Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 Developers Explain the Move to AGE 1000
The developers are framing the sequel's new era as a deliberate break from the original-world premise that carried Xenoverse 2 past 10 million units, with Toriyama consulted on the direction.
Key Facts
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is set for release in 2027.
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 recorded sales exceeding 10 million units.
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is set in the future era AGE 1000, and the protagonist belongs to the GS (Great Saiyaman) Squad.
- Co-op in Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is built around four-player missions, with no six-player mode included at present.
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 adds one-versus-many, many-versus-many, and special-rule battles alongside standard one-on-one combat.
Reporting from 2 sources: Inside, Game Spark.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 will release in 2027. In a joint interview published on October 22 alongside a hands-on demo event, the development team explained why the game is set in the future era AGE 1000. Producer Masayuki Hirano said the team felt it had done all it could with the experience of entering the original Dragon Ball world and fighting there. With Xenoverse 2 having passed 10 million units, the team wanted to show a world no one had seen. Hirano said the direction was decided after consulting Akira Toriyama and the companies involved. The game keeps training and fighting alongside existing characters. Combat situations expand beyond one-on-one to one-versus-many, many-versus-many, and battles with special rules. The protagonist belongs to a team called the GS (Great Saiyaman) Squad. Co-op is built around four-player missions, and the retail version includes fights against large bosses.
Hirano framed the shift as a concept decision: "as the series concept of a 'new Dragon Ball experience,' we wanted to show a world no one had ever seen." The master-student system returns as a basic feature open to every player, with growth choices layered on top.
- Soul Change or Awakening: the player picks which path to pursue.
- Soul Assist, Battle Style, and Equip Abilities: new customization elements that make up a character's strength.
- Assist-free fighting: Hirano says the option to battle without assists is kept, so freedom stays high.
- No unified easy mode: key config and button layout changes are planned, but Hirano says a one-size-fits-all easy operation mode is not being prepared.
- Simple controls: the design lets players fight by approaching the opponent and landing attacks.
- No six-player mode: co-op is built on four-player missions, so the six-player Expert Missions format from Xenoverse 2 is not included at present.
- Post-release updates: Hirano says the team is considering various things including updates after launch.
- Randomized equipment: even gear with the same name gets randomly granted different effects, which Hirano describes as a hack-and-slash-style loop of grinding and selecting for ideal performance.
Mission difficulty settings are being organized so players can challenge content at their own pace, which Hirano ties to the game's large volume.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.