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Dragon Ball FighterZ

An exquisite feeling fighter that is both approachable and deep. Time will tell if it has staying power, but it's the best use of the Dragon Ball Z name in quite some time.
Dragon Ball FighterZ Game Cover
87%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, stability
91% User Score Based on 36,014 reviews
Critic Score 83%Based on 13 reviews

Platforms

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Dragon Ball FighterZ Game Cover

About

Dragon Ball FighterZ is a single player and multiplayer arcade action adventure game with a anime theme. It was developed by Arc System Works and was released on January 25, 2018. It received positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

The FighterZ Edition includes the game and the FighterZ Pass, which adds 8 new mighty characters to the roster.

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Dragon Ball FighterZ screenshot
Dragon Ball FighterZ screenshot
Dragon Ball FighterZ screenshot
Dragon Ball FighterZ screenshot
Dragon Ball FighterZ screenshot
Dragon Ball FighterZ screenshot
Dragon Ball FighterZ screenshot
Dragon Ball FighterZ screenshot
Dragon Ball FighterZ screenshot
Dragon Ball FighterZ screenshot
Dragon Ball FighterZ screenshot
+14
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91%
Audience ScoreBased on 36,014 reviews
story681 positive mentions
grinding102 negative mentions
  • The game features fast-paced, fluid, and visually stunning 3v3 tag team combat that is easy for newcomers to pick up yet deep enough to reward mastery, with accessible mechanics alongside complex strategies.
  • Its graphics are praised for anime-accurate, cel-shaded art style and smooth animations that vividly capture the Dragon Ball series' look and feel, creating a cinematic experience.
  • Strong optimization allows smooth performance on a wide range of hardware, especially consoles and mid-tier PCs, making it accessible to many players.
  • The story mode is widely criticized for being repetitive, overly easy, grindy, and lacking meaningful character development, often feeling like a chore rather than engaging content.
  • The game suffers from optimization and stability issues on some PC setups, including stuttering, lag spikes, bugs, crashes, and problematic online connectivity and rollback netcode.
  • A significant portion of the character roster is locked behind paid DLC, which many consider a predatory monetization approach, detracting from the overall experience.
  • story
    2,598 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story mode in Dragon Ball FighterZ offers an original plot centered around a new character, Android 21, featuring three different arcs with distinct perspectives. While it provides engaging character interactions and fanservice moments that appeal to Dragon Ball fans, the gameplay within the story is generally repetitive, overly easy, and often feels like a grind due to repeated battles against similar clone enemies. Overall, the story is considered a weak aspect of the game, serving more as a lengthy tutorial and character introduction rather than a compelling narrative experience.

    • “The story mode is surprisingly weighty, being a mix of fighting game and visual novel. Though that's par for the course with Arc Systems, they even went out of their way to make a brand new story instead of just treading old ground.”
    • “The main single player mode in FighterZ is the story mode and this is where the Dragon Ball part of the title shines through, all of the old voice actors come to reprise their roles and the story mode has many fun interactions, cool easter eggs and a new villain who has a new enjoyable dichotomy of good and evil and fairly adequately expands on old concepts.”
    • “The story mode is amazing and tells a really good story.”
    • “The story mode is absolute garbage, even for fighting game standards.”
    • “The story mode (like every other offline mode) is hot garbage; you fight the same characters with slightly different colors for hours and hours, just to see some crappy cutscenes that repeat themselves till the end of the story mode. It doesn't help the fact that it doesn't matter if you waste time leveling your characters, the AI is so dumb that you can rush to the final match of the stage and just mash buttons to win.”
    • “The story mode is a chore and the arcade tower cheats; offline content basically comes down to training mode which means you're endlessly training for fights you will never have unless you go online.”
  • gameplay
    2,390 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Dragon Ball FighterZ offers fast-paced, fluid, and visually stunning 3v3 tag team gameplay that is easy to pick up for newcomers yet deep enough to reward mastery, featuring accessible mechanics like auto combos alongside complex strategies with assists, sparking blasts, and team synergy. While some find certain universal mechanics like super dash frustrating and the meta favoring aggressive playstyles, the game's smooth controls, diverse character roster, and satisfying combo system make it highly enjoyable for both casual and competitive players. Despite some criticism of repetitive gameplay outside multiplayer and online connectivity issues, the core fighting mechanics are widely praised for being engaging, polished, and true to the Dragon Ball anime experience.

