How to improve FPS in Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (PC)
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is Spike Chunsoft's spiritual successor to the Budokai Tenkaichi saga, a 1v1 (or 3v3) arena fighting game built on Unreal Engine 4, where two fighters clash in open, massive stages that get destroyed in real time: mountains that crumble to dust, buildings that collapse, and terrain that deforms with every energy impact. Being a fight with very few simultaneous characters, the engine doesn't need to simulate crowds or complex AI, but it does have to render large-scale transformations (Super Saiyan, Ultra Instinct, fusion forms) that completely change the stage's lighting and ki effects, on top of constantly recalculating destruction across a huge terrain. That combination makes Sparking! Zero markedly GPU-dependent, where energy effects and real-time stage destruction weigh far more than character simulation.
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Calculations based on our FPS model combined with the % gain of each setting (measured in public benchmarks).
1. Quick wins (no visual loss)
Start here. Each one adds a little, but together they give +43% free FPS.
Motion Blur
Motion blur makes it harder to follow the ultra-fast movement across the stage and the combat teleports typical of the saga's style, on top of adding a per-frame post-processing cost that adds nothing to reading the fight.
Shadow Quality
Unreal Engine 4's dynamic shadows are one of the engine's most expensive settings, and on a stage that's being destroyed in real time, shadows have to be constantly recalculated over geometry that changes with every impact.
Destruction/Terrain Detail
Controls the resolution of the fragments the engine generates when destroying mountains, buildings, and the terrain itself, one of Sparking! Zero's most iconic trademarks and also one of the game's biggest GPU load spikes.
Ki/Energy Effects Quality
Energy effects (auras, ki blasts, transformation shockwaves) are extremely particle-dense and pile up fast when both fighters are charging energy at once, which spikes GPU load during the most spectacular moments.
Particle Quality
Complements the ki effects with debris, dust, and impact-spark particles that multiply as the stage gets destroyed while energy is released.
2. Medium impact settings
Here's where most of the FPS is. Minor visual impact, major performance impact.
Texture Quality
The anime-faithful cel-shaded art style means textures already look crisp at High without needing Ultra, which demands more VRAM without a proportional visual advantage given the game's style.
Post-Processing/Bloom
The glow of energy auras and transformation flashes is processed via bloom, a very identifiable effect of the anime style but with a noticeable GPU cost in the busiest energy-heavy scenes.
Anti-Aliasing
Edge smoothing helps the cel-shading look clean, but at its highest level adds a sampling cost that competes with ki effects and stage destruction.
View Distance/Environment Detail
Sparking! Zero's stages are big and open by design to allow high-speed movement, but distant background detail is rarely noticed in the middle of a fight.
3. Upscaling (DLSS / FSR / XeSS)
The biggest gain in the game. Compatible with almost any modern GPU.
AMD FSR
+22% FPSBeing built on Unreal Engine 4, it's the most likely and most compatible scaling technology across any GPU regardless of manufacturer, useful for absorbing the load spikes from transformations and massive stage destruction.
NVIDIA DLSS
+26% FPSIts availability isn't officially confirmed for this title; if the game includes it, it would be especially useful at 1440p/4K to offset the cost of the most intense ki effects, but it's worth checking the graphics menu to confirm in your specific version.
4. Tips by GPU
NVIDIA
- •Use DLSS or the available upscaling in Quality mode if your GPU suffers FPS spikes during large-scale transformations, instead of lowering native resolution.
- •Enable the low-latency mode (Reflex if the game supports it) from the NVIDIA control panel to keep response tight in the fastest melee duels.
- •Keep Game Ready drivers updated, since specific optimizations are usually published shortly after the launch of fighting games built on Unreal Engine 4.
AMD
- •Enable FSR in Quality mode if you notice FPS drops during ultimate combos with heavy stage destruction and accumulated energy effects.
- •Enable Radeon Anti-Lag to keep response tight during the fast exchanges of blows typical of the arena combat.
- •Check that Smart Access Memory (Resizable BAR) is enabled in the BIOS, since it can bring a measurable improvement in scenes with lots of destructible geometry on screen.
Sistema
- •Install the game on an SSD; Unreal Engine 4 benefits from read speed to reduce hitches when loading stages and triggering transformations that change much of the visual assets.
- •Close third-party overlays (Discord, capture software) during matches to minimize micro-stutters in ultimate combos with more stacked effects.
- •Expect an occasional hitch the first time certain transformations or very large destruction stages activate, something common while the engine handles shaders and new assets on the fly.
5. Known game issues
FPS drops in transformations with massive stage destruction
When a character transforms (Super Saiyan, Ultra Instinct, fusions) on a stage that has already been partially destroyed, the engine has to recalculate new lighting, energy auras, and fragmented geometry all at once, which can cause noticeable framerate drops even on rigs that have headroom the rest of the fight.
Load spikes during ultimate combos with many stacked effects
Ultimate combos and special attacks generate a very dense buildup of ki particles, shockwaves, and debris in a very short time, which can translate into occasional micro-stutters, especially on mid-range or lower GPUs.
Stuttering when loading very large stages or changing map phases
Some stages change drastically during a fight (progressive terrain destruction, map phase changes), and loading the new visual assets can cause a brief hitch, common behavior in Unreal Engine 4 games with such high detail levels.
6. Frequently asked questions
What setting gives the most FPS with the least visual loss in Sparking! Zero?▾
Does Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero have DLSS, FSR, or XeSS?▾
Why does the game slow down right during a transformation?▾
Do I need a very powerful GPU to play Sparking! Zero well?▾
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Calculate FPS for Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero →Calculations based on consensus of technical sources and our own FPS model. More about our methodology →