Lead: Phantom Blade Zero reviews are in, and S-Game’s kung fu action game is sitting at 88 on Metacritic and 91 on OpenCritic days before its October 29 launch on PlayStation 5 and PC.
What happened
Review embargoes for Phantom Blade Zero lifted over the weekend, with the first critic scores appearing on Metacritic on October 25. As of Monday, October 26, Metacritic lists a Metascore of 88 from 31 critic reviews, with 30 positive and one mixed. OpenCritic shows a Top Critic Average of 91, with 100 percent of critics recommending the game.
Major outlets mostly agree on the strengths. IGN gave it a 9/10, calling it “one of the best action games I’ve played in a long time.” GameSpot scored it 8/10 and VGC gave it four stars, while GamesRadar+ called it a game of the year contender. The lowest major score so far is Eurogamer’s three stars, which Metacritic records as a 60. Polygon published an unscored review.
The criticisms are just as consistent. Several reviewers say the story of Soul, a swordsman with 66 days left to live, is hard to follow or flat. Others flag invisible walls, linear level layouts and some technical rough edges in pre-release code. Eurogamer’s main complaint is pacing: crowd fights feel fluid and expressive, but boss battles slow everything down.
Phantom Blade Zero is developed and published by Chinese studio S-Game and built in Unreal Engine 5. It launches on PS5 and Windows PC on October 29, 2026.
Why the Phantom Blade Zero reviews matter
An 88 puts Phantom Blade Zero among the best-reviewed games of 2026, alongside heavy hitters such as Forza Horizon 6 near the top of Metacritic’s year. More importantly, it backs up years of hype. Ever since S-Game started showing slick combat trailers, the open question has been whether a mid-sized studio could deliver at that level over a full campaign. Most critics say it can, at least where the fighting is concerned.
It also widens the space Black Myth: Wukong opened in 2024. Western audiences have now shown they will buy Chinese-developed, mythology-heavy action games, and Phantom Blade Zero’s “kungfupunk” mix of wuxia swordplay and steam-powered industry gives it a look nothing else on shelves shares. VGC’s reviewer even called it stronger than Wukong.
For our readers, the game’s visual identity is the hook: sharp silhouettes, flowing robes and exaggerated martial arts poses are great reference material if you like drawing action scenes. The weak story may matter less to a player than the way a fight looks mid-swing.
What we know vs what is rumored
- Confirmed: Phantom Blade Zero launches October 29, 2026 on PS5 and PC, and it holds an 88 Metascore and a 91 OpenCritic Top Critic Average as of October 26.
- Confirmed: reviews broadly praise combat, weapons and bosses, while repeatedly criticizing the story and some technical issues.
- Unconfirmed: whether day-one patches fix the pre-launch technical complaints, and how PC performance holds up on release. Aggregate scores will also shift as more reviews arrive.
What happens next
The game releases Wednesday, October 29. Metacritic user reviews are not open yet, so player sentiment is the next number to watch. Watch for any day-one patch notes from S-Game, PC performance testing once the game is widely available, and whether the strong reception carries Phantom Blade Zero into the end-of-year awards conversation.
Sources: Polygon — Phantom Blade Zero Reviews Just Beat Every Soulslike In 2026; Metacritic — Phantom Blade Zero Reviews; OpenCritic — Phantom Blade Zero Reviews; GamesRadar+ — Phantom Blade Zero review; Polygon — Phantom Blade Zero Is the Perfect Martial Arts Game, For Better or Worse