Budokai 5 has a roster of 42 playable characters in recent releases of the game.

Budokai 5 has a roster of 42 playable characters in recent releases of the game.

Goku and the other Z Fighters are back again to save the Universe from the clutches of the fierce Frieza, the clever Cell. Other features the game includes are a versus mode, an items shop, a tournament, and a battle ranking stage where the player has to challenge the AI in a hundred fighter challenge. Moving a spot above after beating who ever is next in the ranking. The fighting mechanics have also been enhanced from the preceding 2 games making the game closer to its anime counterpart in terms of combat

Plays like a typical 3-D fighting game. As well as including the regular punch and kick buttons, there is the ability to shoot Ki blasts, which can also be used in specific special moves. The special moves are mainly taken from individual characters own special moves from the show; including, but not limited to, Goku's Kamehameha, Vegeta's Galick Gun and Frieza's Death Beam

The player moves along in the story, different fights will show up, such as a friendly competition (a fight between Goku and Krillin) or a showdown against evil. Shin Budokai 5 Saiyan Battle mode takes the player on a trip to see the events from Fusion Reborn in a totally revamped way; things that were in the movie are different in the game. It starts off with Goku and his friends going out on a camping trip, but they are interrupted when a portal to Earth from Hell is opened, and the dead are being brought back to life. Goku and his friends have to fight their way through, from the plains of Earth to the ruins of Hell.

Making long chain combos similar to the ones from Shin Budokai 5 Saiyan Battle which were more difficult at that time, but blocking was made slightly easier by using the Aura Burst as a canceler. Despite most of the criticism, Shin Budokai's fighting system was deeper than initially expected due to several new indirect mechanics.