Best Dragon Ball Games for Playing as a Saiyan

The best Dragon Ball games for playing as a Saiyan are Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot for a story-focused journey as Goku and his allies, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 for creating your own Saiyan, and Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero for large, cinematic battles with familiar Saiyan characters. Which one suits you depends on whether you want role-playing progression, a custom character, or fast arena combat.

What Playing as a Saiyan Can Mean

Dragon Ball games use “playing as a Saiyan” in two different ways. Some let you control established characters such as Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, or Broly. Others let you build a custom Saiyan and develop that character through missions, equipment, abilities, and transformations. A game can do one well without doing the other.

It is also worth separating a Saiyan-themed game from a Saiyan-exclusive one. Most major Dragon Ball titles include humans, Namekians, villains, and other fighters in their rosters. If you mainly want the series’ story, a fixed cast is not a drawback; if you want a personal avatar whose race and growth matter, character creation is the deciding feature.

Best for a Story: Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot retells the main events of Dragon Ball Z as an action role-playing game. You primarily follow Goku, but the playable cast also includes characters such as Gohan, Vegeta, and Piccolo at different points. Exploration, side activities, training, and battles sit between major story scenes, making it a strong choice if you want to experience the Saiyan Saga through the Buu Saga rather than jump straight into versus matches.

Its appeal is the connection between story and progression: characters gain levels and skills, and combat uses recognizable energy attacks and transformations. It does not let you create a Saiyan avatar or freely choose any fighter for every story encounter. The experience is structured around the narrative, so it is less suitable if your priority is a custom build or competitive-style matchups.

• Choose it for: a long, story-led retelling and familiar Saiyan characters.
• Know before buying: it is an action RPG, not a freeform character-creation game.

Best for a Custom Saiyan: Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is the clearest pick if you want to make your own Saiyan. At the start, you create a Time Patroller and choose a race, including Saiyan. You then take part in missions that revisit and alter moments from the Dragon Ball timeline. Character creation, skill choices, gear, and training give the game a persistent role-playing structure.

That custom-character focus is its main distinction from Kakarot or a traditional fighting game. Your Saiyan is not simply a costume over Goku: the avatar has their own development and can learn techniques. Saiyans can also use race-associated transformations, though the exact options and progression depend on the game’s systems and updates. The game has received substantial additional content over time, so check the edition and included downloadable content before purchasing; availability and bundles vary by platform and region.

Combat is built around missions and arena-style encounters rather than a seamless retelling of the entire series. Its hub, parallel missions, and character-building systems can keep a player busy, but the menus and progression may feel more involved than a straightforward fighting game.

Best for Big Roster Battles: Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a 3D arena fighter designed around dramatic clashes and a broad roster of Dragon Ball characters. It is a good fit when “playing as a Saiyan” means selecting Goku, Vegeta, or another established fighter and using their signature moves in direct battles. Transformations and character-specific techniques help give the fights their series flavor.

Unlike Xenoverse 2, it is not centered on building a persistent custom Saiyan. Its appeal is the range of fighters and matchups, alongside story and battle modes. Arena combat also differs from a conventional 2D fighting game: movement and positioning take place in a larger 3D space. Players seeking a deep avatar-creation campaign should look elsewhere, while fans of a large character roster may prefer it to a role-playing adventure.

Other Strong Saiyan Options

Several older or differently styled games are worth considering, especially if you want a particular format or can play them on your available hardware:

• Dragon Ball FighterZ: a 2D team fighting game with a distinctive roster that includes many Saiyan characters. It emphasizes learning team combinations and fighting-game techniques, not exploration or custom-character progression.
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3: a classic arena fighter with a large cast and many familiar forms. It is associated with older platforms, so compatibility and legitimate availability are important considerations.
• Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot downloadable content: some add-ons extend its playable stories or characters. Check the specific content description rather than assuming every DLC pack adds a Saiyan campaign.

Availability, editions, and downloadable content can change by storefront and platform. Before choosing an older entry, confirm that it runs on the system you own and that the version includes the modes or content you want.

How to Choose the Right Game

Start with the kind of Saiyan experience you want, not just the character list. These games overlap in franchise and spectacle, but their central activities differ:

• Want to follow the anime’s major story beats? Start with Kakarot.
• Want to create and train your own Saiyan? Pick Xenoverse 2.
• Want cinematic 3D duels and a broad roster? Look at Sparking! Zero.
• Want technical, team-based 2D fighting? Consider FighterZ.

Also check your preferred platform, whether you want solo play or online matches, and the game’s edition. Online features and player populations can differ across systems. A large roster does not necessarily mean a game offers a long solo campaign, and a story-focused game does not necessarily provide unrestricted character selection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Dragon Ball game lets you create a Saiyan?
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 lets you create a custom character and choose Saiyan as the race. You develop that avatar through its missions and progression systems.

Can you play as Vegeta in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot?
Yes. Vegeta is playable during parts of the game, alongside other characters. However, the story is structured around particular characters and events, so you cannot freely select Vegeta for every encounter.

Is Sparking! Zero a role-playing game?
No. It is primarily a 3D arena fighting game. It offers battle and story-related modes, but its core appeal is selecting fighters and battling rather than building a custom character through an RPG campaign.

Which game is best for a beginner?
For a guided story, Kakarot is a natural starting point. For a custom Saiyan, try Xenoverse 2, while players new to fighting games should expect to learn the controls and combat systems in either arena or 2D fighters.

Do these games include every Saiyan transformation?
No single game includes every form or version from the franchise. Playable characters, transformations, and additional content differ by title, edition, and updates, so check the current roster and product details before buying.

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