Rollback Netcode Is Coming to Dragon Ball FighterZ

Fortunately, Hiroki said Bandai Namco is planning a way for owners of the PS4 and Xbox One versions to upgrade to the current-gen release once it’s available. There was no mention of rollback netcode support for the Nintendo Switch version of the game. No timetable for rollback netcode or the current-gen release was given.

Rollback netcode is a huge deal for a fighting game’s online viability and longevity. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, rollback netcode is designed to create a nearly lagless online experience for fighting game players. In games with delay-based netcode, players have to deal with a noticeable amount of input delay when playing online. In a fighting game, where every frame of gameplay matters, even the slightest delay can ruin a game’s competitive online scene.

Rollback netcode is as close as online play can get to in-person competition, making virtual tournaments and events competively viable. The Dragon Ball FighterZ community has been asking for rollback netcode for years now. Earlier this year, Bandai Namco postponed the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Championship Finals due to COVID-19. While games with rollback netcode may have been able to transition events like this to the internet, Dragon Ball FighterZ fans just had to wait, as their online gameplay wasn’t suited for a competitive tournament.

Beyond the big rollback netcode reveal, Hiroki said that there are no current plans to add more fighters or balance changes to the game, meaning Dragon Ball FighterZ is essentially content complete.

Dragon Ball FighterZ originally released in 2018 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. A Switch version was later released. In our original review, we said, “Dragon Ball FighterZ is an inviting gateway into the world of fighting games for newcomers — whether you’re a Dragon Ball fan or not.” The game also topped our list of the best anime to video game adaptations.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.