Phantom Blade Zero Officially Becomes a $43M Success Before Launch
Phantom Blade Zero launches on October 29, and the game has already made a strong impression before players can experience the full adventure for themselves. S-Game’s upcoming action RPG has seen plenty of hype for its fast-paced swordplay and striking visual style, and new sales figures suggest that the interest is translating into purchases. Alinea Analytics’ Rhys Elliott shared the figures in the latest The Alinea Insight newsletter, tracking digital sales on Steam and PlayStation 5. And with reviews now available, the game heads into launch with both commercial momentum and a strong early critical reception.Phantom Blade Zero Revenue Crosses $40 Million Ahead of Release Credit: S-Game Credit: S-Game Credit: S-Game Credit: S-Game Credit: S-Game Credit: S-Game Alinea Analytics estimates that Phantom Blade Zero had already sold approximately 850,000 digital copies across Steam and PS5 by October 27, generating around $43 million in pre-launch revenue. That puts the game among the top 40 new releases of 2026 by revenue, even before its official launch. Steam accounted for 73.8% of the estimated copies sold, while PS5 contributed 26.2%. The revenue split was just a bit less lopsided, with Steam bringing in 69.2% and PS5 accounting for 30.8%. The difference reportedly comes down partly to regional pricing, since a higher number of sales does not automatically translate into the same share of revenue. The game also picked up more than 80,000 additional sales after its review embargo lifted on October 26, according to Alinea Analytics. With launch day just around the corner, that late surge suggests the reviews have arrived at a useful moment for S-Game’s marketing push. That said, China (which is essentially S-Game’s home market) is a major part of this success story. China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong accounted for an estimated 62.5% of pre-launch copies and 55.1% of revenue. China alone contributed more than 64% of Steam revenue, according to the report. Alinea’s figures do not include sales through China’s WeGame storefront, which could add to the game’s overall total.Ready for Launch After a Strong Critical Reception Soul, the protagonist of this non-soulslike game. | Credit: S-Game The game is also entering release week with encouraging reviews. As of writing, Phantom Blade Zero had an 88 Metascore on Metacritic and an 89 Top Critic Average on OpenCritic. Those scores can change as more reviews arrive, but it is safe to say that the early response has been overwhelmingly positive. The fighting is clearly a major part of the appeal. Phantom Blade Zero draws on Chinese wuxia, pairing rapid swordplay and weapon switching with elaborate boss encounters. Its blend of martial arts, dark fantasy, and mechanical enemies gives the action a distinctive flavor compared to other “samurai” action RPGs, while the game’s more-than-generous weapon selection allows players to keep experimenting with different builds. There are some drawbacks, however. Reviews have raised concerns about the story, which some critics found convoluted, as well as technical issues and performance dips. Those complaints are worth bearing in mind, particularly in a game where combat depends on quick reactions. Phantom Blade Zero arrives on October 29, 2026, for PS5 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. After months of anticipation, players will soon be able to find out whether the finished game lives up to its flashy trailers. Have you already picked the game up, or are you waiting to see how it performs first? Let us know in the comments below!
Phantom Blade Zero launches on October 29, and the game has already made a strong impression before players can experience the full adventure for themselves. S-Game’s upcoming action RPG has seen plenty of hype for its fast-paced swordplay and striking visual style, and new sales figures suggest that the interest is translating into purchases.
Alinea Analytics’ Rhys Elliott shared the figures in the latest The Alinea Insight newsletter, tracking digital sales on Steam and PlayStation 5. And with reviews now available, the game heads into launch with both commercial momentum and a strong early critical reception.
Credit: S-Game 
Credit: S-Game 
Credit: S-Game 
Credit: S-Game 
Credit: S-Game 
Credit: S-Game Alinea Analytics estimates that Phantom Blade Zero had already sold approximately 850,000 digital copies across Steam and PS5 by October 27, generating around $43 million in pre-launch revenue. That puts the game among the top 40 new releases of 2026 by revenue, even before its official launch.
Steam accounted for 73.8% of the estimated copies sold, while PS5 contributed 26.2%. The revenue split was just a bit less lopsided, with Steam bringing in 69.2% and PS5 accounting for 30.8%. The difference reportedly comes down partly to regional pricing, since a higher number of sales does not automatically translate into the same share of revenue.
