Phantom Blade Zero was announced years ago at this point, so fan excitement for the game has reached a boiling point. Releasing right after Final Fantasy Resonance as the last major release of October, Phantom Blade Zero reviews are in ahead of launch, and many critics are calling it one of the best action games ever made.
According to Metacritic, Phantom Blade Zero is sitting at a very impressive 88 metascore, making it one of the top-rated games of 2026 on the site. The game’s combat saw particular praise, with its variety of weapons, combos, skills, and engaging bosses receiving a lot of glowing remarks.
The game’s level design, challenges, length, and pacing were also widely praised. Most critics took issue with the game’s story, calling it underbaked and inconsequential, but overall, most reviewers found the game hard to put down despite its story shortcomings.
Phantom Blade Zero is being developed and published by Chinese studio S-Game, which has primarily designed mobile games in the past. Notably, this appears to be another success for Chinese developers breaking into Western video game markets, much like Black Myth: Wukong back in 2024.
The game’s action is described as drawing on Chinese martial arts and follows the story of an assassin named Soul. After being framed for murder in a violent duel, Soul is left with just 66 days to live, and he must set out to find a way to stop it.
In what might be a relief to some fans, Phantom Blade Zero is not a Soulslike and is a more traditional action role-playing game, and it does feature multiple difficulty options.
Phantom Blade Zero releases on October 29, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and PC.