Dragon Ball: Every PS1 & PS2 Game In The Franchise (In Chronological Order) (2024)

Video games and Dragon Ball have gone hand-in-hand for decades, including a rich history with Sony's consoles. While Dragon Ball’s most formative games, at least in the franchise’s infancy, were confined to Nintendo home consoles — and the occasional handheld releases — Dragon Ball’s video game adaptations first found their voice on the PlayStation and PlayStation 2.

Even though Dragon Ball didn’t begin its PlayStation career particularly gracefully, the PS2 is home to some of the best games in the franchise, including the beloved Budokai and Budokai Tenkaichi series. The average Dragon Ball game tends to be a traditional or arena-based fighter across both consoles, but it fits with the content of the source material. The PlayStation games truly emulated the anime, and later entries captured the look and feel of iconic Dragon Ball battles.

Updated on August 14, 2024, by Natasha Elder: With Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is expecting a release in November of this year, we thought it apt to take another look at the first installments of the Dragon Ball video game franchise. To that extent, we have added more information surrounding these games, as well as updated other elements to fit with current CBR standards.

1 Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 Was Critically Panned in Its Time in the United States

The Eight-Year Localization Period Most Likely Affected the Games' Reception

Ultimate Battle 22 was critically reviled upon its United States release. However, one important detail factors into its panning — it took Ultimate Battle 22 nearly eight years to be localized. The console was already out and with a PS2 quality library when the game came out in the West. Naturally, it was seen as an artifact that had no place in the then-modern generation of gaming.

While Ultimate Battle 22 is far from the greatest fighter in the series, it’s a charming title featuring great sprite work and a high amount of content. The game featured 27 playable characters with a combat system based on a 6-button layout, but one of the negative sticking points was the gameplay's slow pacing. Even the load times were egregious for PS1 and PS2 standards, but UB22 arguably doesn’t deserve all the negativity it garnered. Criticism is warranted, but it was mostly the wrong game at the wrong time.

2 Dragon Ball Z: The Legend Was A Much-Improved Title That Never Released In North America

The Series Hadn't Finished Airing in the United States, Making the Game's Release Unfeasible

The Legend never made its way to the United States, mainly because it was a complete adaptation of Dragon Ball Z's story at a time when the country hadn’t finished airing the series. Why Ultimate Battle 22 was released eight years after the fact and not The Legend was a bizarre marketing choice, as the latter effectively improved upon the former's missteps on every level. A proper Dragon Ball Z simulator, The Legend doesn’t play like a typical fighting game.

The Legend featured team battles, cutscenes that can be played in the middle of matches, and a story that can be slightly altered depending on whether players want to adhere to the anime's events. For instance, players could freely swap in characters for certain fights even if they didn't feature in the manga/anime. Most notably, this was the first time the franchise's video games delved into a subgenre now popularly associated with anime video game adaptations dubbed "arena fighters," where players can fight in a free-roaming 3D space.

3 Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout Was A Poorly Received Game Based On A Controversial Anime

There Were Both Technical and Mechanical Complaints

Final Bout was many Western fans’ introduction to the Dragon Ball franchise overall, predating the massive boom in popularity that Dragon Ball Z would soon see. Unfortunately, although the game was nowhere near as critically panned as Ultimate Battle 22, Final Bout also received a poor critical reception due to several technical and mechanical criticisms.

With aged 3D visuals even for its time, clunky controls and an uninspired roster — primarily from Dragon Ball Z and GT’s Baby arc — Final Bout is better as a piece of Dragon Ball history, especially for its Western release, rather than a fighting game worth investing time in. It didn't help that button prompts for combat commands were slow to respond, and the camera was uncomfortable to control.

4 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Built The Foundation For A Memorable Series

The Series Redeemed Itself After Final Bout's Poor Reception

Following Final Bout’s release — and the end of the well-liked Dragon Ball GT series in Japan — the franchise’s relationship with video games was put on hold for some time. It wouldn’t be until 2002’s Budokai on the PlayStation 2 that the series would dive back into the medium with perhaps its most memorable video game franchise.

