Phantom Blade Zero Scores 88 on Metacritic, Beating Black Myth's 81: China's AAA Wave Is Real

Those 42 reviews break down into 40 positive and two mixed, with no negative scores; the PS5 version sits at 87 and OpenCritic has it at 91 . Separately, analytics firm Alinea Analytics estimates roughly 850,000 pre-orders worth about $43 million through October 27 — an impressive figure, but an estimate, not a publisher disclosure.

What an 88 actually means: 42 reviews, 95 percent positive

Read the positive ratio, not just the average

Look at the distribution rather than the headline number. On Metacritic's PC page, 95 percent of the 42 reviews are positive, with two mixed and none negative. Saudi Gamer gave it a 100, calling it a thrilling action game with excellent combat, a huge weapon selection and spectacular boss encounters. Gamersky, a major Chinese outlet, gave it 98 and described an investment level comparable to a major AAA production paired with an unmistakable personal style.

For context, Black Myth: Wukong — the game usually cited as China's AAA benchmark — holds 81 on PC across 87 reviews, and 76 on PS5 across 18.

S-Game, the studio behind Phantom Blade Zero, went from mobile action games to a full AAA-scale production and landed seven points above that benchmark on its first attempt.

Those 850,000 pre-orders need a discount attached

Alinea's estimate covers Steam and PS5 combined through October 27: about 850,000 units and roughly $43 million in expected revenue. Analyst Rhys Elliott broke it down further — Steam accounted for 73.8 percent of pre-orders, PS5 for 26.2 percent — and noted that pre-orders climbed by more than 80,000 after reviews went live.

He also offered a comparison point: on Steam, Phantom Blade Zero's pre-order run has already outpaced Gears of War: E-Day and Control Resonant. For reference, Gears of War: E-Day was estimated at roughly 311,000 units sold through October 15 by third-party trackers.

To be explicit: every number above is a third-party estimate. Neither S-Game nor its publishing partners have released official pre-order figures. The data supports "strong momentum." It does not support "850,000 copies sold."

62.5 percent of orders came from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong

This is the more interesting number.

Chinese-speaking markets carried the launch

Alinea estimates that orders from mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong account for about 62.5 percent of total sales. Split by platform, that region represents 75.9 percent of Steam sales but only 24.9 percent of PS5 sales.

Two things follow. First, wuxia action has deep native demand in Chinese-speaking markets: when the quality is there, players pay. Second, overseas conversion has not caught up with the critical reception yet. The higher overseas share on PS5 suggests consoles remain the Western entry point, while Chinese players concentrate on Steam.

Why 88 matters more than 81: the end of the one-off era

On October 28, financial outlet 21st Century Business Herald framed the launch with a phrase worth repeating: Chinese AAA games may be leaving the "one-off era."

The logic is about capacity, not scores. Black Myth: Wukong proved a single studio could ship a globally competitive premium game, but it remained a lone data point — one product does not make an industry. Phantom Blade Zero matters because it makes "a second team can do this too" a testable claim: a different studio, a different genre lineage (wuxia rather than mythology), a different combat design, and still a score in the high 80s.

For players, that is worth more than any sales record. A one-off is a lottery ticket. A pattern is a supply chain.

There is a smaller signal alongside it: another Chinese action game, ICEY sequel, raised 4 million yuan on its first day of crowdfunding against a 10,000 yuan goal. The number of people willing to pay Chinese single-player developers in advance is meaningfully larger than it was a few years ago.

The risk case: a high score is not the same as a good time

Time for cold water.

The criticism clusters on one thing: the map

The criticism in Metacritic's review pool clusters on one issue: the map. SECTOR.sk gave it 90 and still flagged confusing map navigation, forced exploration to unlock certain skills, and backtracking that disrupts pacing. One reviewer put it more bluntly: the Wulin is a world worth getting lost in, even when the map makes you regret it — after 197 deaths and roughly 50 hours.

Those problems do not show up in a Metascore. They show up in completion rates, user reviews two weeks later, and how fast used copies circulate. For a premium single-player game, launch-week reception is not the risk; the second week is.

The external picture matters too. With 62.5 percent of pre-orders coming from Chinese-speaking markets, that base is both an advantage and a ceiling. The real test is whether console players outside Asia will pay for a Chinese wuxia action game, and that count only started on October 29.

My take: let the wallets vote this time

I believe the 88. I do not believe the word "masterpiece."

Forty-two reviews at 95 percent positive is a solid signal that three things work: combat feel, weapon variety and presentation. Those are also the hardest things to copy. But a Metascore measures a critic's bounded experience. It does not measure whether you still want to boot the game at hour thirty.

What is genuinely worth celebrating is that Phantom Blade Zero moved the Chinese AAA question from "can anyone build this" to "can anyone build this reliably." The first is enthusiasm. The second is an industry. Tracking release cadence across Chinese premium games, the 2026 curve is visibly steeper than 2024's.GameHub Game Observation has analyzed the release patterns of a batch of domestic single-player games, and in 2026, this curve is clearly becoming steeper.

So my position is simple: take the score, hold the wallet for three days. Wait for completion-rate feedback, then decide whether to pay full price for the second proof point in Chinese AAA.

Did you buy it? Is 88 worth full price?

Tell us in the comments: day-one purchase or waiting for a sale, and did the map break you?

FAQ

What is Phantom Blade Zero's Metacritic score?

88 on PC from 42 critic reviews (40 positive, two mixed, none negative), 87 on PS5, and 91 on OpenCritic. Retrieved October 30, 2026 from Metacritic's game page.

Are the 850,000 pre-orders real?

They are an estimate from Alinea Analytics covering Steam and PS5 through October 27, 2026: roughly 850,000 units and about $43 million in expected revenue. Neither S-Game nor its publishing partners have published official figures, so treat it as an indicator, not a disclosure.

Is it better than Black Myth: Wukong?

On critical reception, Phantom Blade Zero's 88 on PC is higher than Black Myth: Wukong's 81 across 87 reviews. The two games differ in genre and design priorities, and a Metascore reflects critic opinion rather than your own taste.