    • “The combat system is fast-paced, fluid, and easy to pick up, yet offers deep mechanics for high-level play. Auto-combos and simplified inputs make it accessible for newcomers, while advanced mechanics like assists, vanish attacks, and super dash ensure depth for veteran players. The 3v3 tag-team mechanics allow for flashy combos and strategic team-building, while the roster is packed with iconic Dragon Ball characters.”
    • “Fighterz teaches you mechanics that translate to any other fighting game and some that you can apply to any game. The gameplay is fast paced, flashy, in your face and colorful. It has the spirit and action of Dragon Ball, the style you'd see from Strive, and just good feeling overall gameplay. The mechanics are fluid and the rage is high.”
    • “Gameplay is your standard Arc System Works style, meaning beautiful visuals and solid gameplay. The controls and mechanics are tight and fun, and the game looks and performs amazingly. The gameplay in DBFZ is a blast with its wacky Dragon Ball mechanics and team versus game flow. It is fun and challenging in its own right, as well as being very open to casuals and newcomers, with a lot to learn and get good at regarding team management, synergy, movement, spacing, and the use of game mechanics.”
    • “While there are deeper combo routes and strategic layers, the heavy reliance on automation makes the moment-to-moment gameplay feel largely undeliberate.”
    • “The [universal mechanics] (or those that are available to every character) are not only bad but also make the character mechanics situation worse than it could be. For starters, the "super dash" (meant to be a button for casual players to skip the neutral game) is probably the most awful mechanic I have ever seen put into a fighting game. That sums up how the universal mechanics work together to remove the neutral game, which is the most important part of any fighting game.”
    • “They buffed every character; any methodical gameplay has gone completely out the window and devolved into scrambles for random hits to convert into 80% combos, and the assists are either completely busted or completely useless. Every patch introduces some new dumb comeback mechanic that was not needed. I lose more to the bum comeback mechanics than the player, especially versus brain-dead players who just wait to use a nuclear weapon last.”
  • graphics
    1,832 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Dragon Ball FighterZ boasts stunning, anime-accurate, cel-shaded graphics that vividly capture the look and feel of the series, with fluid animations and spectacular visual effects making every fight a cinematic experience. The art style, developed by Arc System Works, is widely praised as one of the best in fighting games, combining high-quality 2.5D visuals with smooth gameplay, accessible yet deep mechanics, and faithful character designs. While some users note graphical settings limitations on lower-end PCs, overall the game's visuals are considered exceptional and a major highlight that greatly enhances the fan experience.

    • “The game has stunning 2.5D visuals that perfectly capture the anime’s art style, making every fight feel like a scene straight out of the show.”
    • “The art style nails the Dragon Ball look with convincing 'animated' models, sharp effects, and supers that feel ripped directly from the show.”
    • “The visuals look straight out of the anime, with smooth animations and flashy supers that never get old.”
    • “The game can be unplayable if you have an older PC like me, which unfortunately forces you to lower the graphics, but I would highly recommend this game, especially on console!”
    • “Cool ass game, it's just that my computer is doo doo so I have to run it at near lowest graphics.”
    • “The story is just forgettable and the cutscenes in it are motion-sickness inducing due to the choppy fake 2d artstyle mixed with smooth camera movement and 3d backgrounds (story mode itself is just repetitive CPU matches with extra steps and the skills, while cool as a concept, barely add anything to it).”
  • music
    409 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's music is widely praised for its energetic, high-quality soundtrack that effectively complements the fast-paced, intense fights and anime-style visuals, often evoking nostalgia for Dragon Ball fans. While some players find the soundtrack memorable and fitting with varied genres, others feel it lacks iconic Dragon Ball themes and consider the anime music DLC pricey or unnecessary. Overall, the music significantly enhances immersion and enjoyment but may not satisfy those seeking the original series' classic scores.

