Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2 brings the Z-Fighters back for another trip through the timeline, and this time the game leans harder on its multiplayer hook than its single-player campaign. The result is a mixed bag that rewards players willing to grind for gear and ignore the weak story thread.
The Timeline Twist
The premise is simple: a mysterious entity named Towa has changed history, and the Time Patrol sends agents to fix the damage. Players pick a custom character and join forces with Bulma, Trunks and other familiar faces to stop Towa before she alters the course of Dragon Ball history.
The timeline mechanic is the game’s biggest selling point. Missions let you jump between key events in the series, from the early days of Goku to the final battle against Majin Buu. This lets the game lean on established lore without building entirely new content from scratch. It’s a clever way to reuse decades of source material.
Multiplayer as the Star
The main draw isn’t the story. It’s the Time Breaker mode, a PvP arena where players face off in ranked matches. This mode runs on a separate server and offers a steady stream of opponents. The ranked system rewards skill, and the matchmaking keeps matches tight.
Time Breaker is where Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2 shows its best design work. The arenas change with each match, and the game’s transformation system means you can switch between different forms mid-fight. It’s fast, chaotic and surprisingly deep once you learn the combos.
Story Missions Fall Short
The single-player campaign is thin. The plot revolves around Towa’s schemes, but the writing doesn’t do much with the characters beyond letting them repeat lines about protecting the timeline. Side quests pad out the length, but they mostly ask you to grind for experience and currency.
The pacing suffers from repetition. Missions often follow the same pattern: travel to a location, fight waves of enemies, defeat a boss, return to base. The game tries to break this loop with occasional cutscenes, but the animation quality varies widely, and some scenes feel unfinished rather than polished.
Combat That Satisfies
Combat itself is solid. Moves chain together with satisfying animations, and the dodge-and-counter system adds a layer of risk versus reward. Players who master the timing can clear fights quickly, while those who rush in get punished for it.
The transformation system is the highlight. Each fighter carries multiple forms, and switching between them mid-battle changes your attack set and stats. It’s a small addition, but it keeps combat fresh over dozens of hours.
Technical Rough Edges
Performance issues are the game’s biggest problem. On older hardware, frame drops are common during busy battles, and loading times between missions can stretch past a minute. The game asks a lot of its servers, and connection problems occasionally disrupt online matches.
The graphics are competent but dated. Character models look sharp up close but lose detail at range, and the environments rely on recycled assets more than the game admits. None of this breaks the game, but it keeps the presentation from feeling current.
Where It Lands
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2 is at its best when you’re fighting another player online. The single-player campaign is a minor inconvenience, and the technical rough edges keep it from greatness. It’s a game built for the crowd that wants to show off their skills, not for the crowd that wants a deep story.
The game succeeds because it understands what Dragon Ball fans want most: a chance to play as their favorite fighters, to collect gear and to compete against others. The story is just a vehicle for that.
Key Facts Box
– Title: Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2
– Platforms: Stadia, Series X|S, PS4, PC
– Genre: Action RPG
– Score: 7.3/10
Ranked Order of Game Modes
1. Time Breaker (PvP) — the strongest mode
2. Story missions — the weakest mode
3. Transformation system — the most distinctive feature
4. Side quests — the most repetitive feature
What Works
– Time Breaker PvP
– Transformation system
– Customizable agent
What Falls Short
– Weak story
– Dated graphics
– Performance issues
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2 is a game you’ll enjoy in short bursts and forget about the rest of the time. It’s a solid, if uneven, entry in the franchise. Score: 7.3 of 10.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
