DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO

DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO is a three-dimensional arena fighting game by Spike Chunsoft, published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It carries on the game concept of the Budokai Tenkaichi series: characters can fly, dodge across large battle areas, fire Ki attacks and use their transformations. Destructible parts of the arena and beam duels are an integral part of the presentation.

Unlike a classic fighting game with a side-on two-person view, Sparking! ZERO uses freely explorable three-dimensional battlefields and the different powers of its Dragon Ball characters. Features include story battles, freely assembled duels, tournaments and a system for custom-made fights.

The original release took place in Oct 2024 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. In its international announcements, Bandai Namco gives Oct 11, 2024; the German PlayStation and Steam product pages list Oct 10. The difference comes from release and store dating, not from an additional game version.

On November 14, 2025, standalone versions followed for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. The Switch 2 edition should be distinguished from the option to use a Switch version on Switch 2 via a compatibility update. Super Limit-Breaking NEO, released in 2026, is a separate large expansion, not a re-release of the base game.

Five native platform versions are confirmed: PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. On PC, Windows and a 64-bit environment are planned; there is no confirmation of a standalone macOS or Linux version. The Nintendo release brought local multiplayer and Joy-Con motion controls.

For online features, platforms must be considered separately. The crossplay beta announced for a later period explicitly covers PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam. Whether or when Nintendo systems will be included in a shared pool cannot be inferred from this announcement.

In combat, the character speeds across large three-dimensional arenas, switching between melee combos, ranged attacks and Ki-powered special techniques. Many characters have transformations or distinctive fighting styles. Energy blasts can collide, and powerful attacks visibly change the environment.

The characters' strength is not designed to be fully symmetrical. This fits the source material and sets the arena brawler apart from classic duels, in which fighters are often given equally matched tools. For some multiplayer formats, character costs and custom rule sets help balance matches.

Super Limit-Breaking NEO launched on July 30, 2026 as a large paid expansion for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. It includes 33 new fighters, four new stages, additional Episode Battles and the single-player mode Limit Breaker Journey, in which a character's abilities can be deliberately developed over several battles.

For Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, Bandai Namco has announced this expansion separately for 2027. Season Pass character packs and smaller extra content also exist. Whether a DLC is included in an edition depends on its contents; the expansions are not standalone base games.

On Windows, the game requires at least a Core i5-9600K or Ryzen 5 2600, 8 GB RAM and a GTX 980, Radeon RX 590 or Intel Arc A750. As the recommendation, Steam lists a Core i7-9700K or Ryzen 5 3600, 16 GB RAM and an RTX 2060 or Radeon RX Vega 64. DirectX 12 and about 29 GB of free storage apply to both specs.

The graphics targets listed by Steam are 1080p at 60 frames per second, on low or high settings respectively; in demanding scenes the values may be lower. German on-screen text and subtitles are available, but full German voice audio is not listed.

Episode Battle lets you play well-known Dragon Ball battles from eight perspectives: Son Goku, Vegeta, Son Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks from the future, Freezer, Goku Black and Jiren. The length of episodes varies by character; in addition, choices and special conditions can open alternate storylines.

The mode therefore does not tell one continuous campaign, but links several excerpts from the source material, each with its own encounters. This structure exists independently of fighters and extra content released later.

In Custom Battle mode, players can put together their own battle scenarios. Participants, arenas, starting conditions, events and dialogue elements can be combined. Creations can be shared and tried out by other players. The mode therefore differs both from the fixed, curated Episode Battle and from ordinary versus fights.

Rule creation allows extra challenges beyond the official story. However, it does not replace a standalone development environment and should not be confused with a full modding SDK.

Online, you get ranked duels as well as custom matches and tournaments. Offline, CPU opponents, tournaments and local versus play are available. At initial release, split-screen play on one console was limited to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber arena; the Nintendo versions have separate technical details.

The upcoming crossplay beta is a separate netcode and platform step. Existing online modes should not be taken as proof that all five platforms can play together today.

The base game offers over 180 fighter variants from Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball GT and selected films. Transformations and versions of individual characters sometimes appear as separate playable entries, so the number does not necessarily describe that many distinct character personalities.

Each fighter has their own special techniques, moves and traits. Additional character packs expand the roster, while the base list applies to all buyers of the base game.

Limit Breaker Journey introduces a permanent development mechanic for selected fighters: players raise stats and adjust abilities over a series of battles. The mode belongs to the Super Limit Breaking NEO DLC and is not a function generally included in the original base game.

It links the usual character roster with new solo challenges. The variants Mission 100 SP and Survival Mode SP, announced for later free updates, are meant to include such trained characters too; their free core features should also be playable without buying the expansion.

Bandai Namco's official roadmap from October 2026 lists several planned permanent modes. In Tower of Power, players will first complete multiple floors of rising difficulty solo; Ki aura visual customizations are planned as rewards. A team-up variant for up to five online players, each controlling one character, has been announced for around spring 2027.

Separately, Bandai Namco plans a limited crossplay beta after summer 2027 between PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Steam. No release date has been given yet for general, permanent crossplay. The Nintendo plans are also on a separate timeline. These features are announced and not yet guaranteed to be available in the current game state.