How long is Phantom Blade Zero?
Twelve chapters across nine regions, and four endings.
The game itself gives no length in hours. Before release the director put it at 25 to 30 hours if you don’t get stuck on bosses; two launch reviewers took about 40 and about 50 hours for a first playthrough, and the first full trophy guide puts the platinum at 30 to 40 hours. The four endings are Final Battle, Lóng’s Roar, Annihilation and Undying Grudge; how you reach each one is on the endings page.
| Count | Figure | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Chapters | 12 | In the official chapter table; Chapters 8 and 9 have no name or map. Every chapter is on the walkthrough. |
| Regions | 9 | After the prologue, from Weeping Creek Valley to Mount Soulrend. |
| Endings | 4 | Final Battle, Lóng’s Roar, Annihilation, Undying Grudge; see the endings page. |
| Difficulties | 4 | Wayfarer, Pathbreaker, Hellwalker and 66 Days. |
| Boss fights | 63 | In the launch build, on the bosses page. |
| Hours | –– | Not in the game data. The estimates on record are below. |
How many chapters and regions it has
Phantom Blade Zero has 12 chapters. The game’s official chapter table puts them across nine regions, after a prologue. In that table Chapters 8 and 9 have no chapter name and no map of their own, and Chapter 11 has no chapter name; Mount Soulrend holds both Chapter 11 and Chapter 12.
| Chapter | Chapter name | Region | Walkthrough |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Against the Flow | Weeping Creek Valley | Walkthrough |
| 2 | Snake’s Reflection | Crimson Forest | Walkthrough |
| 3 | Heartless Remnants | Village of Lu | Walkthrough |
| 4 | Town of Death | Pangzhen | Walkthrough |
| 5 | Hero or Heretic | Mandate Encampment | Walkthrough |
| 6 | Treason and Confinement | Mountain of Imprisonment | Walkthrough |
| 7 | The Lake | Meigu Lake | Walkthrough |
| 8 | No name in the game | No map of its own | –– |
| 9 | No name in the game | No map of its own | –– |
| 10 | The Way Forward | Mirage Estate | Not played yet |
| 11 | No name in the game | Mount Soulrend | Not played yet |
| 12 | A Soul’s Worth | Mount Soulrend | Not played yet |
Before release, previews counted eight chapters, and the State of Play narration spoke of “8 authentic, hand-painted Chinese ink wash maps”. This page counts by the launch build’s chapter table, the same count the walkthrough uses.
How many endings, and what decides each
Spoilers: this section names the last fight of each ending.
Phantom Blade Zero has four endings: Final Battle, Lóng’s Roar, Annihilation and Undying Grudge. When the finale settles, the game checks two quests, both Mysteries: Secrets at the Heart of the Lake and Bloodline Awakening. With both done the run ends in Final Battle; with only the first, Lóng’s Roar; without the first, Annihilation.
| Ending | How you reach it |
|---|---|
| Final Battle | Complete Secrets at the Heart of the Lake and Bloodline Awakening; the run ends when you defeat Zuo Shang, his transformation phase included. |
| Lóng’s Roar | Complete Secrets at the Heart of the Lake but not Bloodline Awakening; the run ends when you defeat Zuo Shang. |
| Annihilation | Reach the finale without Secrets at the Heart of the Lake; the run ends when you defeat Meng Hua. |
| Undying Grudge | Only on 66 Days difficulty: die when the days left are at zero. |
No other quest changes the ending. From the game data, we can only confirm that Flesh Lily changes who appears before the final fight. Trophy guides add steps to their route to Final Battle, such as every purple-icon quest in the journal and the optional bosses Zhu Yuan, the Searing Blade and Bi Feng, Giant Saber Commander; the ending check reads none of them. Quests you can lose as the story moves on are on the missable quests page.
Before release, director Soulframe Liang told Game Rant in December 2025: “We have 8 different endings in the game, depending on how many side quests you complete.” The launch build names four endings, and two quests decide between the first three.
The in-game text of each ending is on the endings page.
What do the 66 days do?
Every playthrough starts with 66 days left, and a new cycle resets them to 66. Some story events take one day each, and the first time you touch each Crane Bell takes one more. The game’s tutorial says: “Days lost to Crane Bells and story progression cannot be recovered.”
On Wayfarer, Pathbreaker and Hellwalker the days still drop, but running out has no effect. Only on 66 Days does dying take a day too, and dying there when the days left are at zero ends the run in Undying Grudge.
| Difficulty | In-game description |
|---|---|
| Wayfarer | A gentler path through the Wulin. Focus on the story, take in the world, fight at your own pace. Starting on it, the game warns: “[66 DAYS] will remain locked.” |
| Pathbreaker | A true test of skill. For those who've swung a blade before and are ready for a real fight. |
| Hellwalker | The ultimate trial. Enemies strike without mercy, adapt without warning, and hold nothing back. |
| 66 Days | Same difficulty as "Hellwalker," but deaths are limited to 66 times. Unlocked after completing the game on any other difficulty. |
More on the countdown, and what was said about it before release, is on the 66-day time limit page.