    • “The game's soundtrack is energetic and complements the fast-paced action.”
    • “The music adds an extra layer of immersion, making every fight a cinematic experience.”
    • “One of the best games in beat 'em up ever played. Soundtrack 10/10, graphic 10/10, gameplay 10/10.”
    • “No original music is sad.”
    • “The music is incredibly repetitive and annoying.”
    • “The only negative is that it doesn't have the original soundtrack from the show.”
  • humor
    285 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely appreciated for its funny character interactions, playful dialogues, and comedic cutscenes that capture the spirit of the Dragon Ball series. Many players find the game especially entertaining and hilarious when played with friends, enhanced by amusing combos, mods, and community creativity. While some find the story mode and gameplay moments amusing, a few note that the humor may not resonate with everyone or can be overshadowed by gameplay frustrations.

    • “Yes wonderful game, great combat system and so extremely fun and hilarious to play with friends!”
    • “Not only that, but through my whole life, dragon ball games, like dragon ball advance adventure, dragon ball infinite world, budokai tenkaichi 3 and raging blast 2 gave me some of my fondest memories i had of when i was younger, where i'd spend the whole day playing these games with all of my friends, making tournaments, trying to reenact battles, and even trying to come up with our own battles, and even with fighterz, the same influence is still felt, with some of the most fun memories i had being me and my friend just laughing our asses off at how ridiculous this game is, with a lot of our inside jokes originating from us playing this game and spending time on training mode competing against each other, laughing at android 21's vore level 3, screaming 'the ginyu, the ginyu force is real!' every time ginyu would be called in, and in general, his works and his influence up to this day, continue to give me inspiration and give me new memories to cherish over”
    • “The most charming parts of fighterz can be found in the lobby, in which your chibi avatar can communicate with other players through emotes and funny stickers that use screen grabs from the show, which you can find more of in loot boxes.”
    • “Not funny, I didn't laugh.”
    • “I hate this game so much, it's so bad I get trashed on so much it's not funny.”
    • “My friend kills me every time, not funny for that, but in the rest 10/10 will play again.”
  • optimization
    132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is generally praised for its strong optimization, running smoothly on a wide range of hardware, including older and mid-tier PCs and laptops, with stable 60fps at medium to high settings. However, some users report poor PC optimization issues such as stuttering, lag spikes, and performance drops, especially related to Denuvo DRM and online play server problems. Overall, it is considered well-optimized and accessible, though occasional technical issues and online instability remain areas needing improvement.

    • “This game is insanely well optimized and can run on basically anything.”
    • “Performance in this game is perfect with great scalability for different computers.”
    • “The game is very well optimized and runs great on even middling PC setups.”
    • “Very bad game, the optimization is very bad to the point where I have to put it all on low settings regardless of my system and even then I don’t get 60fps.”
    • “First of all, it works fine on console, but it stutters a lot on PC and has terrible optimization, even with controls.”
    • “Ridiculously poor optimization, runs like crap on my AMD rig.”
  • grinding
    124 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is frequently described as tedious, repetitive, and time-consuming, particularly in the story mode which involves fighting the same enemies multiple times to farm currency and unlock characters. While some players find the grind rewarding for mastering combos and improving skills, many criticize the slow progression, lack of content variety, and reliance on grinding to access key features, making the experience feel more like a chore than engaging gameplay.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “A bit grindy sometimes.”
    • “Banana farming.”
    • “Story mode is a blatant attempt to stretch out play time with a very grindy, repetitive "beat up all these guys" simulator, with rare cutscenes peppered in.”
    • “The game is pay to play; you pay for the base game and that's it. If you want to unlock characters for free that can be bought for real money (SSGSS Goku and Vegeta), the challenge is impossible to beat and grinding is not even fun.”
    • “Playing the story will get tedious fast; to make the story problem even worse, you have to play it to unlock a character, meaning get ready for hours of really boring and repetitive grinding!”
  • replayability
    62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers high replayability due to its diverse character roster, engaging team-based battles, and challenging modes that appeal to both newcomers and veterans. Multiplayer and ranked matches further enhance longevity, though some criticism exists about limited story mode depth and paid character content. Overall, most players find it addictively replayable with rich strategic depth and fan-favorite characters.

