Player reviews: 81% positive13,204 reviews
Runs on: Windows
Price: US$59.99

Where to get it

2026 · S-Game · Action role-playing · Adventure

Phantom Blade Zero

PlayStation console exclusive

Framed for the death of his master and left with a ruined heart, Soul has sixty-six days to live. Alone and hunted by his former comrades, he moves through a world of shifting loyalties and silent blades — determined to unravel the conspiracy that has condemned him.

Released: 29 October 2026
Platforms: PlayStation 5 Windows
Genres: Action role-playing Adventure Beat 'em up Role-playing
Developers: S-Game
Publishers: S-Game
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action Open world
Country: People's Republic of China
Age ratings: ESRB M
Languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish (Mexico) and 3 more

About

Phantom Blade Zero‍ is a wuxia action role-playing game developed and published by the Chinese studio S-Game. The player assumes the role of Soul, an elite assassin serving the Order, who is framed for the murder of the Order's patriarch and hunted by the Order's members. Inflicted with a fatal wound to his heart and revived with a tainted heart, he is left with only a limited number of days to live. Set in the Phantom World, the story is centered on his mission to restore his heart and unravel the conspiracy that condemned him. The game is an entry in the Phantom Blade series.

The game's action was designed based on Chinese martial arts. It involved motion capture performances by martial artists such as Donnie Yen, collaborations with traditional martial arts schools, and inspirations drawn from classic martial arts cinema. The game's style was rooted in kungfupunk, a distinctive take on wuxia fused with unconventional elements from other genres. The game's music was created by using traditional Chinese instruments and blending their sound with modern styles.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Phantom Blade Zero is a wuxia action role-playing game. It is played from a third-person perspective.

The player controls Soul, an elite assassin serving the Order. He can carry two primary weapons and two secondary weapons. Blades are his primary weapons. Phantom edges are his secondary weapons.

Story

Phantom Blade Zero is a game based on wuxia. Soulframe Liang commented that "Broadly speaking, it falls under the category of ARPGs. But more specifically – maybe it could create a new identity that is Wuxia Action Games?" It particularly introduces kungfupunk, as termed by Liang.

This style was conceived with the aim to move beyond the established framework of traditional wuxia and transmit wuxia in a new distinctive way to audiences. It combines traditional kungfu with steampunk and cyberpunk. When asked about the difficulties of introducing culturally unfamiliar themes to Western audiences, Liang acknowledged that while these themes may initially pose challenges, games that deliver high quality and enjoyable experiences can transform these themes into strengths that attract players.

Development

Phantom Blade Zero is a game developed and published by S-Game. The studio is based in Beijing, with a motion capture and animator team in Shanghai, an art team in Hong Kong, and a global publishing team in Los Angeles.

Phantom Blade Zero is an entry in the Phantom Blade series. According to Soulframe Liang, the game represents a return to the story foundations of the first two Rainblood games, the series' origins, and introduces a substantial amount of new content. He presented it as "the spiritual rebirth of the original Rainblood". He elaborated that it follows a new story that departs significantly from what was established in earlier titles (including character relations, character motivations, and other elements), requires no knowledge of prior works, and contains the full content within itself. It was built using Unreal Engine 5.

Reception

Phantom Blade Zero received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. It was recommended by 96% of critics, according to review aggregator OpenCritic.

On the release day, Phantom Blade Zero reached a peak of over 720 thousand concurrent players on Steam.