This past weekend, China’s esports circle kicked things off with a decisive victory. The SCS 2026 Finals, hosted by SNK China, concluded with Chinese player Zeng Zhuojun (ID: XiaoHai) securing a 4-0 sweep over Japanese player GO1 to successfully defend his championship title in the Fatal Fury category. A veteran with years of international tournament experience, he solidified his dominant standing with this flawless win, earning enthusiastic praise from fighting game fans across the country. Dominating from the opening round to the final match and leaving his opponent with virtually no room to breathe, his solid fundamentals and unshakable composure once again upheld the reputation of China’s fighting game esports scene.
While the hype around the fighting game tournament remains high, another esports stage with a far broader audience is about to get underway. The Swiss stage of the League of Legends Worlds 2026 will officially kick off on October 23, with four LPL teams — IG, AL, TES and BLG — all competing in the first-round best-of-one (BO1) matches. The annual Worlds tournament is a staple celebration for Chinese players, and this year’s edition is particularly compelling: it features resurgent veteran squads alongside first-time breakthroughs from emerging rosters, making the overall playstyle of the league more diverse than in previous years. With all four teams set to face top opponents from major regions in the first round, paired with the unpredictable nature of the Swiss stage format, how far the LPL representatives can advance has become a daily topic of discussion across gaming communities.
Beyond the esports arena, China’s domestic single-player game segment is quietly building momentum. S-GAME’s new martial arts action title Phantom Blade Zero has officially surpassed 3 million wishlists across all platforms, ranking among the top tier of original Chinese single-player releases. The game is set to launch on PS5, Steam and Epic on October 29, with preload available starting October 27; the PS5 build comes in at 134.857GB. Since its initial gameplay reveal, the title has built a strong reputation for its dark wuxia art style and fast-paced, fluid combat system, with many players already adding it to their must-buy lists for the second half of the year. Its market performance will also serve as a key benchmark for evaluating the industrial maturity of domestic AAA game development.
October as a whole is shaping up to be a nonstop lineup of gaming content. Two major esports events are taking place back-to-back, delivering both a hard-won title defense in a niche competitive category and a collective celebration for a mass audience. At the same time, a highly anticipated new title is counting down to launch, with years of R&D accumulation set to translate into tangible gameplay experiences. The simultaneous momentum across both esports and single-player gaming showcases both the competitive strength on tournament stages and steady progress in content creation. China’s gaming industry is advancing steadily across multiple tracks, and the market will continue to unlock new growth vitality.
*Data aggregation is sourced from Gghubs.