What do the Phantom Blade Zero reviews say?
The review embargo has lifted and aggregate scores are public. Checked October 27, 2026, the hard numbers were a Metacritic score of 88 from 33 critic reviews and an OpenCritic average of 91 from 27. Aggregates move as more outlets publish, so treat them as a snapshot rather than a settled verdict.
Reviews converge on the same strengths: stamina-free parry-and-counter combat, multi-phase bosses with a checkpoint between phases, roughly 30 main weapons alongside more than 20 Phantom Edges, fully refundable weapon upgrades, and interconnected regions that reward exploration. The recurring criticisms are repetitive regular enemies, a story that splits reviewers, and uneven PS5 frame-rate performance.
This is a summary of published critic reviews, not our own testing. Every figure above belongs to the outlets and aggregators linked on this page.
Platform notes that repeat across reviews: PC performance is reported as smooth on suitable hardware, base PS5 reportedly holds 60 fps in Performance mode with drops in some boss fights and rainy areas, and Steam Deck performance is widely reported as below the stated targets, so handheld buyers may want to wait.
Source: Output Lag · Review roundup, scores checked October 26 ↗
When does the Phantom Blade Zero preload start?
S-GAME published the PC install details days before launch. The game itself takes about 145 GB once installed, but the pre-download needs far more room: preloaded files stay encrypted until unlock, so temporary files and the full game data coexist on the drive. The practical recommendation is to keep about 300 GB free during the preload window; the surplus returns after installation finishes.
Preloading opened on October 27 alongside PS5, and the publisher asks for an SSD installation. Some regional notes advise avoiding the system drive so background writes do not fight the game for bandwidth. If the download fails on space, clearing room and restarting the download is the documented remedy.
The same announcement lists ray tracing and path tracing tiers above the standard profiles, and supports DLSS 4.5 super resolution and multi-frame generation on PC at launch. Update your graphics driver before playing: NVIDIA owners are pointed to a game-ready release, AMD owners to the latest Adrenalin driver.
Source: MP1st · Preload size and final PC requirements, October 26 ↗
October 27 · First PC technical tests
With the game live, the first technical analyses are published. They report the PC version as one of the better-optimised Unreal Engine 5 releases, list the tested build as Unreal Engine 5.7.4, note Denuvo anti-tamper, and confirm DLSS, FSR and XeSS support alongside ray tracing and path tracing.
The recurring practical advice: install the latest GPU driver, set resolution and a frame-rate cap before touching upscaling quality, disable motion blur if you use frame generation, and expect the lighting toggle to require a return to the main menu. We are reporting other outlets’ testing, not running our own.
Source: MP1st · Preload size and final PC requirements, October 26 ↗
Source: Output Lag · Review roundup, scores checked October 26 ↗
August 17 · Gameplay deep dive
In an official PlayStation Blog article, S-GAME founder Soulframe Liang introduced more of the Wulin, side quests that may open story paths, more than 30 main weapons and 25 secondary weapons called Phantom Edges. The article also describes weapon upgrades and reforging, plus the Wayfarer, Hellwalker and Sixty-Six Days difficulty modes.
This is the developer’s description, not an independent review or a complete mechanics guide. See the confirmed difficulty and accessibility details and our gameplay overview.
August 12 · Pre-orders open
S-GAME announced pre-orders for PS5, Steam and the Epic Games Store, alongside an extended trailer. For players deciding where to buy, the useful next step is to follow the official storefront links and compare what each edition includes.
August 12 · PC requirements published
The studio published standard and advanced-lighting PC profiles. The key detail for reading their performance targets is that upscaling is enabled; do not silently turn those numbers into native-resolution expectations.
June 2 · A new release date
The creative director’s letter announced a move from September 9 to October 29, 2026. If you encounter the old date in a trailer or saved article, this later announcement is the relevant correction.
How this record is maintained
We prioritize announcements that affect when you can play, what you need or what you are buying. The date in an entry is the announcement date. Sources on this page were rechecked October 27, 2026.
We do not update the verification date automatically when a page is rebuilt. A newly generated page is not the same thing as newly checked information. Rumors and media previews do not become official announcements by appearing in multiple articles.
For newer announcements, start with S-GAME’s official website. Read more about our editorial approach.
Go to the source
Checked October 13, 2026. Information can change after this date.