Dragon Ball FighterZ open beta and new multiplayer features coming to Switch

Arc System Works’ Dragon Ball FighterZ is making its way to the Nintendo Switch this fall, and today, Bandai Namco announced on Twitter that an open beta test for the game will begin on Aug. 9. New multiplayer features, including two-versus-two, one-versus-one, and offline six-member party match modes will be available upon the official Switch release on Sept. 28.

During the open beta period, players will be able to test out the Arena Match, Ring Match and Ring Party Match modes (which were previously available on other consoles) in addition to the Practice Battle Tutorial Mode on the Switch. 23 characters will be available during the beta period, which will run from Aug. 9 at 9 p.m. PDT to Aug. 11 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. Players can currently download the open beta on the Nintendo eShop for pre-load before the official release.

Nintendo first announced that the title would be coming to Switch during its 2018 E3 Press Conference. Similar to the console and PC versions of the game that were released last January, Dragon Ball FighterZ for Switch will include a wide cast of characters from the Dragon Ball universe. Controller-wise, players will be able to choose between various options, including a single Joy-Con or Pro Controller if they’re looking to get competitive. The game’s classic three-versus-three matches will still be available on Switch in addition to the newly announced multiplayer features. We’ve reached out for clarification as to whether these features will be available during the beta period.

In addition, Bandai Namco is incentivizing users to pre-order the game before its Switch release with a downloadable copy of Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden. Super Butoden is another Dragon Ball fighting game that was originally released for Super Famicon in 1993 and covers material from the original Dragon Ball series and Dragon Ball Z. As another bonus, players can beef up their Goku and Vegeta-heavy rosters from the get-go — pre-orders also come with early access to SSGSS Goku and Vegeta.

Dragon Ball FighterZ has been well-received since its release in January, going on to become the most popular game at the Evolution Championship Series 2018. While the game certainly caters to fans of the franchise, that doesn’t mean it’s inaccessible to outsiders — there’s plenty to offer for non-fans and, as we wrote in our review, a story mode that will allow novice players to ease into gameplay. In addition, new players can always refer back to our beginner’s guide.

Update (Aug. 3): Bandai Namco revealed additional details regarding the open beta period including time frame, available modes and pre-loading prior to the official release. This post has been updated with that information.