Stylizing itself after the Dragon Ball Z anime specifically, this Dragon Ball PS2 game put the series on a respectable track forward, with the story mode attempting to adapt the show and a gameplay system emphasizing customization. Budokai isn’t as mechanically polished as its successors, but the fact it emulates the anime so earnestly gives the game an appeal that Budokai 2 and 3 lack. The game built upon the fighting formula and laid an even more solid foundation for its successor in gameplay.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai

Fighting

Franchise

Dragon Ball

Platform(s)

PlayStation 2 , GameCube , PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360

Released

November 14, 2003

Developer(s)

Dimps

Publisher(s)

Atari , BNE Entertainment , Bandai

Engine

Tank Engine

ESRB

t

How Long To Beat

7 hours

5 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 Was One Step Forward, One Step Backward

While the Roster and Combo System Expanded, the Story was Less Well-Constructed than Its Predecessor

Budokai 2 is as much a step down from its predecessor as it is a blatant step up. Mechanically, as well as in terms of roster and character customization, Budokai 2 is one of the better Dragon Ball Z PS2 games. Players can collect more capsules, have access to a superior combo system that adds more depth to their actions, and have more characters to unlock — with reasonable unlocking criteria.

Unfortunately, Budokai 2 trades Budokai’s incredible story mode in favor of a Mario Party-esque campaign where Goku goes from board to board, playing through all of Dragon Ball Z's story. Budokai 2 throws away the attention to detail and continuity that defined the original Budokai campaign, with only mild mechanical improvements. It makes this package an overall missed opportunity.

6 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 Is The Best In The Series

An Odd Mechanical Choice Doesn't Detract from the Game's Quality

The first PlayStation-exclusive game in the series, Budokai 3 is seen as the trilogy's crowning achievement, but it’s not without its faults. Notably, Budokai 3 features elements of RNG in its gameplay loop, with Dragon Rush leading to quick time events where opponents must guess the right button to either inflict damage or dodge.

It's an odd mechanical choice that hurts the combat's pacing somewhat. Still, beyond how occasionally unbalanced the action becomes due to this feature, Budokai 3 is too entertaining overall for this to be a serious problem. Bolstered by an amazing roster, the best character customization of the Dragon Ball PS2 games, an otherwise polished combat system, and the fantastic Dragon Universe — a great PlayStation story mode where every member of the Dragon Team goes through their major events in DBZ — Budokai 3 is a must-play for any Dragon Ball fan even today.

7 Dragon Ball Z: Sagas Was An Awkward Sidestep

While the Gameplay was Entertaining at First, Repetitive Tasks Bogged the Game Down

Sagas was hyped up as the next big Dragon Ball game — an action-adventure game set in an open world that properly adapted the Dragon Ball Z anime. Unfortunately, the game stumbled in its execution when it was finally released. A North America-exclusive release, Sagas quickly became one of the worst-received games in the series and perhaps the worst of the PS1 & PS2 era of Dragon Ball Z titles.

The cooperative gameplay is entertaining enough, and the Dragon Ball super attacks feel satisfying. Likewise, the effort to start an inventive new series under genres aside from conventional or arena fighters is commendable. However, basic level design, repetitive boss AI, dull artistic presentation, and a lack of content in the features it claimed to boast held it back. Overall, the monotonous gameplay loop bogs players down long before the game is over, making Sagas better off as a relic of the franchise's video game history.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3

Fighting

Franchise

Dragon Ball

Platform(s)

PS2 , PS3 , Xbox 360

Released

November 16, 2004

Developer(s)

Dimps

Publisher(s)

Namco Bandai , Atari

How Long To Beat

10 Hours

8 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi Is A Modest Expansion of Its Predecessor

The 3D Arenas Tried to Simulate Dragon Ball Fights More Accurately

With the Budokai trilogy over, Dragon Ball pivoted towards a new subseries — Budokai Tenkaichi. Rather than being 2D fighters, the Budokai Tenkaichi games used 3D spaces to translate the intensity of DBZ’s fights in the anime into gameplay and build upon the arena-fighter formula. This gave players the sense that they were more accurately replicating fights and how they would happen, which is appreciated.

As a result, though, Budokai Tenkaichi positions itself more as a DBZ simulator than a strict fighting game. There aren’t too many distinct playing styles, but what Budokai Tenkaichi lacks in depth, it makes up for with the choice of 64 playable characters and the ability to recreate some of Dragon Ball’s best fights in bombastic fashion. Unfortunately, the original Budokai Tenkaichi has a firmly average story mode with subpar customization that feels like a step down from Budokai 3's variety.

9 Super Dragon Ball Z Is Somewhat Average But Features An Impressive Roster

The Roster Was Chosen with Care to Provide Counter-Play to Every Character

One of the most traditional PS2 Dragon Ball Z games, Super Dragon Ball Z is arguably one of the most underrated entries in the franchise. The game may not have a solid story mode and heavily depends on its genre influences, but Super Dragon Ball Z still has a respectable roster of fan-favorite characters despite lacking the Budokai series' depth.

