile gaming, it is a respectable entry.
24 Dragon Ball Z: Buyuu Retsuden
Mega Drive Alternative To Super Butoden
While the SNES/Super Famicom received the Super Butoden trilogy (at least, in Japan and Europe), the Mega Drive/Genesis had to make do with Buyuu Retsuden, a fighting game that was cut from largely the same cloth. In terms of quality, this 1994 release was closer to the original Super Butoden than its sequels, albeit with vibrant visuals that helped the detailed character models pop off the screen.
Like so many early fighting games that are not the genre’s heavyweights, Buyuu Retsuden can be difficult to revisit in this day and age, especially since the European version is rarer than the Japanese one. Still, if someone is fond of the SNES trilogy, they should check out this alternative as it is like discovering a fourth entry. While stiff and repetitive, the combat is mostly fine, even if it is let down by battles that regularly overstay their welcome. The story mode gives each character a unique campaign, which mostly consists of battles introduced by text.
23 Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team
Tag Team Addition Cannot Save A Tired Formula. Still, Not Bad.
On the surface, Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team was just another 3D arena brawler that cycles through the same old arcs while using a tired combat system that was in desperate need of evolution, more so than the introduction of 2v2 battles could provide. Out of all the Tenkaichi and Budokai Tenkaichi games that were released over roughly a decade, Tenkaichi Tag Team was the most forgettable and, arguably, the worst (not counting Ultimate Tenkachi, which was something else entirely); yet, this 2010 release had one major thing in its favor: portability. Unlike every other entry, this title was designed specifically for the PSP, and it was the franchise’s last effort for that console.
While arguably not the best DBZ game on Sony’s handheld system, Tenkaichi Tag Team deserves praise for impressively translating the home console entries’ gameplay for the PSP. Despite having far fewer inputs to work with, Spike managed to mostly retain Budokai Tenkaichi‘s controls, resulting in a spin-off that should scratch a fan’s itch to take this particular subseries on the go. Tenkaichi Tag Team delivers high-octane and accessible action, along with very good visuals for the device.
That said, the game is quite by-the-numbers in most areas. The Dragon Walker story mode has a cute overworld presentation, but it is otherwise just another retread of the same arcs that the franchise has been revisiting for decades. The secondary modes are mainly time-wasters that can be fun distractions, which is fine for a portable game like this.
22 Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors
Enjoyable Story Mode
The Game Boy Advance has a surprisingly good selection of Dragon Ball games, and they cover a wide spectrum of genres. Supersonic Warriors exists to fill the console’s fighting game quota for the franchise, and while its mechanics are rough around the edges and do not hold up particularly well, there is still a lot to love about the overall package.
The story mode is the main reason to revisit this project since the developers really went for broke to make this as enjoyable of an experience as possible for fans. Along with chapters that follow DBZ‘s main sagas, each playable character has their own what-if scenario, most of which are a lot of fun to see unfold. Supersonic Warriors‘ gameplay is also not terrible and does not detract too much from the game’s strengths.
21 Dragon Ball Legends
Respectable Mobile Option
Compared to Dokkan Battle, Dragon Ball Legends provides a mobile experience closer to the franchise’s console releases, although the app is still tailor-made for Android and iOS devices. Boasting impressive visuals for its platforms, Legends‘ combat blends fighting mechanics with a card battle system, striking a middle-ground that succeeds in being accessible, fast-paced, and surprisingly strategic.
Bandai Namco’s project has amassed an impressive amount of content over the last few years, and its story is likely to hit home with fans of the manga and anime. The plot follows Shallot, a new Saiyan who suffers from memory loss. As combat revolves around 3v3 battles, Dragon Ball Legends has an impressive roster of playable characters that are unlocked via a gacha system.
20 Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2
Fine Evolution Of Budokai Formula
While the Raging Blast series always felt like lesser versions of the beloved Budokai Tenkaichi, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they were bad games. In fact, Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 is one of the more underrated fighters in the franchise. It even plays like a much more simplified version of Budokai Tenkaichi 3, which is not a bad thing.
Unlike many fighters with massive rosters, this game introduces at least one unique technique per character, which makes them stand out much more. Instead of retelling the story of the anime, the game has “Galactic Missions”, which are isolated fights that focus on a path for characters from Goku to Tarble. It may be a lesser version of a few better Dragon Ball games, but it’s still a fun time.
19 Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure
Simple But Fun Adventure
A surprisingly ambitious release, Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure predominantly plays out as a side-scrolling beat ’em up, and it is a fine enough addition to that genre. The GBA is not exactly lacking in these sorts of titles, but Advanced Adventure is accomplished enough to warrant a recommendation to die-hard fans of the license and also people who just want to play a competent entry in this category.
However, Advanced Adventure is also a fighting game, and this mechanic goes beyond just boss battles in the story. Players can jump into a separate mode and pit characters against each other, and the roster is fairly extensive considering it is largely in service of a secondary option. The campaign focuses on the original Dragon Ball anime, which is always a refreshing change of pace from the DBZ-centric content.
18 Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2
Not Quite Hyper Dimension, But Good Enough
Released only a year after its predecessor, Supersonic Warriors 2 is an odd beast since it is both simultaneously an improvement and a step back. The original game features a great story mode that highlights all the playable characters in their own questlines; conversely, the sequel uses a branching system that, while not bad, does not produce anywhere near as many surprises. There are some what-if scenarios, but they are not quite as interesting or prevalent as the previous game.
