Phantom Blade Zero vs Black Myth: Wukong, fact by fact

Phantom Blade Zero vs Black Myth: Wukong at a glance

Thirteen facts side by side, read 14 October 2026. Each cell names its source.

Topic	Phantom Blade ZeroS-GAME · 2026	Black Myth: WukongGame Science · 2024
Developer	S-GAME, which also publishes itOfficial Steam page: S-GAME Studio, S-GAME Publishing	Game Science, which also publishes itOfficial Steam page
Release	29 October 2026, 02:00 UTC (28 October in the Americas)Store data PlayStation Store unlock moment	20 August 2024, 02:00 UTC (19 August in the Americas)Store data PlayStation release time
Platforms	PS5 and PC (Steam, Epic Games Store). No other console for at least 12 months after releaseOfficial State of Play end card, 19:49, and the official site	PS5 and PC from launch; Xbox Series X|S from 20 August 2025Store data PlayStation; Press-reported RPG Site for Xbox
US price	$59.99 Standard, $69.99 Digital DeluxeStore data Steam and PlayStation Store	$59.99 standard priceStore data Steam and PlayStation
The studio calls it	“a dark kungfupunk action RPG”Store data PlayStation Store description	“an action RPG rooted in Chinese mythology”Store data Steam description
Story and setting	Soul, a swordsman with sixty-six days to live, in the Wulin, a martial worldStore data Steam description	The Destined One, in a story based on the novel Journey to the WestStore data Steam description
Combat	Over 30 primary weapons and over 20 Phantom Edges; dodge, deflect, counterStore data Steam description	Staff techniques combined with spells, transformations and magic vesselsStore data Steam description
Length	About 25 to 30 hours, the director’s estimatePress-reported Gamersky, citing DualShockers	“approximately 15+ hours”, the studio said; 25 to 30 hours in PCGamesN’s runPress-reported PCGamesN
World	“not an open world game, nor is it a linear adventure”; eight maps joined into one worldOfficial State of Play subtitles, 7:31	Six chapters, each in a different locationPress-reported PCGamesN
Difficulty settings	Yes, four: Wayfarer, Pathbreaker, Hellwalker and 66 Days, which unlocks laterOfficial State of Play difficulty menu, 11:10	None: one fixed difficultyPress-reported Insider Gaming
Engine	Unreal Engine 5Store data Steam description	Unreal Engine 5, moved up from Unreal Engine 4 in 2021Press-reported NVIDIA GeForce news, 19 August 2021
Steam Deck	Not rated by Valve yetOfficial Steam Deck report	Rated Unsupported, for graphics performanceOfficial Steam Deck report
Full voice-over	English and Simplified Chinese; 15 languages in allOfficial Steam language table	English and Simplified Chinese; 15 languages in allOfficial Steam language table

Black Myth: Wukong has no images on this page: we found no press kit from Game Science with terms that cover a fan site. Every picture here is from Phantom Blade Zero.

Who makes Phantom Blade Zero and Black Myth: Wukong?

Phantom Blade Zero is made and published by S-GAME. Its Steam page lists S-GAME Studio as the developer and S-GAME Publishing as the publisher. Official Steam store page, read 14 October 2026.

Black Myth: Wukong is made and published by Game Science. The PlayStation listing names the publisher in full as Game Science Interactive Technology Co., Ltd. Official Steam store page; Store data PlayStation, read 14 October 2026.

The two games are not related. They share no studio, no publisher and no story. Phantom Blade Zero’s director is Soulframe Liang. Press-reported PC Gamer, 18 August 2026, which calls him S-GAME’s founder.

One investor links them. MP1st reports that S-GAME has received more resources from investors such as Tencent, which also invested in Black Myth: Wukong. Press-reported MP1st, 26 March 2025, in its write-up of Eurogamer’s GDC interview with Liang.

When does each come out, on which platforms, and for how much?

Phantom Blade Zero unlocks at 02:00 UTC on 29 October 2026 on the PlayStation Store. That is the evening of 28 October in the Americas. Steam shows 28 October 2026. Store data PlayStation Store listing; Official Steam page. Local times are on our release time page.

