After months of speculation, Bandai Namco has finally pulled the curtain back on Age 1000—and yes, it’s exactly what longtime fans hoped: Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is real, and it’s launching in 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam). The reveal landed as the headline-grabber at Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2026, and it’s hard to overstate what that means: the franchise’s biggest “RPG-fighter” hybrid is back almost a full decade after Xenoverse 2 first hit.
What makes this announcement genuinely exciting isn’t just the number in the title. It’s the promise of a brand-new Dragon Ball world set in Age 1000, centered on West City, with players joining the Great Saiyan Squad—a fresh angle that could finally give Xenoverse a new identity beyond “what-if timelines and nostalgia tourism.” Details are still thin, but the direction is clear: this is Bandai Namco trying to evolve the formula, not just reheat it.
What We Know So Far: A New Age, a New City, and the Great Saiyan Squad
Bandai Namco’s reveal positions Xenoverse 3 as a continuation of the series’ legacy, but with a deliberate pivot into unexplored territory. The game is set during Age 1000, and West City is described as “the vibrant heart” of this new world—bustling, futuristic, and central to the story players will experience.
The core hook is your role in the Great Saiyan Squad. You’ll be “guided into the ranks” of the squad and fight alongside both familiar and new allies as events begin to unfold in West City. That’s a notable framing shift: rather than leaning immediately on the Time Patrol premise that defined Xenoverse and Xenoverse 2, the pitch here is about being embedded in a new team within a new era.
Bandai Namco’s official synopsis also leans hard into player identity and discovery: “Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 continues the series’ legacy with a completely new Dragon Ball experience, where players choose the hero they want to become in an unexplored Dragon Ball world brought to life by the original author, Akira Toriyama.” That line does a lot of heavy lifting—especially the emphasis on an “unexplored” world and Toriyama’s involvement in shaping it.
It’s also now confirmed that Dimps is developing Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3, keeping the series in the hands of the studio that built its combat-and-progression DNA in the first place. That continuity matters. Xenoverse lives and dies on feel—movement, hit feedback, skill synergy, and the grind loop—and Dimps has already proven it can support that kind of game for the long haul.
The Reveal Trailer: New Faces, Familiar Icons, and a Super Hero Cameo
The reveal trailer is a mix of traditional animation and in-engine cutscenes, and while it doesn’t spill much about systems or structure, it does establish tone and cast teases.
One of the standout moments is the introduction of a cheerful new protagonist exploring a lively futuristic city. The character’s exact identity isn’t formally confirmed, but the trailer frames them as the kind of customizable “hero” Xenoverse is known for—someone who can step into the spotlight rather than just orbit Goku and Vegeta forever.
Visually, the trailer also plays with superhero imagery: the protagonist wears an outfit reminiscent of Gohan’s childhood look, then shifts into a crime-fighting uniform that evokes the Great Saiyaman vibe. That’s not subtle, and it’s not accidental. If Xenoverse 3 is leaning into the Great Saiyan Squad concept, the Great Saiyaman aesthetic is basically the franchise’s most iconic “organized hero” branding.
The trailer also features a meeting with the white-haired youth from the original Age 1000 teaser, connecting the dots for anyone who’s been tracking the project since it was just a codename.
As for familiar faces, the trailer includes Bulma, Gamma 2 from Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, and a glimpse of Piccolo. That Gamma 2 appearance is particularly interesting because it signals Xenoverse 3 isn’t walling itself off into a purely “future-original” sandbox—it’s still willing to pull from modern Dragon Ball staples, at least in terms of character presence. Whether that means playable roster, story involvement, or just cameo energy hasn’t been clarified yet.
One more notable detail: at least one moment appears to show what looks like in-game footage, but the trailer doesn’t settle into an extended gameplay showcase. This is a “vibes and premise” reveal, not a systems breakdown.
Release Platforms and Window: 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC
Here’s what’s locked in:
- Release window: 2027
- Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam)
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Developer: Dimps
- Setting: Age 1000, centered on West City
- Player role: joining the Great Saiyan Squad
No pricing has been announced, and there’s no specific date beyond the 2027 window. Bandai Namco has said more news is coming “in the coming months,” which likely means this reveal is the start of a longer marketing runway rather than a near-term launch beat.
Also worth noting: no Nintendo platform has been announced for Xenoverse 3 at this time. That’s not a statement about what will or won’t happen later—just the current reality of the announcement.
Why This Matters: Xenoverse Has Been Quietly Carrying Dragon Ball Games for a Decade
It’s easy to forget, in the era of flashy arena fighters and headline DLC drops, just how much Xenoverse 2 has endured. It’s been supported for nearly ten years, and Battle Hour 2026 even confirmed Future Saga Chapter 4 as the game’s final DLC, arriving in Summer 2026. That’s the end of an era—one that kept a huge portion of the Dragon Ball gaming community engaged through character builds, raids, PvE missions, and the never-ending chase for the next overpowered skill.
