Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is putting much greater emphasis on character customization, with new systems that let your created fighter borrow abilities, combat styles, and even forms inspired by established Dragon Ball characters.
The game is scheduled to launch in 2027 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.
A Gamescom 2026 demonstration focused mainly on a single player battle against Broly, but Bandai Namco also presented several of the new progression and customization systems planned for the full release.
| Detail | Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 |
|---|---|
| Release window | 2027 |
| Platforms | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S |
| Core focus | Character customization and combat |
| New system | Souls |
| Transformation feature | Soul Switch |
| Character specific movement | Fighting Styles |
| Race based ability | Awoken Skill |
| Demo boss | Broly |
The Soul System Is Central to Character Customization
The new Soul system is one of the biggest additions to Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3.
It allows created characters to interact more closely with famous Dragon Ball fighters and bring some of their abilities into battle.
Soul Assist provides offensive and supportive effects, while Soul Switch allows the player's custom fighter to temporarily transform into established characters such as Goku or Vegeta.
This gives the game a way to preserve the importance of its custom character system while still letting players directly use familiar Dragon Ball heroes during combat.
The system appears designed to make each build feel more personal rather than relying only on traditional stat changes.
Fighting Styles Replicate Iconic Characters
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is also adding Fighting Styles.
These styles reproduce the movements and combat behavior of specific Dragon Ball characters, allowing a custom fighter to battle in a way that more closely resembles a favorite hero or villain.
That should provide more variation than simply equipping signature attacks.
Instead of changing only individual abilities, Fighting Styles can affect the broader way a character moves and fights.
Combined with Soul Switch and other customization systems, this could make it easier to create fighters based around a particular character fantasy without abandoning the player's own avatar.
Gear Can Change More Than Basic Stats
Equipment will also have a stronger effect on gameplay.
Gear abilities are not limited to simple increases in attributes.
Some pieces can provide more noticeable mechanical changes, such as extending the range of long distance attacks.
This gives equipment another role in shaping combat builds.
The combination of gear abilities, Fighting Styles, Souls, and race specific Awoken Skills could produce a much wider range of character setups than in earlier Xenoverse games.
Awoken Skills Still Depend on Your Character's Race
Awoken Skills return as powerful transformation abilities.
The exact effect changes according to the race of the created character.
During the Gamescom demo, the playable character was a Saiyan and could transform into a Super Saiyan during the fight.
This remains one of the main ways Xenoverse 3 connects custom characters with familiar Dragon Ball transformations.
The new systems appear intended to build around that foundation rather than replace it.
Gamescom Demo Focused on Broly
The playable demonstration did not include the full customization systems shown during Bandai Namco's presentation.
Instead, players used a prepared character in a single mission that involved fighting several enemies before facing Broly.
The basic controls remain familiar to anyone who played Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2.
That continuity should make the sequel approachable for returning players even though the surrounding progression systems are becoming more complex.
The supplied hands on impressions also suggest combat remains designed around delivering the exaggerated power fantasy expected from Dragon Ball rather than radically changing the series' underlying structure.
Xenoverse 3 Arrives After Years of Support for Its Predecessor
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 received support for nearly a decade, making the wait for a full sequel unusually long.
Rather than simply updating the roster and presentation, Xenoverse 3 appears to be using that gap to significantly expand the ways players can define their custom fighter.
The Soul system, Fighting Styles, gameplay altering gear, race dependent Awoken Skills, and familiar core controls are currently the clearest parts of that approach.
Bandai Namco has not announced a precise 2027 release date, so more details about the full roster, story structure, online systems, and the limits of character customization are still expected before launch.
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