    • “Team-based battles keep matches exciting, and learning different character synergies adds a lot of replay value.”
    • “It has so much replayability and is friendly to newcomers and people who have played the fighting genre; honestly, a really great game!”
    • “It tends to be hard to make a fighting game with technical depth that's not only graphically impressive, but open to people new to fighting games as well, but by Kami did Arcsys and Bamco did it again and they excelled at making one of if not the biggest best love letter to the franchise I've ever seen, with engaging gameplay, content that feels like it's endlessly coming, subpar yet serviceable story mode with incredible interactions and fanservice, and more that allow this game to be such a replayable and addictive piece of art.”
    • “Sadly, it was never updated to allow for any other characters, so it has no replay value at all since it only has about 1/6 of the overall roster playable.”
    • “No replayability, 0/10.”
    • “It has low replayability and no Steam achievements for it.”
  • stability
    60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game runs well and looks great on most platforms, offering smooth gameplay and good optimization, especially on consoles and mid-range PCs. However, it suffers from numerous bugs, frequent crashes, unstable rollback netcode, and connectivity issues, particularly on PC and online modes, leading to frustrating experiences for some players. Overall, while the core gameplay is solid, the game's stability and polish need significant improvement.

    • “The game is very well optimized and runs great on even middling PC setups.”
    • “If you are wondering about the Switch port, it is fantastic, it runs great, and features a unique resolution mechanic to help the Switch handle the game.”
    • “Runs great on a 6 year old machine at max settings; has intricate combos for advanced players and easy auto combos for newcomers.”
    • “We have waited nearly 2 years since the official rollback first announcement, and when it is finally out, it's as buggy if not more than the rollback beta was. It was shadow dropped randomly with no marketing, and the spectating is so bad that the thought of online tournaments just vanished too.”
    • “Waiting 10-15 min per match, game freezes mid match and crashes, overpriced DLC, usual greed and low service.”
    • “The DBFZ rollback mode perfectly demonstrates this, as it is absurdly broken and unplayable due to glitches.”
  • emotional
    58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Dragon Ball FighterZ delivers a highly emotional experience for fans, blending nostalgia, heartfelt story moments, and intense gameplay that can evoke both joy and frustration. While the game’s story mode is often criticized as boring and lackluster, the competitive matches and faithful character interactions create a rollercoaster of emotions—ranging from tears of joy to emotional exhaustion. Overall, it deeply connects with longtime fans, making losses and victories feel personally impactful.

    • “Dragon Ball FighterZ is not just a game; it's an emotional rollercoaster that took me back to my childhood, reigniting my love for Dragon Ball and filling my heart with joy and nostalgia.”
    • “Beyond the gameplay mechanics, the story mode of Dragon Ball FighterZ touched me on a deeply emotional level. The dramatic cutscenes, the heartfelt dialogues, and the nostalgic encounters with beloved characters brought tears to my eyes more than once.”
    • “Honestly, this game made me cry tears of joy multiple times, and I have to say that it has definitely been the best DBZ game ever.”
    • “Boring story mode.”
    • “Abyssmally boring story mode; nonexistent writing and piss-poor AI.”
    • “The story is comedy gold in terms of interactions, but it's so easy it's a joke, and so long it's exhausting.”
  • monetization
    50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization of the game is primarily criticized for locking a significant portion of the roster behind paid DLC, which many see as a predatory cash grab common in fighting games. However, the game notably lacks aggressive microtransactions, paid loot boxes, or in-game ads, with cosmetic loot boxes being free and no mandatory pay-to-win elements. While some players appreciate the quality and value of the DLC characters, others feel the multiple season passes and character-lock approach detract from the overall experience.

