The one genuinely new Dragon Ball game in development is the biggest Dragon Ball project ever attempted, and it is not a fighter.
Bandai Namco first unveiled the project under the codename AGE 1000 on January 25, 2026, at the Dragon Ball Genkidamatsuri 40th anniversary event in Chiba, Japan, on a stage billed as "Genki da Stage+: New Game Super Announcement Stage!". The full reveal followed at Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2026 on April 18-19 in Los Angeles, where it was given its official title: Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3. Release is scheduled for 2027 with no exact date announced, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam), with wishlists live.
The game takes place roughly 216 years after Dragon Ball Z, in an era that echoes the classic Dragon Ball Online MMO. The environment shown is a developed West City - a modern, populated version of the West Capital that existed as a minor background location in the original series. The teaser hinted at virtual training spaces and advanced technology, and the announcement trailer featured brand-new animation produced by Toei Animation.
The protagonist is an original character drawn by the late Akira Toriyama, wearing Capsule Corp equipment with a 7 on the outfit. Development has been reported at roughly six to seven years, and Bandai Namco describes it as the largest Dragon Ball project ever made. With Dragon Ball Legends continuing its campaigns and Sparking! ZERO on a two-year content cadence, 2027 will be the busiest stretch of Dragon Ball content in the franchise's history.
Genre, gameplay systems and the final feature set were not detailed at either announcement. Given the Xenoverse lineage and the West City setting, the expectation is an action RPG with story-driven progression rather than a versus title - but that is expectation, not confirmation. If you play for versus Dragon Ball specifically, the 2027 slate has nothing new to offer and the current titles are still the answer.
Until Xenoverse 3 lands, the practical recommendation for a new player is simple: start with FighterZ if you want to understand why the franchise's fighting game is considered great, then move to Sparking! ZERO if you want to compete in 2026 and 2027.