10 Rarest Dragon Ball Games Worth Their Weight in Gold

It’s challenging to imagine another anime as prolific and well-loved as Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball. In fact, I’d wager that it’s difficult to find anyone who hasn’t at least heard of the franchise, especially since the television show is broadcast in at least 80 different countries in various languages. The franchise has spanned nearly 40 years and includes various animated shows, television specials, video games, and more. For many people, their first introduction to the Dragon Ball series was via one of the many video games they probably played at a cousin’s house during a party once as a kid and couldn’t stop thinking about it. Now, the question is, which one of those games is the rarest Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z game out there?

Fortunately, we’ve compiled a list of the rarest and most valuable games. There’s a good chance you probably have some of these collecting dust on a shelf! For context, we will use the Complete in Box and New prices for the games as featured on PriceCharting for accuracy.

Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team (2010)

Used $99 | New $146

To start things off, we have Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team for the PlayStation Portable. This game was the first Budokai Tenkaichi game to be released after the initial trilogy on the PlayStation 2. It faithfully recreates much of the same gameplay while also bringing in a whole new set of fans who didn’t have the home console. The game also introduces the concept of tag team gameplay to the series.

Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team is so desirable among fans because more and more are holding on to their copies. The trilogy is considered the best of all Dragon Ball games, and so to honor the late Akira Toriyama, fans have decided to keep their Dragon Ball games as a memory. Put that together with the fact that PSP games are simply no longer made, and you’ve got one expensive Dragon Ball collectible.

Dragon Ball Z Infinite World (2008)

Used $93 | New $206

Many Dragon Ball fans would consider Dragon Ball Z Infinite World to be a shovelware game: a title that will be massively sold at a low quality. Despite that, many fans still felt that the game was a copy of Budokai Tenkaichi 3. The fans who also bought it might not have realized that it would be the final Dragon Ball game to be released on the PS2.

Now, this particular game is so valuable because it was released almost as a ‘goodbye’ to the console as the PlayStation 3 was making its rounds. By the time this game was released, the PS3 was already out and had a Dragon Ball game of its own, titled Burst Limit. Infinite World was released to appease those fans with a PS2 but not a PS3 or an Xbox 360, considering those were the only consoles for which the former was available.

Dragon Ball Z Trilogy (2008)

Used $171 | New $225

I feel that the Dragon Ball Z Trilogy needs a bit of an explanation because, despite it being called a trilogy, it does not include Budokai Tenkaichi 3. However, there are three games included. The games included are Dragon Ball Z Tenkaichi Budokai, Tenkaichi Budokai 2, and Super Dragon Ball Z. Between all three of these titles, players can enjoy more than 100 different characters.

The Trilogy is considered to be so rare for the same reason as Tenkaichi Tag Team: more and more fans are holding onto their copies. After Akira Toriyama’s death, many fans decided to hold onto their Tenkaichi Budokai. As a result, many of the games from within that series have gone on to be incredibly valuable.

Dragon Ball Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (2006)

Used $54 | New $235

The second installment in the Dragon Ball Budokai Tenkaichi games brought many new characters to the gaming roster for the first time. The entire roster included 70 total characters alongside all of the available alternate forms up to that point in the anime.

Now, the primary reason why it’s so valuable is quite literally because of its successor, Budokai Tenkaichi 3. Because that one is so hard to find, players who had the second just decided to hold on to their copies to have at least one part of the legendary trilogy. Another factor when it comes to the price is that fans arguably find the story within the second game to be the best of the three.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 [Collector’s Edition] (2016)

Used $125 | New $260

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is among the greatest modern-day Dragon Ball games, giving players a chance to play as themselves essentially. Similar to the first game, players are able to create their character and choose their race. However, players also have a much bigger role in the story this time. If you’d rather not go through the story right away, there are plenty of race-based quests, minigames, and more to play.

The collector’s edition for the game is much more valuable than the regular edition because, well, it’s the collector’s edition. It has a steel book, soundtrack, an art book, and a 13-inch Goku figure by Bandai Namco. The figure itself offers an immense amount of detail, almost making the difference between the regular version and the collector’s feel worth it. Typically, collector’s editions can only be pre-ordered, making this rather difficult to find in the wild.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot [Collector’s Edition] (2019)

Used $206 | New $275

The collector’s edition of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is even more highly sought after than the one for Xenoverse 2. The game allows players to relive Goku’s story by actually experiencing it through the world of the popular anime. You’ll fish, eat, train, and fight as Goku and other characters.

What makes the collector’s edition of this game so interesting and valuable is the statue that comes within it. It is a diorama of Goku and Gohan on a Nimbus while soaring through the sky, a dinosaur kindly walking beside them. This edition also comes with an art book and a steel book, but many would agree that they’d buy the collector’s edition of Kakarot for the statue alone.

Dragon Ball Z Buu’s Fury (2004)

Used $164 | New $379

Oh, look — the first GameBoy Advance game on this list. Dragon Ball Z Buu’s Fury is the final game in the Legacy of Goku series, also for the GameBoy Advance. The game takes place in the latter parts of the anime including battles with Majin Buu. The game added many new features to the game franchise, including fusions and being able to transform into Super Saiyan 3.

Buu’s Fury is so rare because back in 2016, developer Webfoot Technologies announced that they were starting the development of a fourth game. Despite the fact that it’s been nearly a decade since this announcement, fans have been holding on to their copies in hopes of one day completing their collection. All a fan can do is hope.

Dragon Ball Z The Legacy of Goku 1 & 2 (2002 $& 2003)

Used $259 | New $443

The first two games in the Legacy of Goku series are also on this list! The first game lets players play as Goku from the beginning of Dragon Ball Z’s story all the way to Namek’s destruction. The second game picks up where the first left off story-wise and allows players access to Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, Trunks, and Goku.

Just like Buu’s Fury, fans are holding onto their copies in hopes of completing their Legacy of Goku collection. Webfoot Technologies has not announced a fourth game since 2016, so I think it’s unlikely we’ll be getting one. However, I’ve been proven wrong before. The rarity of this version is also due to the first game being among the first on the GameBoy Advance to have full-motion cutscene videos.

Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 [Bonus Disc Bundle] (2007)

Used $188.99 | New $454.00

Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is arguably the best Dragon Ball fighting game. It features 98 characters and 161 different forms. Besides having a ton of characters, other features included online multiplayer for Wii players, Ultimate Battle and Ultimate Battle Z modes for PS2 players, and a ton of new character combos.

Of course, this game is highly sought after because it’s the final game from the Budokai Tenkaichi series released before Sparking!Zero. It also needs to be noted that it isn’t the regular edition of the game that is so valuable, it’s the one that comes with the Bonus Disc. The Bonus Disc just includes ten fan-picked clips of the best fights from the anime up to that point. Having both the game and the disc just makes it more valuable.

Dragon Ball Advanced Adventure (2004)

Used $361.33 | New $472.50

Lastly, Dragon Ball Advanced Adventure is the most valuable and rare Dragon Ball game you can find. It’s a 2D side-scrolling beat ’em up for the GameBoy Advance that allows you to choose from a roster of 30 different characters in One-on-One mode. It also contains most of the story arcs in the Dragon Ball anime, making it especially fun for fans of the first series.

Advanced Adventure is considered valuable because many fans think it’s the most overlooked of all the games released. So, fans who did manage to have the game when it was initially available just decided to hold onto their copies. With time—and its limited availability when it did launch because of the popularity of other Dragon Ball Z game releases — the GameBoy Advance game found its way to the top of collector’s lists.