    • “There are no microtransactions in the game for currency, which is a huge plus, and the DLC characters are very much worth their price.”
    • “No aggressive microtransactions, smooth gameplay, active player base, and an amazing roster of characters.”
    • “Bonus points for it not being riddled with microtransactions.”
    • “Since it's owned by Bandai, the monetization is pretty predatory, in this case locking two-thirds of the roster behind a paywall.”
    • “Way too many DLCs; also the first game to lock half of the characters behind microtransactions. The only reason I bought this was because it was on sale for 7 dollars. I would absolutely never buy this game at full price.”
    • “This is a great fighting game and as such, it actually deserves a positive review. It is a real shame that the devs chose the cash grab way; the most fun and best-to-play characters are hidden behind a paywall.”
  • character development
    24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game receives mixed feedback: while character designs, especially those by original creator Akira Toriyama and DLC characters, are widely praised for their creativity and visual appeal, the story mode and overall character progression are often criticized as weak, shallow, and lacking meaningful depth. Fans appreciate the faithful and diverse roster but feel the narrative fails to fully capitalize on the potential of its characters.

    • “The story mode itself is a largely fun experience, providing the player with an original story centered around a brand new character designed by the manga's original creator, Akira Toriyama.”
    • “The last thing I'd like to mention is the actual character design of the main roster was very well formulated and would've worked completely fine but every single additional DLC character, especially in season 3, is creative and unique in a way that I've never seen anywhere else.”
    • “Including the new character Android 21, she is amazing in character design and characteristics.”
    • “Fighterz is flavorless, the character designs are basic, the story mode was easy and weak.”
    • “The lack of meaningful progression or character development further detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
    • “Overall, I really love this game and it always has a special place, but other than the character design and visuals, they don't care enough about making this game the game it needed to be, because it had so much potential and no one can argue that, but it slipped away.”
  • atmosphere
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of DBFZ is widely praised for its high-energy, authentic Dragon Ball vibe, top-notch visuals, and dramatic touches that enhance the game's epic feel. While some find it exceptionally immersive and true to the franchise, a few note that certain mechanics disrupt the flow and slightly detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game’s atmosphere stands out as a major strength, especially for fans of the Dragon Ball universe.

    • “Dragon Ball FighterZ features one of the most unique games with great battle mechanics and a high-energy atmosphere while staying true to the high-octane combat roots of the Dragon Ball franchise.”
    • “The game fits well into the atmosphere and definitely enhances the overall experience.”
    • “It's heavily inspired by Marvel vs. Capcom and perfectly captures the overall Dragon Ball atmosphere. Arc System Works did an amazing job with this.”
    • “The atmosphere doesn't fit my taste.”
    • “Skill floor is pretty normal for fighting games, skill ceiling is in the awful atmosphere.”
    • “Some mechanics in this game seem very clunky to this day. Firstly, can there be a fix for the super dash where you don't just randomly get shot into the atmosphere? Secondly, some characters like Videl need a little rework since you give her a spot dodge which is really awful. If you wanted her to be unique, then make it so she can avoid command grabs like Jiren's or Broly's (DBZ), since then she would have stood out for being a more strategy-style fighter choice instead of this useless replacement for a reflect which 99% of the roster has access to.”
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83%Critics’ scoreBased on 13 critic reviews
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38h Median play time
320h Average play time
9-271h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 104 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Dragon Ball FighterZ is a arcade action adventure game with anime theme.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 320 hours playing Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Dragon Ball FighterZ was released on January 25, 2018.

Dragon Ball FighterZ was developed by Arc System Works.

Dragon Ball FighterZ has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Tekken 7, BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, Granblue Fantasy: Versus, GUILTY GEAR Xrd REV 2, Skullgirls 2nd Encore and others.