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Few franchises can claim to be as universally beloved as Dragon Ball, so it's always a landmark occasion when a new saga rolls around. Dragon Ball Super is on hiatus after creator Akira Toriyama passed away in 2024, and its anime adaptation will continue with The Galactic Patrol series, but next month a select few will have a chance to play Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 early.
The third installment in Dimps Corporation and Bandai Namco's arena fighting series doesn't yet have a concrete release date—only a window of 2027—but already has a playable demo on the horizon. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is part of the lineup that publisher Bandai Namco is bringing to the showroom floor at Gamescom 2026. Taking place from August 26 to August 30 in Cologne, Germany, this may be one of the only opportunities that European Dragon Ball fans have to try Xenoverse 3 before its release.
Bandai Namco's Gamescom booth will be in Hall 6, and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 will be joined there by The Blood of Dawnwalker and Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, two of the publisher's other most anticipated upcoming games. Xenoverse 3's Gamescom appearance comes in the middle of a widespread showcase of its demo across the United States, being dubbed the game's "Road Tour." Xenoverse 3 is also playable at San Diego Comic-Con July 23–26, and will subsequently travel to California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota. (See the Xenoverse 3 Road Tour's full schedule here.)
Gamescom will be the first time that Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is playable in Europe, the first time Ace Combat 8 is playable, period, and the first publicly available play sessios for The Blood of Dawnwalker. The demo for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 appears to be the same one that is currently making its way around the United States, letting players experience a fairly early section of the game as either a female Earthling or male Saiyan character, though the full game's character customization has been disabled.
Xenoverse 3 is structurally similar to its predecessors, being an open-world RPG, but takes place in Age 1000, a new futuristic setting for Dragon Ball created by Toriyama. Your custom main character joins the Great Saiyan Squad, a crime-fighting outfit in West City, which appears to be fully explorable in the game. Another half of the game sees you attending West City University, developing relationships with a cast of classmates.
Xenoverse 3 jumping ahead to Age 1000 is a huge new saga for Dragon Ball, and potentially some of the last work ever created for the franchise by Toriyama. It could set the stage for more Age 1000 stories to follow, and the setting also helps keep the series fresh. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 seems to have a lot of potential, and European fans can get their first chance at trying it out when the demo comes to Gamescom on August 26.
