Lead: Bandai Namco’s new Dragon Ball Sparking Zero roadmap runs through 2027 and finally puts cross-play on the schedule, as a beta test after summer 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam players.
What happened
Bandai Namco revealed the 2026 to 2027 plan for Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO around New York Comic Con, timed to the game’s second anniversary this week. The official roadmap splits into two tracks, because the Switch versions are running behind the other platforms.
On PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam:
- Fall 2026: a Legendary Warrior Face-off event featuring Gogeta (Super).
- Winter 2026: Tower of Power (Solo) as a free update.
- Spring 2027: free Tower of Power (Team-up), Mission 100 SP, and Survival Mode SP.
- After summer 2027: a free cross-play beta test, plus one paid DLC playable character.
On Switch and Switch 2:
- Fall 2026: a Legendary Warrior Face-off event featuring Frieza (Super).
- Spring 2027: free Mission 100 and Survival Mode updates, plus the paid Super Limit-Breaking NEO DLC.
- After summer 2027: Tower of Power in both Solo and Team-up versions, Mission 100 SP, and Survival Mode SP, all free.
Tower of Power is the headline new mode. Players climb through increasingly tough fights against stronger enemies, and finishing the tower unlocks customization items for your Ki Aura.
The roadmap’s fine print says cross-play will be tested “in a limited capacity” during the beta, that it covers only PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam, and that all content is subject to change. Siliconera’s article lists the beta as after summer 2027 in its main text but gives summer 2026 in its closing line. The official roadmap image says 2027, so that is the date we are going with.
Why the Dragon Ball Sparking Zero roadmap matters
Cross-play is the request fighting game communities never stop making, and a two-year-old game with players split across three ecosystems really needs it. Even a limited beta should mean faster matchmaking and less of the ghost-town feeling that sets in when a game’s second year ends. The timing does sting a little, since the beta will not arrive until the game is close to its third anniversary.
The Switch track says even more. Super Limit-Breaking NEO, the near-expansion that added more than 30 characters, the Limit Breaker Journey mode, and four new stages, hit other platforms on July 30, 2026. Nintendo players now wait until spring 2027, and the roadmap shows no cross-play for Switch at all. For Switch 2 owners who bought in expecting parity, that gap is the real story.
The paid playable character is still a mystery, which leaves plenty of room for speculation about where the roster goes next. If the Gogeta event has you sketching Saiyans, our guide on how to draw Son Goku’s face is a solid place to start.
What we know vs what is rumored
- Confirmed: A cross-play beta test for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam after summer 2027, per Bandai Namco’s official roadmap.
- Confirmed: Tower of Power arrives in winter 2026 on PS5, Xbox, and PC, and after summer 2027 on Switch and Switch 2.
- Confirmed: Super Limit-Breaking NEO DLC comes to Switch and Switch 2 in spring 2027.
- Unconfirmed: The identity and price of the paid DLC character, exact dates for each update, and when full cross-play (not just a beta) will launch.
- Unconfirmed: Whether Switch versions will ever join cross-play. The current roadmap excludes them.
What happens next
The Gogeta and Frieza Legendary Warrior Face-off events are next, both scheduled for fall 2026, followed by Tower of Power on PS5, Xbox, and Steam this winter. Bandai Namco says more details on cross-play will come later, so expect beta sign-up or test dates closer to summer 2027.
Sources: Siliconera — Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Cross-Play Beta on Update and DLC Roadmap; Nintendo Life — Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO Announces Cross-Play In New Road Map; Siliconera — Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Super Limit-Breaking Neo DLC Debut Dated