DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO

Budokai Tenkaichi, fifteen years later

Developed by Spike Chunsoft and published by Bandai Namco, DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO launched on 11 October 2024 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam), then on 14 November 2025 on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. This 3D arena fighter offers 182 characters at launch, destructible environments, an Episode Battle mode that relives the series’ big fights through eight characters with branching “what if” paths, and a Custom Battle mode for creating and sharing your own battles.

What the press says

On PS5, Push Square (8/10) praises a robust celebration of Dragon Ball, a colossal roster, fights that feel fantastic once learned and plenty of single-player content, but regrets poor onboarding and a balance that is unbalanced and proud of it. TheSixthAxis (8/10, PS5) finds it gorgeous and a blast to play, while finding the controls clunky until learned and the Saiyans overwhelming. TheGamer (4.5/5, PS5) calls it a love letter to Dragon Ball packed with content, with only painful menus and a finicky camera as drawbacks. GamingBolt (8/10) reviewed the PC version, which is not counted in the average: it praises the visuals and destruction but finds Episode Battle underwhelming, with slideshow cutscenes.

Editions and prices

Checked on 12 November 2026: the Standard Edition costs €49.99 on Steam, the PlayStation Store and the Xbox Store. The Super Limit-Breaking NEO Edition, which adds the expansion of the same name, costs €79.99 on all three stores, and the Legendary Edition €119.99. Standalone DLC (season pass, character packs) and subscriber-only prices are not listed as offers. The Nintendo eShop and physical editions were not checked for this survey.

Who is it for?

Dragon Ball fans first and foremost, and anyone with fond memories of Budokai Tenkaichi. Players looking for a balanced competitive fighter or a heavily scripted story mode will be less satisfied.

Press average

The score block above shows the press average computed from original reviews of the PS5 version, checked on 12 November 2026: Push Square 8/10, TheSixthAxis 8/10 and TheGamer 4.5/5. Each score is converted to /20 and averaged with equal weight. The PC, Xbox and Switch versions are not covered. This summary is not a hands-on review.