Phantom Blade Zero is getting a dedicated State of Play on Monday, August 17, 2026, with nearly 20 minutes of new gameplay. The broadcast begins at 7:00 p.m. PT, 9:00 p.m. CT, and 10:00 p.m. ET in the United States. Viewers in the UK can watch at 3:00 a.m. BST on Tuesday, August 18.
This is more than another short trailer. S-GAME says the presentation will introduce unseen characters, show how players can shape their own builds, and dig further into the combat systems and dark wuxia world. Preorders are also live on PS5 and PC, so there is already a lot to sort through before the stream begins.
Phantom Blade Zero State of Play start times
Here is when the showcase begins:
- Pacific Time: August 17 at 7:00 p.m.
- Central Time: August 17 at 9:00 p.m.
- Eastern Time: August 17 at 10:00 p.m.
- British Summer Time: August 18 at 3:00 a.m.
- Beijing Time: August 18 at 10:00 a.m.
- Japan Standard Time: August 18 at 11:00 a.m.
The standalone presentation will stream on the official PlayStation YouTube channel and PlayStation Twitch channel. S-GAME has described it as a gameplay deep dive rather than a normal multi-game State of Play.
What will the Phantom Blade Zero gameplay show?
The official announcement promises nearly 20 minutes focused on Phantom Blade Zero. S-GAME says viewers will meet characters who have not appeared before and see how expressive different player builds can be. The studio also wants to explain systems that could not fit into the new extended preorder trailer.
That trailer already gives the presentation a useful starting point. Soul fights enemies on top of a speeding wagon and clashes with a former comrade called The Hunt. The State of Play should slow things down enough to show how weapons, dodges, deflections, counters, and exploration connect during ordinary play.
Donnie Yen is involved as a creative consultant, bringing martial-arts and action-film experience to the combat design. He also performed facial and motion capture for Mó Yuan, Soul's father. His role is more than a celebrity cameo, and the deep dive may show how that character fits into Soul's story.
Phantom Blade Zero preorder price and editions
In the United States, the Standard Edition costs $59.99 on the PlayStation Store and Epic Games Store. The Digital Deluxe Edition costs $69.99.
The Standard Edition includes the full game. The Digital Deluxe Edition adds:
- Wulin Legend, an exclusive appearance
- Blood-Steel Form, an exclusive appearance
- A digital artbook
- The digital soundtrack
Preordering either edition provides early access to the Treasure Basin accessory and the Legacy outfit. Treasure Basin increases the Remnant Dust drop rate by 10%. These are early unlocks rather than permanent preorder exclusives: both items can also be earned through normal in-game progression.
PC players who buy the game through Epic Games Store are also offered a Soul outfit plus the Sanguine Pickaxe and Back Bling in Fortnite. That promotion is tied to the Epic purchase, so players comparing stores should check its terms before ordering.
Release date and platforms
Phantom Blade Zero launches on October 29, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and PC. The US PlayStation and Epic storefronts currently list availability on the evening of October 28 in Central Time because the global launch rolls across time zones.
No Xbox or Nintendo Switch version has been announced. S-GAME could discuss platform features during the showcase, but viewers should not expect an unconfirmed port to appear unless the studio says otherwise.
On PS5, the store page lists DualSense vibration and trigger support, Game Help, manual saving, adjustable difficulty, full dialogue subtitles, and 3D audio. The PC version supports Windows 10 or 11, and its minimum target includes 16GB RAM, a GTX 1660 6GB or RX 5500 XT 8GB, and a Core i5-8700K or Ryzen 5 3600.
What kind of game is Phantom Blade Zero?
Phantom Blade Zero is a single-player action RPG built in Unreal Engine 5. You play as Soul, a warrior framed for his master's murder and left with only 66 days to live. He travels through the Wulin to uncover the conspiracy behind the attack while assassins hunt him.
S-GAME calls the setting “kungfupunk,” mixing traditional wuxia, Chinese folk horror, mechanical prosthetics, industrial ruins, and modern rock music. Combat uses more than 30 primary weapons and over 20 Phantom Edges taken from defeated enemies. The movement looks cinematic, but the store description also emphasizes readable dodges, deflections, counters, and combos rather than automatic spectacle.
The State of Play should help answer the practical questions that trailers have left open: how exploration is structured, how often weapons change a build, how challenging regular encounters feel, and whether boss fights leave room for styles beyond perfect parries.
What remains unconfirmed before the showcase?
S-GAME has already confirmed the release date, platforms, prices, editions, preorder bonuses, and the length of the presentation. A few useful details are still missing:
- PS5 performance and quality modes
- Final PC storage requirement
- Whether a public demo is planned
- How open or linear the Phantom World will be
- The full list of difficulty options
- Whether every weapon is available in one playthrough
The August 17 deep dive may answer some of those questions. It is also the first chance to judge the rhythm of a longer, mostly uninterrupted section of play instead of a fast trailer cut.
Players interested in another dark action RPG can also read our Beast of Reincarnation release guide or see what is confirmed about Marvel's Wolverine and its ESRB rating.
