Phantom Blade Zero is almost here, and the early verdict from critics is hard to ignore: S-GAME’s martial-arts action game is landing with some of the strongest scores of the year. Before you hit buy, though, there are a few practical things worth knowing, from the storage it demands to the one review that disagrees with everyone else.
What the reviews say
At the time of writing, Metacritic shows a score of 88 across 31 critic reviews for both the PS5 and PC versions, with 30 of those reviews positive and one mixed. OpenCritic is a little warmer, with a top critic average of 91 from 27 critics and a 100% recommendation rate.
The praise is consistent. Reviewers single out the combat, the boss fights, the variety of weapons and the art direction. The complaints are just as consistent: level design that critics describe as linear, limited room to explore, and a story that Push Square found confusing because of its frequent flashbacks. Scores will move as more reviews arrive, so treat these numbers as a snapshot.
The outlier is Eurogamer, which gave the game a 60 and wrote that balance and quality issues dim its shine. That is a long way from the 9s handed out by outlets such as Push Square and TheSixthAxis, which is a good reminder that this is an action game with strong opinions about how you should play it.
Price, editions and the date confusion
On Steam, the standard edition is listed at $59.99 and the Digital Deluxe Edition at $69.99. The store page also mentions pre-purchase extras, including an accessory that boosts a drop rate and a Legacy outfit, and says both can be earned through normal progression. If you are only after cosmetics, that is worth reading before you pay extra.
The release date looks inconsistent at first. Steam says October 28, while Metacritic lists October 29. The likely explanation is time zones: third-party launch guides put the global unlock at 2:00 AM UTC on October 29, which is the evening of October 28 across the Americas. That unlock time comes from those guides rather than from the studio, so rely on the countdown on your own store page.
PC requirements and file size
Steam lists Windows 10 or 11, 16 GB of RAM and a required SSD. The minimum spec is an Intel Core i7-8700K or Ryzen 5 3600 with a GTX 1660 6 GB or RX 5500 XT 8 GB, aimed at 1080p and 30 fps with upscaling. The recommended spec is a Core i5-10600K or Ryzen 5 5600X with an RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6700 XT, aimed at 1440p and 60 fps with upscaling. Both tiers list ray tracing as off.
The install is large. Outlets including MP1st report about 145 GB on PC, and PlayStation listing data cited by Games.gg suggests around 135 GB on PS5, though S-GAME has not published its own PS5 figure. Several guides also advise leaving roughly 300 GB free on the drive while preloading and unlocking, dropping back to the install size afterwards. If your SSD is already crowded, our look at how much space GTA 6 needs is a useful reminder of how quickly big installs add up.
One more thing PC players should know: the Steam page notes that the game uses Denuvo anti-tamper DRM, and reviewers have mentioned some PC bugs and performance issues. On PS5 Pro, GameWatcher’s roundup reports occasional frame rate dips during boss fights.
Should you buy it now or wait?
If you love tight, parry-heavy action and can live with a linear structure, the reviews say you are in for something special. If you want an open world or a clear story, the same reviews suggest waiting for patches and player impressions. After a month of heavy releases such as the Modern Warfare 4 launch, a smaller, more focused game may be exactly what your backlog needs.
Bottom Line
Phantom Blade Zero looks like a confident, combat-first action game with a high ceiling and a few clear weaknesses. Check your free storage, decide whether the Deluxe Edition’s extras matter to you, and remember that a handful of reviewers found real flaws beneath the polish.
FAQ
When does Phantom Blade Zero come out?
Steam lists October 28, 2026, while Metacritic lists October 29 for PS5 and PC. Third-party guides say the global unlock is 2:00 AM UTC on October 29, which is the evening of October 28 in the Americas.
How much does Phantom Blade Zero cost?
Steam lists the standard edition at $59.99 and the Digital Deluxe Edition at $69.99.
How much storage do I need?
Reports put the PC install at about 145 GB and the PS5 version at roughly 135 GB, and PC guides suggest keeping around 300 GB free during preload and unlock. An SSD is required on PC.
Featured image: Photo by User_Pascal on Unsplash. Inline image: Photo by Emmanuel M on Unsplash. Both used under the Unsplash License; neither shows the game itself.
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