Phantom Blade Zero emerges as one of 2026's biggest hits.
Developer S-GAME confirmed Phantom Blade Zero has sold over 4 million copies within just three days of launch. This puts it among the year's top-selling releases, standing toe to toe with major AAA titles such as Capcom's Resident Evil Requiem and Pearl Abyss' Crimson Desert.
Phantom Blade Zero has also enjoyed critical success and great player reception, recording the highest peak player count on Steam for a single-player game this year. It initially recorded over 700,000 peak players on the platform hours after launch, before reaching over 833,000 concurrent players over the weekend, soaring past prominent releases such as Subnautica 2 (467,000) and Hollow Knight: Silksong (578,000).
Check out our review for Phantom Blade Zero here.
Phantom Blade Zero
Release date: 29 October, 2026
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC
Developer: S-GAME
How many copies has Phantom Blade Zero sold?
S-GAME's Phantom Blade Zero sold over 4 million copies within 72 hours of its release on PC and Xbox.
The figure is particularly impressive considering the studio's relatively modest size, with S-GAME managing to deliver sales figures comparable to, if not exceeding, those of more established developers.
For comparison, Xbox's highly anticipated Gears of War: E-Day reportedly sold just 400,000 copies across console and PC (Steam). This figure does not account for players accessing the game through Game Pass, but it still represents a relatively disappointing result, particularly given its reportedly enormous US$500 million development budget.
Sony's Marvel's Wolverine was another major release this year, although it faced considerable criticism over its game quality. According to reports, the game sold 1.9 million copies within its first three days, a relatively modest result for such a prominent IP backed by a major publisher.
Phantom Blade Zero's performance is seemingly closer to that of Capcom's Resident Evil Requiem, which sold 5 million copies in just five days, making it the fastest-selling game in the publisher's history. It also draws comparisons with Pearl Abyss' Crimson Desert, which sold 2 million copies within its first day and reached 5 million within 27 days.
With these sales figures and its astounding Steam player count, Phantom Blade Zero could be a serious contender for a Game of the Year accolade at The Game Awards. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is also on the horizon and could very likely sweep the awards stage.
Why is Phantom Blade Zero so successful?
Phantom Blade Zero's success can be attributed to several factors, beyond its phenomenal gameplay and production quality.
While the Phantom Blade franchise has only recently gained international recognition, it has technically existed for nearly two decades, building a sizeable fanbase along the way.
The franchise originated as a mobile-focused series called Rainblood, which primarily catered to Chinese audiences. The original game launched in 2010, followed by sequels in 2011 and 2013.
In 2014, S-GAME rebranded the franchise as Phantom Blade, releasing the first mobile instalment before following up with sequels in 2016 and 2021. The series remained largely focused on mobile platforms throughout this period.
Although it was relatively unknown internationally, the franchise amassed a fanbase of over 20 million players, according to S-GAME founder Qiwei 'Soulframe' Liang.
The franchise made its international breakthrough in 2023 with the release of Phantom Blade: Executioners, which expanded its reach to a global audience across multiple platforms, including PC and PlayStation.
However, Phantom Blade Zero's rise to prominence can largely be traced back to its reveal during the PlayStation Showcase in May 2023. The overwhelmingly positive response from audiences encouraged S-GAME to expand its ambitions and further improve the project.
This progress was also helped by the growing interest in Chinese-developed action games following the meteoric success of Black Myth: Wukong.