The game's select roster was by design, as it was curated to offer clear counters for each character while complementing Super Dragon Ball Z’s core gameplay. Mechanically, Super DBZ is by far the most complex Dragon Ball game on the PlayStation 2 and a game that isn't discussed nearly enough. The game's deep combat mechanics take after classic fighting games from the '90s, ranging from Street Fighter to Mortal Kombat to Tekken with how combo strings are initiated.

10 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 Is A Moderate Step Up

The Story Mode was Significantly Improved

Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is arguably the game the original always should have been. Its predecessor's barebones story mode was replaced by a new take that followed Budokai 3’s Dragon Universe. Rather than playing through the story character by character, Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is a legitimate video game adaptation of both Dragon Ball and GT, with a more fluid story than the previous game’s.

Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is a love letter to the franchise in the canon department. On top of tackling events in order with proper fights and characters, it also includes a massive roster anchored by the Potara customization system; a mechanic that builds off Budokai’s capsules. It's mechanically refined in places the original Budokai Tenkaichi needed to be, though the relentless pacing and complex controls to execute combos did attract some criticism.

11 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 Is A Mild Step Down From Its Predecessor

Its Ambitious Roster, Stages and Customization Ability Resulted in the Story Becoming a Bit Sparse

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 attempts to take the strengths of its two predecessors and expand them on an ambitious scale. Unfortunately, the game tries far too much at once, letting its story mode fall to the wayside. Because of this, Budokai Tenkaichi 3 ultimately feels like a lesser rehash of what Budokai Tenkaichi 2 already succeeded in.

Beyond that, Budokai Tenkaichi 3’s impressive roster, stages, customization, and attention to detail make it one of the most captivating Dragon Ball PS2 games in terms of sheer content. The game feels like a giant Dragon Ball sandbox players can immerse themselves. Longtime fans of the series may have more to look forward to from this series. Developer Spike Chunsoft's upcoming Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is the next installment in the long-dormant series on modern hardware, embracing its Japanese subtitle.

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

The third entry in the Spike-developed Budokai Tenkaichi series, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is a 3D fighting game that pits characters from across the canon of Dragon Ball, Z, and GT against each other in super-powered battles in several recognizable environments from the series.

Fighting

Franchise

Dragon Ball

Platform(s)

PS2 , Wii

Released

November 9, 2007

Developer(s)

Spike

Publisher(s)

Namco Bandai , Atari

ESRB

How Long To Beat

12 Hours

Prequel(s)

12 Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World Was Just More Of The Same

Launching After the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 Were Released, the Game Felt Out-of-Date

The last of the Dragon Ball PS2 games, Infinite World’s critical reception is comparable to Ultimate Battle 22. While Infinite World was not a game localized eight years after its release, it ostensibly served as Budokai 4 after Budokai 3 brought the series to a strong close. However, there was no direct connection, and the game’s lackluster reception further separated it from the Budokai trilogy.

Beyond that, Infinite World came out after Burst Limit launched on the PS3 and Xbox 360, making it feel like it lagged technically in a similar, albeit much less severe way than Ultimate Battle 22 did. Infinite World may not be a poor game overall, and it arguably fixes Budokai 3’s issues with Dragon Rush. However, Infinite World brings little to the table in roster selection, mechanics or story to stand out among its contemporaries.

Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball tells the tale of a young warrior by the name of Son Goku, a young peculiar boy with a tail who embarks on a quest to become stronger and learns of the Dragon Balls, when, once all 7 are gathered, grant any wish of choice.

Created by

Akira Toriyama

First Film

Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies

Latest Film

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

First TV Show

Dragon Ball (1986)

Latest TV Show

Dragon Ball Super

Upcoming TV Shows

Dragon Ball DAIMA

First Episode Air Date

April 26, 1989

Cast

Sean Schemmel , Laura Bailey , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil

Current Series

Dragon Ball Super

Summary

Dragon Ball is the labor of writer/illustrator Akira Toriyama, beginning with Dragon Ball back in 1984. The series originally started as a serialized manga back in Weekly Shonen Jump for nearly a decade until it expanded into the anime franchises it is most known for today. Dragon Ball was later adapted into two animes, with one being Dragon Ball Z, the most universally known series in the entire Dragon Ball canon. The franchise has continued to expand lore via films, video games, and additional sequel TV series, such as the more recent Dragon Ball Super and Super Dragon Ball Heroes. Dragon Ball centers mostly around Son Goku, a being known as a Saiyan, and his friends as they face off against intergalactic threats and seek out the titular dragon balls. When all seven of these balls are collected, they can be used to summon a legendary dragon that can grant the wishes of whoever so gathers them. The Dragon Ball franchise continues to be one of the most well-known and beloved animes of all time, with over forty different countries airing it, and has had a tremendous impact on Western culture as a whole.