Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 can’t repeat Xenoverse 2’s mistakes

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 leaves behind quite the legacy in the wake of a sequel announcement during the Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour event this past weekend. The action-RPG fighter has outlived practically every Dragon Ball title that came before it in terms of active support and updates. It’s even set to receive one final DLC this summer.

As one of the most celebrated Dragon Ball games ever made — and one of my personal favorites — it’s going to be hard to let go of this one. Xenoverse 2 offers one of the most extensive Dragon Ball experiences you can find, wrapped in a (relatively) neat package. Whether you want to fight as your favorite characters in split-screen matches or dive into some of the most iconic moments in the manga through its time-spiraling story, there’s a lot to enjoy.

Even after nearly a decade, Xenoverse 2 is still an absolute blast. But that’s not to say it’s perfect. For Xenoverse 3 to really shake things up, it will need to retain the same DNA while advancing key mechanics that now feel severely outdated or in need of tweaking.

Some of the most important elements that need to be carried into Xenoverse 3 are the social hub world of Conton City (albeit on a much larger scale), Parallel Quests (with much less RNG and more dynamic objectives), and the character creation system. The ability to create custom characters is the secret sauce of Xenoverse, but the third game needs to expand on it with additional body types and customizable visual transformations.

While Xenoverse 2 has fun battle combat mechanics, it’s undercut by stiffness and easily exploitable design these days. Nowhere is this more apparent than during stamina breaks, where opponents can lock you into long, often inescapable combos that quickly spiral into a guaranteed loss. Stamina breaks still give me nightmares.

This is why a revamped combat system will be crucial for Xenoverse 3 to truly stand out. After all, battling is the literal foundation of the game. Reducing “cheesy” mechanics, improving hit feedback, and introducing smoother, more expressive combo chains would go a long way toward making battles feel leagues more engaging.

Xenoverse 2 also does a great job of weaving the core storyline of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super into a larger narrative centered on major distortions affecting the timeline. It can feel convoluted at times, but it provides an effective way to drop into key moments from the franchise without disrupting the canon.

However, Xenoverse 3 should take things a step further by focusing on a multiverse catastrophe similar to Super Dragon Ball Heroes, an official non-canon manga featuring tons of characters from across the Dragon Ball tapestry. The game’s narrative should give players some mind-boggling stakes, along with meaningful, player-driven choices that branch into multiple timelines for something truly memorable.

Image: Toei Animation/Bird Studio/Shueisha

Less recap and more original storytelling will go a long way in setting Xenoverse 3 apart, because the last thing it needs is another retread of the same arcs. Several quality-of-life improvements, like cleaner menus, faster navigation, and fewer loading screens, are also needed, but feel fairly obvious.

Xenoverse 3 doesn’t need to start from scratch; it just needs to get the fundamentals right. If it can modernize its combat, expand its customization, and finally push its storytelling forward, it won’t just live up to the legacy of Xenoverse 2. It might reach levels far surpassing it.