The timing is important. Bandai Namco isn’t just announcing Xenoverse 3 because it’s “time.” It’s announcing it as Xenoverse 2 approaches its final content chapter. That’s a clean handoff: close the book on the old live-service-like pipeline, then push the community toward a new platform built for current-gen hardware.
And honestly? Xenoverse needed this. Not because Xenoverse 2 is bad—because it’s old. Ten years of updates can’t fully hide the seams of an aging foundation. A true sequel is the chance to modernize everything the series does well: character creation, build variety, co-op structure, and the “Dragon Ball as a playground” fantasy.
The most tantalizing part is the setting. Age 1000 and West City suggest a future-forward Dragon Ball that isn’t automatically chained to retelling the same arcs. If Bandai Namco and Dimps commit to that premise, Xenoverse 3 could finally deliver what fans have wanted for years: a Dragon Ball game that feels like it has its own narrative gravity, not just a museum of “remember this moment?”
Battle Hour 2026 Was a Full-Court Press: Sparking! Zero, FighterZ, and Xenoverse 2 All Got Big Beats
Xenoverse 3 may have been the biggest reveal, but Battle Hour 2026 was designed to make Dragon Ball fans feel like the franchise is firing on every cylinder.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero gets Super Limit Breaking NEO this summer
Bandai Namco and Spike Chunsoft are bringing a major paid expansion to Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero in Summer 2026: Super Limit Breaking NEO.
What’s in it?
- Over 30 additional fighters
- More than 20 customization options (costumes and skills)
- Four new stages (including Kami’s Palace and the pink Kame House)
- A new solo mode: Limit Breaker Journey, built around branching scenarios, fights, events, training, rewards, and progression that can carry into online play
- A free update arriving alongside the DLC that reworks the battle system to be faster and more brutal, adding mechanics like Chain Blasts (assist-style ally involvement) and a Sparking! Boost bar for buffs
Specific characters named for the expansion include Super 17, Bardock (Super Saiyan), Champa, Vegeta (GT), and more—plus some deep cuts like General Blue and Mighty Mask. The messaging around the roster is pointed, too: this drop is positioned as a response to players wanting more variety.
Dragon Ball FighterZ adds Goku (SS4, Daima) on April 22
Dragon Ball FighterZ is getting a new DLC character: Goku (Super Saiyan 4, Daima), launching April 22 on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Bandai Namco’s breakdown highlights a new move, Wild Dash, which can branch into four techniques:
- Double Combination
- Raging Strike
- Power Swing
- Quick Move
The Battle Hour weekend also delivered a moment that reminded everyone why FighterZ still owns a special place in the community: a GO1 vs SonicFox invitational match that opened with an absurdly precise Vegeta mirror—both players matching each other frame-for-frame long enough that the crowd compared it to an actual anime fight. GO1 ultimately won the rematch, but the real takeaway was the spectacle: even years later, FighterZ can still generate that “you had to be there” electricity.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 ends its long run with Future Saga Chapter 4 in Summer 2026
The final DLC for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is officially Future Saga Chapter 4, launching in Summer 2026 across Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Bandai Namco is framing it as a dramatic closing chapter—“the last patrol begins,” with a climactic final battle and “god-level power.” It’s a fitting sendoff for a game that’s been a constant presence for nearly a decade, and it also sets the stage for Xenoverse 3 to inherit the mantle.
What Remains Unknown
Even with a trailer and a clear 2027 window, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is still mostly a promise. Here are the big unanswered questions that will define whether this sequel is a true leap forward or simply Xenoverse 2 with a new coat of paint:
- Gameplay details haven’t been confirmed, including combat changes, traversal, mission structure, or whether core systems like raids and parallel quests are returning.
- Character creation specifics are unknown, including available races, customization depth, and how progression will work.
- Roster size and playable characters haven’t been announced, beyond trailer appearances like Bulma, Gamma 2, and Piccolo.
- Online features are unconfirmed, including co-op scale, PvP modes, cross-play, and how progression carries across modes.
- Pricing and editions haven’t been announced.
- A firm release date hasn’t been provided beyond the 2027 window.
- Additional platforms (including Nintendo systems) have not been announced.
For now, the headline is simple and massive: Xenoverse is back, the Age 1000 mystery is solved, and Dragon Ball’s most enduring modern game sub-series is finally getting the sequel fans have been waiting nearly a decade to see. The next step is the one that matters most—showing how Xenoverse 3 actually plays, and whether West City is just a pretty backdrop or the foundation of a genuinely new Dragon Ball era.
