You’ve been waiting fifteen years. We all have. The Budokai Tenkaichi series basically defined an entire era of couch co-op for Dragon Ball fans, and when Bandai Namco finally dropped Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, the hype was actually suffocating. People were ready to see if their UI Goku could beat a friend’s Broly from across the country. But then the reality hit: the Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO cross platform situation is a massive headache.
It’s missing.
If you bought it on PS5 and your best friend is on Steam, you are currently out of luck. There is no bridge. No shared lobbies. No way to prove who the better Saiyan is unless you both own the exact same piece of plastic or silicon. It’s frustrating because, in 2026, we sort of just expect games to let us play with whoever, whenever.
Why Sparking! ZERO Cross Platform Isn't a Thing (Yet)
Jun Furutani, the game’s producer, has been pretty upfront about this in various interviews leading up to and following the launch. The team focused heavily on the mechanics. They wanted the "vibe" of the old PS2 games but with modern fidelity. That meant prioritizing 165+ characters and making sure the destruction physics didn’t melt your console. Adding cross-play into that mix is a networking nightmare.
Honestly, it feels like a missed opportunity. Look at Street Fighter 6 or Tekken 8. Those games launched with robust cross-play because the fighting game community demanded it. For a game as massive as Sparking! ZERO, the lack of it feels like a step backward, even if the gameplay itself is incredible.
The Technical Hurdles Most People Ignore
Building a game for cross-play isn't just a "toggle" you flip in the settings. You have to sync up the frame data between a high-end PC and a console. In a game like this, where characters move at light speed and the environment is constantly shattering, keeping both players in total sync is hard. If a rock breaks on my screen but not yours, the hitboxes get weird.
Then you have the platform holders. Sony, Microsoft, and Valve all have different rules for how their networks talk to each other. Bandai Namco has to navigate those legal and technical waters. It’s a lot of bureaucracy for a developer that was clearly more focused on making sure Dragon Fist looked as cool as possible.
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Is Cross-Progression at Least a Thing?
Nope.
If you’re thinking about starting on Xbox and moving to PC later, keep in mind your save data is locked to that ecosystem. You’ll have to unlock every single character and clear those brutal "What If" scenarios all over again. It’s a grind. A fun grind, sure, but a grind nonetheless. Most players find this more annoying than the lack of cross-play because it punishes people who own multiple systems.
What the Community is Doing About It
The modding community on PC is already poking around the files. While they can't magically force Sony's servers to talk to Steam's, they are looking for ways to optimize the netcode. The game uses Unreal Engine 5, which does have built-in tools for cross-platform play, leading many to believe that the functionality might be added in a future update.
We’ve seen this before. Games like Dragon Ball FighterZ eventually got rollback netcode years after launch. It’s not impossible that Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO cross platform support arrives in a Season 2 or Season 3 update. But for now? You're stuck in your own backyard.
The Problem With Local Multiplayer Too
Wait, it gets worse. Not only is there no cross-play, but the local split-screen is restricted to just one stage: the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Why? Because the game is so demanding that the consoles can't handle rendering two separate viewpoints of a fully destructible Namek or West City.
This decision sparked a lot of "this isn't my Budokai" sentiment online. If you can't play with friends online across platforms and you can't really play with them on your couch comfortably without staring at the same white void, where does that leave the social aspect of the game? It leaves it in the hands of the single-player content, which, luckily, is actually great.
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Looking Toward the Future of Bandai Namco Titles
We have to look at the track record. Bandai Namco is slowly getting better at this. Tekken 8 was a huge win for them in terms of connectivity. The fact that Sparking! ZERO launched without it suggests a rushed development cycle or a specific engine limitation they couldn't overcome in time for the anniversary window.
If they want this game to have the ten-year lifespan they keep talking about, they have to fix this. A fighting game lives and dies by its player base. Splitting that base into three separate silos (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S) is a recipe for long queue times once the initial "new game" smell wears off.
Actionable Steps for Players Right Now
If you are currently frustrated by the lack of connectivity, here is how you should handle your Sparking! ZERO experience:
- Pick the Platform Where Your Friends Are: Don't buy it on PC if all your buddies are on PS5. There is no "joining later." Make sure you coordinate before dropping the $70.
- Focus on the Episode Battles: Since the online experience is currently segmented, spend your time mastering the "Sparking Episodes." These are the branching paths in the story mode that unlock rare characters and items.
- Voice Your Feedback: Bandai Namco actually listens to their social media metrics. The more people talk about wanting cross-play, the higher it moves up the priority list for the DLC cycles.
- Watch the Roadmaps: Keep a close eye on the official Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour events. That’s usually where they announce major technical overhauls like rollback netcode or cross-platform features.
- Check Your NAT Type: If you are having trouble connecting even to people on your own platform, ensure your console's NAT type is "Open" or "Type 1." This game's netcode is sensitive to even minor interference.
The game is a masterpiece of fan service. It feels like Dragon Ball. It looks like Dragon Ball. But until the Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO cross platform walls come down, it’s going to feel like a lonely experience for a lot of people who just want to fight their friends.