Phantom Blade Zero's review embargo lifted on October 26, three days ahead of its launch. S-Game's wuxia action-RPG is set to release worldwide on October 29, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and PC, and the first wave of critic scores is already in.
Metacritic lists the game at 88 on both PC and PS5, while OpenCritic has it at 91 based on early reviews. IGN gave it a 9 out of 10. Gamingonix's own review, handled separately by our reviews desk, will follow once our copy of the game is fully played through.
Launch time and preload
S-Game confirmed exact unlock times in the description of its official launch trailer, posted October 22. The game goes live worldwide at 2:00 AM UTC on October 29, which lands at 10:00 PM ET and 7:00 PM PT on October 28 for players in North America.
Preloading opened October 26 for both PS5 and PC. The PS5 download sits at roughly 135 GB, so players who haven't started downloading yet should expect that to take a while depending on connection speed.
Still no Xbox version
Phantom Blade Zero remains PS5 and PC only at launch — Steam and Epic Games Store on the PC side. There is no Xbox Series X|S release, and none has been announced. The PS5 version carries a 12-month timed console exclusivity deal, which means any Xbox port, if one happens at all, can't legally arrive before October 2027. S-Game has said in the past that it hasn't ruled out additional platforms down the line, but nothing beyond PS5 and PC has been confirmed.
How it got here
The game was originally scheduled for September 9, 2026. S-Game pushed it back 50 days to October 29 in June, citing extra time to polish character models, environments, and the overall day-one experience rather than leaning entirely on ray tracing to carry the visuals. That delay also moved the game out of September's crowded release slate and ahead of GTA 6's own launch window by several weeks.
What's confirmed about editions
The Standard Edition is priced at $59.99, with a $69.99 Digital Deluxe Edition that adds cosmetic outfits, a digital art book, and the soundtrack. Pre-order bonuses — a Treasure Basin accessory and a Legacy outfit — are also unlockable later through normal play, so skipping pre-orders doesn't permanently lock players out of either item.
What's next
With preload already underway and review copies out in the wild, the remaining open question is less about the game itself and more about scale: how a day-one 135 GB install and a worldwide unlock spread across time zones holds up under launch-day server and storefront traffic. Gamingonix will follow up after release with platform-specific notes on performance and any day-one patches.
Emma covers gaming news and industry announcements for Gamingonix, reporting on releases, reveals and the stories moving fast.
