As part of this morning’s Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase, Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO was announced for a 14 November 2025 release on both Nintendo Switch and Switch 2:
As with the previously-released console editions, the Switch family pre-order bonus includes early unlocks for three versions each of Gogeta and Broli from the 2018 theatrical film, as well as access to Goku (Mini) from Dragon Ball Daima. The “Standard” ($59.99), “Deluxe” ($89.99), and “Ultimate” ($99.99) editions of the game also likewise mirror the previous console releases in terms of respective DLC access and unlocks.
The Nintendo Switch edition of the game can be upgraded to a Switch 2 edition of the game when played on the respective new hardware, which will enhance graphical clarity and other visual elements, as well as carry over game progress and unlocked characters; it will not, however, carry over battle replays, edit data from custom battles, or online battle records. Players of the base Nintendo Switch edition will also not be able to fight locally or online against players on the Switch 2 edition of the game.
While the base Switch edition features the game contents on the physical cartridge, the Switch 2 edition is a “Game-Key Card” (a physical unlock key that provides download access to the game, while requiring the card inserted).
Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO originally released on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (via Steam) 10 October 2024 in Japan, and 11 October 2024 internationally. As opposed to the completely separate Dragon Ball Z (“Budokai”) series developed by Dimps which came before it, the Sparking! series — developed instead by Spike — featured 3D arenas with an over-the-shoulder camera angle. The new game’s title of Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO falls more in line with the original trilogy’s naming scheme in Japanese. The three Sparking! games — the original, NEO, and METEOR — hit the PlayStation 2 over the course of 2005 to 2007, with the Nintendo Wii also receiving ports of the second and third games. The game series was released numerically under the “Budokai Tenkaichi” moniker internationally. A fourth games — Tag Vs. in Japan; Tenkaichi Tag Team internationally — was released on the PlayStation Portable in 2010. Spike (as Spike Chunsoft) later went on to also develop the crossover fighting games J-Stars Victory VS in 2014 and Jump Force in 2019.