Let’s start with the facts: Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is a Top 3 Dragon Ball Z game, and it ain’t #2 or #3. The fact is, developer Dimps and publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment delivered a fighting game, in a franchise largely defined by fighting games, that transcends its own limits like a Saiyan. The result was a popular, multiplayer fighting game that lasted over a decade and has sold over 10 million copies (as of May 2023). Bandai is signaling the end of its era with announcements of its final DLC and Xenoverse 3, but it’s hard to imagine how the threequel can top it.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 will get its final DLC, Future Saga Chapter 4, in Summer 2025 and mark the end of its 10 years of support. Meanwhile, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is expected to release in 2027. Akira Toriyama was deeply involved in it, as well as its new setting: Age 100. It is essentially his creative vision for the future of this new Dragon Ball story, and multiple characters were designed by him. And while fans are currently caught between the present and the future—the retirement of Xenoverse 2, the release of Xenoverse 3—it’s worth looking at how damn good the past decade was. Perhaps, just like Xenoverse 2 did, Xenoverse 3 will be able to break its own limits and define the next decade, but at least for right now, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 sits atop the mountain.
8 Dragon Ball Games With The Best Original Stories, Ranked
There are a ton of Dragon Ball Z video games. While many retell stories from the anime and manga, a few feature their very own original stories.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Gave DBZ Fans a Decade of Fighting Game Excellence
There’s a strange contradiction at the heart of most Dragon Ball Z games. Few anime franchises translate so naturally into video games—high-speed combat, epic transformations, cinematic beam clashes—yet most entries feel disposable within a year or two. They hit hard, sell well, and fade quickly. And then there’s Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, a game that, nearly a decade later, is still relevant. That’s for a few reasons.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Gives Unparalleled Ownership
Player-ownership, or the sense of a player’s own agency within a video game, is perhaps the biggest reason. Most Dragon Ball Z games put you in someone else’s role, typically anime protagonist Goku, replaying fights you already know, sometimes with minor “what-if” tweaks. It works because it worked the first, second, and third times it was done, but players move on from that experience quickly.
Instead, Xenoverse 2 flips the conceit where players make their own character, tell their own story in a timeline, and iconic DBZ fights are retold with interference, not just retellings or what-ifs. That idea isn’t entirely new, but Xenoverse 2 is the one that fully committed to it in a mainstream console space and supported it long-term.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2’s Progression Is Different From Most DBZ Games
Progression is the second aspect that sets Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 apart. One of the weakest elements of an anime fighting game is, if it’s a raw, straight-up fighting game, then everything is front-loaded. Learning the character, picking up on the mechanics, and all of that is learned and then left behind by most players. Yes, plenty of depth exists and that is why there are plenty of pro fighting game players who do master these, but most players are going to move on from this loot. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2‘s genre approach is simple: add light RPG mechanics.
- Character levels and stat allocation
- Custom skill loadouts and transformations
- Equipment that impacts builds
- Multiple viable playstyles (strike, ki blast, hybrid)
None of it is especially deep individually, but together it creates a reason to keep playing. Most Dragon Ball games give players a roster, but Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 gives progression that feeds directly into its biggest advantage: longevity through support.
Dragon Ball: 8 Strongest Versions of Goku in the Multiverse, Ranked
Between the manga, anime, movies, GT, DAIMA, and Super Dragon Ball Heroes, there are countless versions of Goku – each one stronger than the last.
Dimps and Bandai Deserve Applause for Xenoverse 2’s Support
While most Dragon Ball titles follow a predictable cycle, one that involves moving on as the playerbase does, Xenoverse 2 has been updated consistently since 2016. Instead of leaving when players left, Xenoverse 2 gave fans reasons to come back consistently over the years with new storylines, free and paid updates, and so, so much more. Yes, plenty of DBZ games did try similar tactics and long-form support, but few matched the quality of Xenoverse 2 (or its other strengths) as well.
Dragon Ball as a franchise is always expanding, from brand new Dragon Ball Super arcs to Daima, from new forms to villains, and Xenoverse 2 manages to stick around, gradually absorb that content, and keep up with the pace of the anime, at least enough for fans of the franchise.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2’s Combat is More Nuanced Than The First Three Reasons
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is a Top 3 DBZ game. I stand behind that, but that number might change if we’re discussing the best combat systems in Dragon Ball Z games. There are definitely tighter DBZ games out there that are more responsive and balanced. Xenoverse 2 has a lot of issues, from floaty movement and inconsistent hit detection to a finicky camera. But what it loses in precision and hard-hitting combat, it makes up for in a spectacle befitting a DBZ fight. Fast movement, heavy teleport exchanges, and top-notch clashes are prioritized over the precision of each hit, and it works for players.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
The End of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2’s Era is in Sight, But What an Era It Has Been
There’s so much more that can be packed into Xenoverse 2. Conton City makes it feel more lived in, there’s a slight sense of persistence, and it’s not just a selection of matches. When players jump into it, everything feels like it’s ongoing—even when they’re not there, even though it’s not a full-blown DBZ MMO. But that’s the throughline: Xenoverse 2 is built to last. Most Dragon Ball Z games peak early, then taper off once the story is done and the novelty fades. Here, there’s always something pulling you back:
That’s not to say Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is perfect—I do not believe in perfection—but that’s why it’s the strongest form of Dragon Ball Z game seen so far. It’s the best way to become immersed in the DBZ world without walking through Goku’s story for the umpteenth time.
- Released
-
October 25, 2016
- ESRB
-
T For Teen due to Cartoon Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
