After 16 years, a Mario Kart-style Dragon Ball game once considered lost media is back and playable thanks to an archived version from fans

Dragon Ball in order: Goku, Bulma and Yamcha in the anime, Dragon Ball. — (Image credit: Toei Animation)

Thanks to a recent fan archive, you can now play the Japan-exclusive, mobile-only 2009 Dragon Ball racing game which for many years was considered lost media.

I think the biggest curiosity about Dragon Ball Racing is the fact that it is so obscure. Sure, it never released outside of Japan, and yes, it was reportedly only released on Japanese FOMA 903i phones, but c'mon, this was an official, Mario Kart-style Dragon Ball racing game apparently developed and published by Bandai Namco. And yet, the only information I can dig up is from blogs and fan sites. Truly a ghost of a video game.

And yet, here it is, thanks to game preservationist RockmanCosmo (H/T Golden Portable). After some fiddling, not to mention like four different downloads and a lot of Google translating, I managed to get Dragon Ball Racing running on my PC via Keitai Archive, and I had a good time, if only for the novelty of seeing Goku lob Kamehameha waves at Frieza from an orange go-kart while bumping into Piccolo and Bulma on either side of him.

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It's worth noting that only the trial version of the game has been archived, so you're limited to playing as Goku on what appears to be a map based on the Kame House from the manga and anime series. Still, if you consider yourself even a mild Dragon Ball fan, you owe it to yourself to experience this oddly elusive time capsule for just a few minutes.

Or, start a brand new adventure with our guide on how to watch the entire Dragon Ball series in order.

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.