Phantom Blade Zero and everything we know before launch

Everything we know ahead of the October 29 release

Phantom Blade Zero has been on the radar since 2023, and the wait is nearly over. S-GAME's wuxia action RPG launches on October 29, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and PC. With pre-orders open and the PC requirements published, here's what is confirmed and what is still unknown.

Story and setting

The player character is Soul, an elite assassin who once served an organization called The Order. When its patriarch is murdered and Soul takes the blame, he sets out to uncover the conspiracy behind it, knowing he has only 66 days left. That clock gives the hardest difficulty mode its name.

S-GAME calls the setting "Kungfupunk", a blend of traditional martial arts, steampunk machinery and body modification, with weapons inspired by Chinese folklore. It takes place in the martial world of Wulin, the same world as S-GAME's earlier Phantom Blade and Rainblood series. Martial arts star Donnie Yen is a creative consultant and also plays the character Mó Yuan through motion and facial capture, according to the PlayStation Blog.

The campaign is estimated at 20 to 30 hours. The world is split into eight interconnected, handcrafted regions, and it's neither fully open nor linear. Side quests can change the main narrative, and eight endings depend on how you explore, which quests you finish and which items you collect.

How the combat works

The recent State of Play gameplay video showed that everything in Phantom Blade Zero runs on Sha-Chi, one shared resource that acts as stamina, posture and skill meter for you and every enemy. Blocks and heavy attacks drain it, and if it runs dry, you break, exactly like an enemy would. Soul carries two primary weapons (Blades) and two secondary ones (Phantom Edges), chosen from more than 30 Blades and 25 Phantom Edges. Swapping your primary weapon mid-fight restores Sha-Chi, though the swap has a cooldown.

Enemy attacks are color-coded. Brutal Moves drain a lot of Sha-Chi if you block them, and Killer Moves can't be blocked or parried. Parry the first or dodge the second at the last moment and you trigger a Ghoststep, which puts Soul behind the enemy for a counter. The four difficulty modes are Wayfarer, Pathbreaker, Hellwalker and 66 Days.

Can your PC run it?

The published requirements assume upscaling is on.

Both need 16 GB of RAM, an SSD, DirectX 12 and Windows 10 or 11. Ray tracing at 1080p / 60 FPS calls for an RTX 5060, and path tracing at 2160p / 60 FPS for an RTX 5080. DLSS 4.5 with Multi Frame Generation is confirmed, and the game uses Denuvo. Our take: the minimum spec is forgiving, while 4K path tracing is a high-end ask.

Release date

The game launches on PS5 and PC the same day, with PC copies on Steam and the Epic Games Store. It was originally dated September 9 and pushed back roughly 50 days, with S-GAME saying it preferred shipping the strongest version on day one over leaning on patches. Pre-orders get the Treasure Basin accessory and Legacy outfit early, though both can be earned through play, and there is no early access to the game itself.

Multiple reports claim PS5 has a 12-month timed console exclusivity, which would put any Xbox version no earlier than late 2027. S-GAME hasn't announced an Xbox version or commented on the rumor.

Phantom Blade Zero now has a launch date, a price and a clear picture of how its story and combat fit together. What’s left to learn is the install size, whether upscaling goes beyond DLSS, and if the console exclusivity rumor turns out to be true. Until S-GAME says more, October 29 is the date to circle. Soul has 66 days to clear his name, but you don’t need that long to find a good deal. Visit our website and pick up Phantom Blade Zero at the best price before October 29.