That said, Supersonic Warriors 2 improved the basic gameplay a lot, to the point of becoming one of the better fighting games on the Nintendo DS. Like most sequels, the roster also received attention through the addition of new playable characters along with a range of support figures. Story-wise, Supersonic Warriors is the superior experience, but its sequel is the better overall package.
17 Dragon Ball: Origins
A Proper Adventure
Another Nintendo DS game, Dragon Ball: Origins shines a light on the often overlooked original series. Unlike Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball focuses more on adventure and comedy, particularly during its earliest chapters. Consequently, Origins is less driven by combat, although there are still plenty of enemies to defeat and attacks to learn.
Split into episodes and featuring solid 3D visuals for the DS, Origins plays quite well and comes packed with endearing nods to Akira Toriyama’s property. The sequel is also decent, making the Origins series a worthwhile pick for anyone looking for Dragon Ball adventure games.
16 Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit
Style Over Substance, But The Former Is Impressive
Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit is the forgotten game in a long line of DBZ games. Although it was the first DBZ title for the Xbox 360 generation and received a ton of hype at the time, Burst Limit isn’t looked back upon too fondly nowadays.
While there is a reason for that with its minuscule roster and the story mode ending on Cell, that doesn’t mean Burst Limit is without merit. The game still looks beautiful, with its in-engine cutscenes being especially impressive for 2008. While the fighting is stripped down mechanically speaking from the Budokai series, it still plays well and is faster than its predecessors.
15 Dragon Ball: Shin Budokai – Another Road
Decent Attempt At A Portable Budokai
Most people assume that the Budokai line of Dragon Ball games ended with Budokai 3, but that’s not actually correct. There were sequels on the PSP, one of which is the underrated Dragon Ball: Shin Budokai – Another Road.
Despite being on the weaker PSP, the gameplay is perfectly comparable to the PS2 classic and even makes some improvements to the formula. Another Road removes the Dragon Rush system from Budokai 3 and also executes Ultimates much better, so the fighting isn’t hampered by the need to appear cinematic. While the story isn’t the best in a Dragon Ball game, Another Road gets credit for having different paths depending on if fights are won or lost and for having an original story of Future Trunks dealing with Majin Buu in his timeline.
14 Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden
A Very Good 3DS Fighting Game
One of the more forgotten Dragon Ball games, Extreme Butoden is comfortably among the franchise’s best handheld fighting options, which should hardly be surprising considering Arc System Works contributed to its development. Focusing on 3v3 fights, the gameplay is smooth, satisfying, and relatively deep, at least by the not-so-great standards set by other DBZ games.
The game even shines in the content department, although that might not seem to be the case initially. At first, players will mainly just have access to Z Story, a mode split into different teams and mostly goes through the anime’s main arcs by focusing on a handful of fights. However, once that is done, Adventure Mode becomes available, and this tells a new and fun story.
Extreme Butoden is not a masterpiece but it is among the better fighting games on the 3DS.
13 Dragon Ball Fusions
Turn-Based Battle System Overstays Its Welcome, But Fusing Characters Never Gets Old
The concept of Fusion in Dragon Ball is extremely popular for something that was introduced in such a divisive saga as the Buu arc. But no other game focused on this idea more than the 3DS game known simply as Dragon Ball Fusions.
The premise of the game is so simple that it’s astonishing that it wasn’t done before; what if anybody could fuse with anyone else in the Dragon Ball world? This game answers that question with amazing results as there is fan service in here from top to bottom. A huge open world to explore, satisfying RPG combat, and a bonkers story? You can want nothing else from a handheld DBZ game.
12 Super Dragon Ball Z
Great Combat & Visuals, Mediocre Everything Else
Long before Arc System Works got its hands on Akira Toriyama’s series, Super Dragon Ball Z took a stab at adapting this iconic license into a legitimate fighting game rather than an arena brawler. With a curated roster of 18 characters and a combat system revolving around close-quarters combos, Super Dragon Ball Z is a traditional fighter that prioritizes skill over style.
Related
The 5 Best Fighting Games of 2021
2021 may have been a relatively quiet year for the genre, but that’s not to say that there weren’t still some great fighting games released this year.
In terms of combat, Super Dragon Ball Z is deeper than most of the franchise’s other offerings, but it does fall short when it comes to single-player content and unlockables.
11 Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
Gorgeous Visuals, Open-World Attempt, & Decent RPG Mechanics
Released in January 2020, one would think that DBZ games have told the main story enough times at this point that players would be fed up with it. But DBZ: Kakarot proves there is still juice left in the fruit.
Kakarot is a single-player, story-driven RPG with combat similar to the Xenoverse series, albeit slightly simpler. The presentation is where Kakarot shines however as it’s the best representation of the main DBZ story ever in a video game. The side quests also have clever easter eggs for hardcore fans. It’s not without its faults, but Kakarot is a meaty game worth its weight for any fan of the franchise.
10 Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission
Addictive Deck Builder & Nice Change Of Pace
In Japan, Dragon Ball Heroes is a hugely popular arcade trading game that debuted in 2010. Putting aside the occasional insane clip of a Super Saiyan 4 Gohan or Broly hitting YouTube, Western players had to wait until 2019 to get a proper taste of the spin-off series.
World Mission takes place in a universe where Dragon Ball exists as an anime that spawned a popular card game. Once the virtual and real worlds begin to collide, the protagonist must collect cards of their favorite Z-fighters to battle a wild plethora of villains. The story is cheesy, the turn-based gameplay has depth but is also incredibly repetitive, and there are hundreds upon hundreds of cards to collect. The last part earns World Mission a spot as one of the best Dragon Ball games.
