Dragon Ball is an enormous franchise with a fanbase that's been around since even before 1990. Dragon Ball has had huge success in the anime and manga industries, so it's only natural that the franchise would eventually turn to video games. Based on the amount of Dragon Ball games around today, needless to say, they have done well.
Related: Dragon Ball Z Kakarot: Hardest Boss Fights, Ranked
Those official launches aren't the only Dragon Ball video games in circulation, however. There are also many fan-made titles born from nothing but passion for Dragon Ball. While plenty of projects often go unfinished or largely undeveloped, there are a good number of them that have experienced their own success. Keep in mind that these aren't ranked in any particular order, so none are being stated to be better than the others.
Updated on May 21, 2023, by Axel Bosso: It's always a good time to look for Dragon Ball fan games. In this updated list, you'll find some of the best titles created by fans of the series, with different mechanics and art styles.
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10 Heroes United And Heroes United 2
On a platform/gaming engine that's been around since 1996 called BYOND, it's possible for those with some knowledge in the field of coding to create games. During the span of several years around 2010, these two games may have been the most popular on the platform.
In both Heroes United and Heroes United 2, you traverse the world of Dragon Ball, the graphics and world design inspired by the Legacy of Goku games. There are in-depth training systems, stat systems, and transformations unique to people with them. Original specials exist for countless characters and beam clashes are featured in some versions. You can switch between popular characters and more obscure ones, making you feel like you have as much freedom in the Dragon Ball world as you could get.
9 Dragon Block C
Minecraft is universally recognizable even by those who don't play video games. This is due to its huge surge in popularity over the years, but a contributing factor is that it's simple for anyone to add their own modifications to it and put their own spin on the game. While mods technically aren't games built from scratch, they still take a huge amount of time and effort to create from passion alone.
Dragon Block C is far more than any standard mod for Minecraft, as it entirely reshapes the way the game works. It introduces everything you would expect to come with a Dragon Ball fan game. This includes things such as flying, ki attacks, a fully fleshed-out combat system, and transformations. You're capable of reliving iconic fights from the series everybody knows and loves as you progress through the story through a different lens, even traveling between different planets! There are more than enough modifications put into this project that it doesn't play anything like the base game.
8 Dragon Ball Unreal
Unreal Engine is a popular gaming engine used by a wide variety of games. This even includes titles like Dragon Ball FighterZ or Final Fantasy VII Remake. It has a large number of features that allow it to support games with intensive graphics and still run smoothly.
Related: Dragon Ball Games That Should Get Remakes
Dragon Ball Unreal, much like Dragon Ball FighterZ, uses the Unreal Engine. This game has similarities to Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot or Xenoverse 2 with how it functions, playing as an arena brawler that lets you fly around an area to battle your foes.
7 ZEQ2
ZEQ2 is another game set in the Dragon Ball universe that functions as an arena brawler. Though it can be compared to the other sub-series mentioned, this game attracted most of its support around the same time that Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z launched.
In ZEQ2, you're first offered a wide variety of characters to choose from. Then a map is selected from several locations you'll find in the Dragon Ball universe. You're able to fight with friends around these large maps with an in-depth combat system, including special attacks that can cause massive explosions.
6 Dragon Ball Z Team Training
Dragon Ball Z Team Training, much like Dragon Block C, is a heavy modification of a title that already exists rather than its entire own game from scratch. In the same vein, it also has enough substantial changes that it can be justified as its own fan game. This title is based on Pokemon Fire/Red or Leaf/Green from the GameBoy Advance.
Every single Pokemon has been changed to reflect a character from the Dragon Ball universe, all of their typings and evolutions being altered accordingly. Characters aren't the only things that have been changed as most moves have also undergone alterations to better fit the universe. Playing through Team Training is guaranteed to be a journey unlike any other starting from your first step of choosing Goku, Gohan, or Vegeta as your first fighter.
5 Dragon Ball Devolution
Dragon Ball Devolution, originally known as Dragon Ball Z Tribute, is a 2D fighter with simple yet charming pixel-based graphics. It features characters from across the Dragon Ball universe, not only having fighters from Z but also from GT and Super.
It features a vast story mode to go along with its expansive roster, beginning from the very end of Dragon Ball where Goku faces off against Piccolo. The combat in Devolution is simple and isn't restricted to the ground, letting you fight mid-air at your leisure. Fights are fast-paced, meaning the better your reflexes the better you'll do.
4 Dragon Ball Super Climax
Dragon Ball Super Climax is just one entry in an endless list of anime fighters categorized as Mugen games. The term comes from the gaming engine called M.U.G.E.N., based on the Japanese word for dream. It allows fans of fighting games to dream up their very own fighters with few restrictions, hence the popularity.
Related: Features That Should Return In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4
This Mugen fighter features multiplayer with a wide cast of characters, all of which come from Dragon Ball Z, Super, the movies associated with them, and some from GT. It's currently up to date and covers Dragon Ball Super: Broly, and it may see future updates when Dragon Ball Super returns.
3 Dragon Ball Z Mini Warriors
Dragon Ball Z Mini Warriors is a 2D fighter akin to Dragon Ball Devolution, featuring a smaller but nicely varied cast of fighters. The combat is similarly fast-paced and dynamic, meaning a fight could be turned around at any moment. It has great quality in regards to how the sound is designed, all of the special effects, and the graphics themselves.
Even with these impressive qualities, this game is particularly criticized for its difficulty and lack of in-game instructions. While the latter can be solved with some online searches, the former can only be handled by simply improving. Dragon Ball Z Mini Warriors won't be for everyone but if you enjoy overcoming very difficult challenges, you'll get a satisfying time out of this.
2 Hyper Dragon Ball Z
Hyper Dragon Ball Z is another game based on the M.U.G.E.N. engine that has a large production team compared to most fan games. Hyper DBZ features original assets ranging from character sprites, maps, special moves, music, and voice acting. The team did a phenomenal job in every one of these departments, and this work is still receiving updates.
Aside from the quality of the game, the fighting system doesn't cut any corners either. Each character has their own unique set of moves and specials, making everyone feel like a different experience depending on who you fight or play as. It's as close to Dragon Ball FighterZ as one can get in terms of fan games, even having their own Dramatic Finishes.
1 Dragon Ball Demon Breaker
This game is still just a demo, but an outstanding one. Dragon Ball Demon Breaker features a unique adventure-style hack 'n slash gameplay unlike anything seen from Dragon Ball thus far. The graphics and interface look sleek while the combat is smooth and satisfying, especially when you execute combo strings.
It's going to have characters from Super Dragon Ball Heroes, a rarely explored universe by video games. That factor gives this game loads of potential that could be explored later, such as Trunks' Super Saiyan God transformation. Though only a demo at the moment, this title is worth keeping an eye on.
Next: Characters We Want To See In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4