The 10 Best Anime Games on PS5 Worth Playing in 2026

Most anime games on PS5 are bad. Not “average” bad — bad in that specific way where a licensed arena fighter launches with twelve characters, one shallow story mode, and a season pass that costs more than the game. I’ve bought enough of them to know.

This list is the opposite: the ten anime games on PlayStation 5 that are actually worth your time in 2026. Every release date below is the real one, every game is available on PS5 right now, and I’ll tell you straight which ones to skip — including the ones I’d normally be polite about.

One note before we start: the newest thing on this list is barely three weeks old. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero got its biggest expansion yet — Super Limit-Breaking NEO — on July 30, 2026, so that entry is written fresh.

1. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero — The One to Buy

Released: October 11, 2024 · Developer: Spike Chunsoft · Publisher: Bandai Namco

This is the Budokai Tenkaichi sequel people waited almost twenty years for, and for once the wait paid off. The roster is enormous — 180+ characters at launch, and yes, that includes deep cuts like Super Garlic Jr. The combat is pure Tenkaichi: fast 3D movement, beam clashes, giant characters that feel giant, and stages you can actually destroy.

The 2026 part: on July 30, 2026, the Super Limit-Breaking NEO expansion dropped on PS5, adding 33 more fighters (Super Saiyan Bardock, Demon King Piccolo, Uub, Super Android 17 and more from across Dragon Ball, Z, Super and GT), four new stages, and a genuinely new solo mode called Limit Breaker Journey where you train one character across a map of fights, gambling stamina for growth. The free update that came with it adds two new battle mechanics — Sparking! Boost and Chain Blast — so even base-game owners get something.

Skip it if: you want a traditional 2D fighter. This is a celebration of Dragon Ball, not a tournament game. Everybody else: this is the anime game of the generation.

2. Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 — The Prettiest One

Released: August 5, 2025 (worldwide) · Publisher: Aniplex / Sega

CyberConnect2’s Demon Slayer games are the closest a licensed fighter has come to looking like the anime it’s based on. The water breathing effects, the way Tanjiro’s movements snap, the Hashira’s techniques — it’s a visual flex from start to finish. The sequel picks up where the first game stopped, covering the Swordsmith Village and Hashira Training arcs with 40+ characters, and it launched right alongside the Infinity Castle movie’s western release, which was smart timing on their part.

The story mode is a retread if you already watched the show, but honestly? You don’t buy this for the story. You buy it to chain Hinokami Kagura combos in 60fps.

Skip it if: you already played the first Hinokami Chronicles. A chunk of the roster and story carries over the same beats, and the improvements — while real — won’t feel like a full-price jump. New to the series? Then no, this is the one.

3. Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact — The Sleeper Hit

Released: July 17, 2025 (North America) · Developer: Eighting · Publisher: Arc System Works / Bushiroad

Yes, Hunter x Hunter got a fighting game in 2025, and yes, that’s still funny when the manga has been on hiatus longer than some of its players have been alive. Nen x Impact is a 3v3 tag fighter from Eighting — the studio behind the underrated Naruto Clash of Ninja games — and it plays exactly how you’d hope: simple controls, flashy assist combos, and Nen abilities that actually feel like the show (Hisoka’s Bungee Gum is as annoying as it should be).

The roster is the honest catch: it launched small and grew through DLC. If you want a deep single-player campaign, this isn’t it. If you want a quick, chaotic fighter to play with friends, it over-delivers.

Skip it if: you play alone and want a story mode. There’s barely one. This is a couch-multiplayer game wearing a full-price suit — buy it on sale and you’ll feel great about it.

4. Bleach: Rebirth of Souls — The Comeback

Released: March 21, 2025 · Developer: Tamsoft · Publisher: Bandai Namco

Bleach got its first console game in over a decade with Rebirth of Souls, and it covers the arcs people actually care about — from Ichigo becoming a Substitute Soul Reaper through the Arrancar saga. The hook is the Reverse Fate system: instead of a plain health bar, you whittle down an opponent’s Reishi to land a decisive blow that can literally rewrite how the fight ends. It’s dramatic in a way that fits Bleach perfectly, where every fight is about who refuses to fall first.

Thirty-plus characters, a proper story mode, and the Thousand-Year Blood War aesthetic sprinkled on top. It’s not the most technical fighter, but it’s the most Bleach thing Bandai Namco has put out.

Skip it if: you wanted the TYBW arc covered — it isn’t. This is classic Bleach territory. For everyone nostalgic for the Arrancar days, this is an easy yes.

5. Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections — The Greatest Hits

Released: November 17, 2023 · Developer: CyberConnect2 · Publisher: Bandai Namco

Storm Connections is the “we put everything in one box” Naruto game: 130+ characters, story content spanning the original series through Boruto, and a new original story thread. It’s also the best-looking the Storm series has ever been on PS5, and the 60fps makes a bigger difference than you’d think for a series that started at a shaky 30.

Is it a new game? Only half. Is it the definitive Naruto package? Absolutely — and if you’re only going to own one Naruto game, this is the one, no contest.

Skip it if: you own Storm 4 and don’t care about the Boruto additions or the new story. The core combat is familiar territory. For first-timers, though, this is the best entry point in the series.

6. Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash — The Honest “Only for Fans” Pick

Released: February 2, 2024 · Developer: Byking · Publisher: Bandai Namco

I’m putting this on the list because JJK deserves better than being ignored, but I’m not going to lie to you: Cursed Clash launched rough. It’s a 2v2 arena brawler covering the first season and the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 movie, and when the cursed techniques click — Gojo’s Hollow Purple in a tag combo, Megumi’s shikigami covering your escape — it genuinely feels like the show. The problem is everything around those moments: shallow modes, uneven presentation, and a roster that should have been bigger.

It’s improved with patches, and the “Hidden Inventory” DLC added real story content. As of 2026 it’s frequently discounted to half price, and at that price it’s a good time.

Skip it if: you’re not already a JJK fan. There’s nothing here that converts skeptics. Fans, wait for a sale and enjoy the 2v2 chaos for what it is.

7. Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream — The Multiplayer One

Released: October 3, 2024 (consoles) / October 4, 2024 (PC) · Developer: Dimps · Publisher: Bandai Namco

The boldest SAO game in years: a co-op action RPG where up to 20 players raid together inside a glitched version of Alfheim Online, with characters pulled from across the entire SAO timeline — 21 playable at launch, including game-original faces. Cross-platform play included, which is still rare for anime games.

The story mode is thin — this is a game built around grinding co-op quests and raid bosses with people. If that’s your thing, nothing else on this list offers it. If you’re a solo player, the novelty wears off in a weekend.

Skip it if: you want a story-first SAO game. Hollow Realization and Fatal Bullet do that better, and they’re old enough to be cheap. Buy Fractured Daydream only if you have friends who’ll actually play it with you — that’s not a joke, that’s the review.

8. One Piece Odyssey — The RPG

Released: January 13, 2023 · Developer: ILCA · Publisher: Bandai Namco

The only turn-based JRPG on this list, and the only one with an original story written with Eiichiro Oda’s input. The Straw Hats get scattered across a mysterious island, and the game replays big arcs — Alabasta, Water Seven, Marineford — through memory worlds that twist what you remember. The combat is Dragon Quest-style, the soundtrack is by Motoi Sakuraba, and the whole thing has a warm, unhurried pace that no other One Piece game has ever managed.

It’s also, honestly, too easy and too slow for its own good. The first ten hours are tutorial-ish, and if you’re not charmed by the character writing, the combat won’t save it.

Skip it if: you don’t like slow JRPGs — this is One Piece as a vacation, not a raid. If that sounds lovely, buy it; it’s usually discounted well under $30 now and it’s easily 40+ hours of comfort food.

9. One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 — The Musou

Released: March 27, 2020 · Developer: Omega Force · Publisher: Bandai Namco

Six years old and still the best One Piece action game, which says more about how good it is than about the competition. Omega Force’s musou formula fits One Piece perfectly — thousands of marines on screen, Gear Fourth tearing through a battlefield like a weather event, and a character roster that grew well past 50 with DLC covering Wano and beyond. The “titan” mechanic where giant characters like Big Mom and Kaido actually tower over the map is the single best idea in any One Piece game.

Skip it if: you’re allergic to the “one versus one thousand” genre. Musou games are repetitive by design; this one just happens to be the best-looking repetition in the franchise.

10. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R — The Stylish One

Released: September 2, 2022 · Developer: CyberConnect2 · Publisher: Bandai Namco

The remaster of the 2013 cult classic, with 50+ characters spanning Parts 1 through 8, and it’s still the only fighting game where stopping time, summoning a ghost punch, and dramatically posing are all core mechanics. It nails the JoJo energy harder than any adaptation outside the anime — the sound design alone (muda muda muda echoing through a combo) is worth the price.

It’s not a tournament-grade fighter and the online had a rough launch, but rollback netcode patches made it playable, and as a love letter to JoJo it’s untouchable.

Skip it if: you’ve never seen JoJo’s. Half the roster means nothing to you, and the references are the point. Fans of the series should already own it.

Honorable Mentions (One Line Each)

• Fairy Tail 2 (December 13, 2024) — the Alvarez Empire arc as a proper RPG, if you can forgive its low-budget feel.
• Spy x Anya: Operation Memories (June 28, 2024) — a cozy minigame collection; adorable with a kid, thin for anyone else.
• My Hero One’s Justice 2 (2020) — MHA’s arena fighter, still the best the series has on PS5.

The Quick Comparison

Which One Should You Actually Buy?

If you’re buying one game from this list in 2026: Sparking! Zero, especially with Super Limit-Breaking NEO out now — it’s the most content, the most polish, and the most fun per dollar. If you want a story: Bleach: Rebirth of Souls or One Piece Odyssey depending on which show you love more. If you want a game to play with people on the couch: Nen x Impact. And if you just want to watch something instead — that’s what the best anime fights of all time are for, or any show from anime with the best animation.

FAQ

Is Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero worth it in 2026?

Yes — more than at launch. The Super Limit-Breaking NEO expansion (July 30, 2026) added 33 characters, a new solo mode, and free combat mechanics for everyone, so the game is bigger now than ever.

Which anime game has the biggest roster?

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero with 180+ characters at launch, now over 210 after DLC. Naruto x Boruto: Storm Connections is second with 130+.

Are these games on PS4 too?

Several are: Hinokami Chronicles 2, Naruto Storm Connections, Cursed Clash, Rebirth of Souls, JoJo ASBR, Odyssey and Pirate Warriors 4 all have PS4 versions. Sparking! Zero, Nen x Impact and Fractured Daydream are PS5-only among this list.

Which one is best for a kid?

Hinokami Chronicles 2 or Naruto Storm Connections — simple controls, flashy and fun, and the story modes do the explaining for you.