How many hours: every estimate
The game gives no length of its own, and none of the figures below is an average measured from players. They come from the studio, the director and the press, before and after release.
Every published estimate, on one scale
- 30 to 40 hoursmain story, the studio on its Discord, May 2023
- 20 to 30 hours, plus about 20main story plus side content, as reported in January 2025
- 25 to 30 hoursif you don’t get stuck on bosses, director Liang, October 2026
- About 40 hoursone reviewer’s first playthrough, DualShockers, 25 October 2026
- About 50 hoursa first playthrough on Hellwalker, Screen Rant, 25 October 2026
- 30 to 40 hoursthe platinum, PowerPyx trophy guide, 29 October 2026
The director gave the 25 to 30 hours with one condition: that you do not get stuck on a boss. In the studio’s Discord session of May 2023 it wrote: “Main story alone is about 30~40h, and there are tons of side quests to play with.”
The director said most players can earn the platinum in a single playthrough; PowerPyx’s trophy guide also plans it as one playthrough. The trophy list is on the trophies page.
What the game data does not answer
- How many hours a playthrough takesThe game data has no length; the figures above are the studio’s and the press’s.
- How many days a run loses to the storyThe story takes days at many points, often on different branches, so the total depends on the run.
Phantom Blade Zero length FAQ
How long is Phantom Blade Zero?
25 to 30 hours if you don’t get stuck on bosses, by the director’s pre-release estimate; launch reviews took about 40 and about 50 hours. The game itself gives no length in hours.
How many chapters does Phantom Blade Zero have?
12, across nine regions after the prologue, in the game’s own chapter table. Chapters 8 and 9 have no name and no map of their own.
How many endings does Phantom Blade Zero have?
Four: Final Battle, Lóng’s Roar, Annihilation and Undying Grudge. Two Mysteries decide the first three; Undying Grudge exists only on 66 Days difficulty.
What decides the ending?
When the finale settles, the game checks two quests, both Mysteries: Secrets at the Heart of the Lake and Bloodline Awakening. With both done the run ends in Final Battle; with only the first, Lóng’s Roar; without the first, Annihilation.
Is there a 66-day time limit?
On Wayfarer, Pathbreaker and Hellwalker the days still drop, but running out has no effect. Only on 66 Days does dying take a day too, and dying there when the days left are at zero ends the run in Undying Grudge.
Can you get the platinum trophy in one playthrough?
The director said most players can earn the platinum in a single playthrough; PowerPyx’s trophy guide also plans it as one playthrough.
Sources for this page 12
- How many chapters and regions it has Official The launch build’s chapter table and region names, read from the game files on 31 October 2026.
- How many chapters and regions it has Official State of Play gameplay deep dive, PlayStation on YouTube: the map screen and the narration about the maps, 7:03–7:26.
- How many endings, and what decides each Official The launch build’s ending check and ending names, read on 2 November 2026: the two deciding quests, which fight ends each run, and Undying Grudge only on 66 Days.
- How many endings, and what decides each Press-reported Game Rant, 18 December 2025, interview with director Soulframe Liang: eight endings depending on how many side quests you complete.
- How many endings, and what decides each Press-reported PowerPyx trophy guide, 29 October 2026: purple-icon quests and the optional bosses Zhu Yuan and Bi Feng on its route to Final Battle.
- What do the 66 days do? Official The launch build’s day rules, difficulty menu text and Crane Bell tutorial, read on 2 November 2026.
- How many hours: every estimate Press-reported MP1st, 26 May 2023, quoting the studio’s Discord Q&A: 30 to 40 hours for the main story.
- How many hours: every estimate Press-reported MP1st, 27 January 2025: 20 to 30 hours for the main story plus about 20 of side content.
- How many hours: every estimate Press-reported Gamersky, October 2026, citing a DualShockers interview with Liang: 25 to 30 hours if you do not get stuck on a boss.
- How many hours: every estimate Press-reported DualShockers review, Christian Bognar, 25 October 2026: “the campaign, which took me around 40 hours”.
- How many hours: every estimate Press-reported Screen Rant review, Leo Faierman, 25 October 2026: “Fifty hours later and my first playthrough of Phantom Blade Zero was complete on Hellwalker”.
- How many hours: every estimate Press-reported PowerPyx trophy guide and roadmap, 29 October 2026: 30 to 40 hours to the platinum, in one playthrough. Liang on the platinum in one playthrough: Push Square, 11 September 2026.