The game also picked up more than 80,000 additional sales after its review embargo lifted on October 26, according to Alinea Analytics. With launch day just around the corner, that late surge suggests the reviews have arrived at a useful moment for S-Game’s marketing push.
That said, China (which is essentially S-Game’s home market) is a major part of this success story. China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong accounted for an estimated 62.5% of pre-launch copies and 55.1% of revenue. China alone contributed more than 64% of Steam revenue, according to the report. Alinea’s figures do not include sales through China’s WeGame storefront, which could add to the game’s overall total.
Soul, the protagonist of this non-soulslike game. | Credit: S-Game The game is also entering release week with encouraging reviews. As of writing, Phantom Blade Zero had an 88 Metascore on Metacritic and an 89 Top Critic Average on OpenCritic. Those scores can change as more reviews arrive, but it is safe to say that the early response has been overwhelmingly positive.
The fighting is clearly a major part of the appeal. Phantom Blade Zero draws on Chinese wuxia, pairing rapid swordplay and weapon switching with elaborate boss encounters. Its blend of martial arts, dark fantasy, and mechanical enemies gives the action a distinctive flavor compared to other “samurai” action RPGs, while the game’s more-than-generous weapon selection allows players to keep experimenting with different builds.
There are some drawbacks, however. Reviews have raised concerns about the story, which some critics found convoluted, as well as technical issues and performance dips. Those complaints are worth bearing in mind, particularly in a game where combat depends on quick reactions.
Phantom Blade Zero arrives on October 29, 2026, for PS5 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. After months of anticipation, players will soon be able to find out whether the finished game lives up to its flashy trailers. Have you already picked the game up, or are you waiting to see how it performs first? Let us know in the comments below!
Alinea Analytics’ Rhys Elliott shared the figures in the latest The Alinea Insight newsletter, tracking digital sales on Steam and PlayStation 5. And with reviews now available, the game heads into launch with both commercial momentum and a strong early critical reception.
Phantom Blade Zero Revenue Crosses $40 Million Ahead of Release
Credit: S-Game Credit: S-Game Credit: S-Game Credit: S-Game Credit: S-Game Credit: S-Game Alinea Analytics estimates that Phantom Blade Zero had already sold approximately 850,000 digital copies across Steam and PS5 by October 27, generating around $43 million in pre-launch revenue. That puts the game among the top 40 new releases of 2026 by revenue, even before its official launch.Steam accounted for 73.8% of the estimated copies sold, while PS5 contributed 26.2%. The revenue split was just a bit less lopsided, with Steam bringing in 69.2% and PS5 accounting for 30.8%. The difference reportedly comes down partly to regional pricing, since a higher number of sales does not automatically translate into the same share of revenue.
The game also picked up more than 80,000 additional sales after its review embargo lifted on October 26, according to Alinea Analytics. With launch day just around the corner, that late surge suggests the reviews have arrived at a useful moment for S-Game’s marketing push.
That said, China (which is essentially S-Game’s home market) is a major part of this success story. China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong accounted for an estimated 62.5% of pre-launch copies and 55.1% of revenue. China alone contributed more than 64% of Steam revenue, according to the report. Alinea’s figures do not include sales through China’s WeGame storefront, which could add to the game’s overall total.
Ready for Launch After a Strong Critical Reception
Soul, the protagonist of this non-soulslike game. | Credit: S-Game The game is also entering release week with encouraging reviews. As of writing, Phantom Blade Zero had an 88 Metascore on Metacritic and an 89 Top Critic Average on OpenCritic. Those scores can change as more reviews arrive, but it is safe to say that the early response has been overwhelmingly positive.The fighting is clearly a major part of the appeal. Phantom Blade Zero draws on Chinese wuxia, pairing rapid swordplay and weapon switching with elaborate boss encounters. Its blend of martial arts, dark fantasy, and mechanical enemies gives the action a distinctive flavor compared to other “samurai” action RPGs, while the game’s more-than-generous weapon selection allows players to keep experimenting with different builds.
There are some drawbacks, however. Reviews have raised concerns about the story, which some critics found convoluted, as well as technical issues and performance dips. Those complaints are worth bearing in mind, particularly in a game where combat depends on quick reactions.
Phantom Blade Zero arrives on October 29, 2026, for PS5 and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. After months of anticipation, players will soon be able to find out whether the finished game lives up to its flashy trailers. Have you already picked the game up, or are you waiting to see how it performs first? Let us know in the comments below!
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