Dead or Alive 3++ was released as a rebalanced version of Dead or Alive 3 for the original Xbox game system. It features various system and character balances from the previous three versions of Dead or Alive 3. Some minor tweaks have been added to the game system in the form of a four-way hold system, unrestricted 3D-axis movement, and less emphasis on the critical stun system. Some attack commands for characters are updated. The tag team system, introduced in the previous game, was also updated. Tag Battle was made available during the game's Time Attack and Survival modes. A new feature called Attack Change was added, allowing the character tagging in to attack while switching in. The Tag Throws command was made a bit easier to activate. By default, the game utilizes the Xbox controller's analog face buttons, making the controls lenient to allow players new to the series to adapt to gameplay, players have the option to turn the analog buttons on or off. As with previous entries in the series, it took advantage of the Xbox system's power to push the range of the graphics and stage sizes farther than Dead or Alive 2.