Phantom Blade Zero is out, and critics love it. S-GAME's wuxia action RPG sits at 88 on Metacritic (PC) and a 92 Top Critic Average on OpenCritic, where 100% of critics recommend it. Several outlets already call it a Game of the Year contender.
This is a review roundup: we gathered what the main critics said, the scores, and what it means for PC players, with our own notes on performance based on the official requirements. FpsGen has not given the game its own score.
Phantom Blade Zero review scores
| Score | |
|---|---|
| Metacritic (PC) | 88 (35 reviews, 32 positive) |
| Metacritic (PS5) | 89 (30 reviews) |
| OpenCritic | 92 Top Critic Average, 100% recommend |
Scores at the time of writing, October 29, 2026. They move as more reviews come in.
Scores from major outlets
| Outlet | Score |
|---|---|
| PlayStation Universe | 10/10 |
| Wccftech | 10/10 |
| DualShockers | 9.5/10 |
| CGMagazine | 9.5/10 |
| IGN (PC) | 9/10, Editors' Choice |
| Push Square (PS5) | 9/10 |
| GameRant | 9/10 |
| GamingBolt | 9/10 |
| TheSixthAxis | 9/10 |
| Noisy Pixel | 8.5/10 |
| GameSpot | 8/10 |
| VGC | 4/5 |
| Eurogamer (PC) | 3/5 |
The range goes from a perfect 10 to Eurogamer's 3 out of 5, the lowest major score so far.
What critics loved
The combat
This is the one thing every review agrees on. IGN calls it one of the best action games in a long time, and Eurogamer, even with its lower score, describes "wonderfully fluid, cinematic kung fu combat". Fights are fast and acrobatic, with parries, dodges and counters to red, blue and flashing attacks, and a gauge to break before you can finish an enemy.
The bosses and weapons
Boss fights come up in almost every review as the highlight. Critics also praise the size of the arsenal: S-GAME promises more than 30 main weapons and over 20 Phantom Edges taken from fallen enemies, so there is a lot to experiment with.
The world and art direction
The "kungfupunk" world, mixing ancient China with steampunk machines, gets strong praise for its look, its enemies and its atmosphere.
What critics did not like
The story
The most common complaint. IGN says the plot plays it safe, GameSpot found it hard to follow, VGC found the characters bland, and Eurogamer calls the story unremarkable, with too many lore dumps. You play as Soul, framed for the murder of his master and left with 66 days to live, but the writing is not why people are recommending the game.
Difficulty balance
GameSpot found normal enemies too easy and some bosses so hard that it dropped to a lower difficulty, calling it "a wildly unbalanced swing". Eurogamer also points to balance issues.
Levels and navigation
Several reviews call the levels linear, with invisible walls (IGN, PlayStation Universe) and a map that can be confusing, with backtracking and few markers.
Technical polish
Some critics mention bugs and frame-rate drops. A patch before launch fixed part of them, but not all. On PS5 Pro, one review reported frame-rate problems even with ray tracing off. Others saw a mostly steady 60 FPS, with slowdowns in boss fights.
How does Phantom Blade Zero run on PC?
Reviews do not agree yet. One PC review called performance disappointing, another said it runs beautifully even on mid-range hardware, and one more described it as relatively smooth. Results seem to depend a lot on your hardware.
What we know for sure from the official specs:
- Minimum: GTX 1660 or RX 5500 XT, 16 GB of RAM, for 1080p at 30 FPS with upscaling.
- Recommended: RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6700 XT, for 1440p at 60 FPS with upscaling.
- An SSD is required, and the game uses Denuvo.
In a game where every fight is decided by a parry, a stable 60 FPS matters more than maximum settings. See the full details and our graphics card tiers in Phantom Blade Zero PC system requirements, then use our best PC settings for Phantom Blade Zero to get there.
Not sure your PC is ready? Check it in seconds:
Pick your hardware and we compare it with the official Phantom Blade Zero requirements.
Official Phantom Blade Zero PC requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10/11 (64-bit) | Windows 10/11 (64-bit) |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-8700K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600 | Intel Core i5-10600K / AMD Ryzen 5 5600X |
| RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB (DirectX 12) | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB / AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB (DirectX 12) |
| Storage | SSD required (size not listed yet) | SSD required (size not listed yet) |
Source: official Phantom Blade Zero website. Results are estimates based on relative hardware performance.
You can also see the FPS your graphics card should get in the FPS Estimator, or run the Bottleneck Calculator if you think your processor holds you back.
How long is Phantom Blade Zero?
The director has pointed to 25 to 30 hours for the main game. IGN played about 50 hours on the hardest difficulty, with side content.
Should you buy Phantom Blade Zero?
Yes, if:
- You love action games where combat comes first: Sekiro, Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry or Stellar Blade.
- You enjoy hard boss fights and learning enemy patterns.
- Your PC is at or above the recommended specs, or you are fine using upscaling.
Maybe wait, if:
- Story is the main reason you play.
- You hate linear levels and backtracking.
- Your PC is near the minimum: wait for the first patches and for more PC performance reports.
Price and platforms
| Release date | October 28, 2026 (7 PM PT), October 29 in Europe and Asia |
| Platforms | PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PS5 |
| Price | $59.99, Digital Deluxe Edition $69.99 |
| Developer and publisher | S-GAME |
Buy it on the official Phantom Blade Zero Steam page. More about the game on our Phantom Blade Zero hub.
FAQ
Is Phantom Blade Zero good?
Critics think so: 88 on Metacritic, 92 on OpenCritic and 100% of critics recommend it. The combat and bosses are the highlights, the story is the weak point.
What is Phantom Blade Zero's Metacritic score?
88 on PC and 89 on PS5, at the time of writing.
Is Phantom Blade Zero hard?
Bosses are hard and some reviews find the difficulty unbalanced, with easy normal enemies and much harder bosses. You can lower the difficulty.
How long does it take to beat Phantom Blade Zero?
About 25 to 30 hours for the main game, according to the director, and much more if you do side content on a high difficulty.
Does Phantom Blade Zero run well on PC?
It depends on your hardware. Reviews are mixed. Check our requirements guide and the checker above before you buy.
More Phantom Blade Zero on FpsGen
- Phantom Blade Zero PC system requirements
- Phantom Blade Zero best PC settings
- Can I run Phantom Blade Zero?
- Phantom Blade Zero game hub
This is a review roundup: FpsGen did not review the game itself and gives no score. Scores from Metacritic and OpenCritic as compiled by GamerFuzion and The Loadout; quotes from the outlets named in the text. Requirements and price from the official Steam page. Last checked October 29, 2026.
Gaming writer at FpsGen. Guides and reviews are built on official sources, patch notes and real player data.
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