Black Myth: Wukong came out at 02:00 UTC on 20 August 2024 on PS5, which was 19 August in the Americas. Steam shows 19 August 2024. Store data PlayStation release time; Official Steam page.

Black Myth: Wukong reached Xbox Series X|S on 20 August 2025, a year after PS5 and PC. Press-reported RPG Site, 6 June 2025, reporting Game Science’s announcement.

Phantom Blade Zero launches on PS5 and on PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store. The end card of the August 2026 State of Play reads “PlayStation®5 console exclusive*”, with the footnote: “*Also available on PC. Not available on other consoles until at least 12 months after release date.” No Xbox or Switch 2 version has been announced. Official State of Play gameplay deep dive, PlayStation on YouTube, 19:49; the official site offers PS5, Steam and Epic. The same footnote ran under the December 2025 release-date trailer, Push Square reported. More on our Xbox and platforms page.

In the US both games list at $59.99 for the standard edition. Phantom Blade Zero also has a $69.99 Digital Deluxe Edition. Store data Steam and PlayStation, read 14 October 2026. Prices in other regions are on our editions and price page.

Their US age ratings differ. Phantom Blade Zero is rated ESRB Mature; Black Myth: Wukong is rated ESRB Teen. Store data PlayStation listings for Phantom Blade Zero and Black Myth: Wukong, read 14 October 2026.

Is Phantom Blade Zero like Black Myth: Wukong?

Both are action RPGs built on Chinese culture, for one player, in Unreal Engine 5. Their sources differ: Black Myth: Wukong adapts Journey to the West, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, while Phantom Blade Zero tells an original wuxia story. Store data both Steam descriptions.

S-GAME describes Phantom Blade Zero’s look as kungfupunk. Its Steam page lists the parts: martial arts, cold steel, mechanical prosthetics, crumbling industrial ruins, traditional Chinese aesthetics and modern rock music. Store data Steam description.

Game Science describes a world of Chinese myth instead: the Destined One meets foes from Journey to the West and uses spells, transformations and magic vessels. Store data Steam description.

Liang has been asked whether Phantom Blade Zero is a Soulslike. He told Inverse: “I’m actually a big fan of Souls games. The good thing is to extract elements from Souls games, and incorporate them into something we want to create.” Press-reported Inverse interview, 11 August 2025.

Analysts compare the two as products. Alinea Analytics says they share a similar character: high budgets, striking visuals and roots in Chinese culture. An analyst, Daniel Camilo, adds that Black Myth: Wukong was a once-in-a-generation cultural event, while Phantom Blade Zero’s audience is more concentrated among core players. Unconfirmed Alinea’s view and Camilo’s words as quoted in a user post on Gcores, 25 August 2026. Our translation from Chinese.

How does the combat differ?

Phantom Blade Zero is built around weapons. You master over 30 primary weapons and over 20 Phantom Edges, taken from fallen foes, and you “dodge, deflect, counter, and strike in one seamless flow”. Its martial arts were choreographed by veterans of wuxia cinema and recorded with motion capture. Store data Steam description.

Donnie Yen is Phantom Blade Zero’s creative consultant and plays the character Mó Yuan through facial and motion capture. Official PlayStation Blog, 17 August 2026.

Black Myth: Wukong is built around one weapon and magic. Besides staff techniques, you combine spells, abilities, weapons and equipment, and some spells counteract or amplify others. Store data Steam description.

Previews of Phantom Blade Zero call its combat fast. CGMagazine wrote that “the combat itself is faster than FromSoftware’s beloved Elden Ring and Dark Souls games”. Press-reported CGMagazine preview, 8 October 2026. How the Sha-Chi meter, parries and Killer Moves work is on our combat page.

Which game is longer, and is either open world?

Phantom Blade Zero’s director gives about 25 to 30 hours for a standard playthrough, if you do not get stuck on a boss. It is an estimate given before release. Press-reported Gamersky, October 2026, citing a DualShockers interview with Liang. Chapters and endings are on our length and endings page.

Before release, Game Science said Black Myth: Wukong would take “approximately 15+ hours to complete”. PCGamesN called that a major underestimate: its own run of the main story took 25 to 30 hours. Press-reported PCGamesN, August 2024.

Neither game is open world. In the State of Play, S-GAME said “Phantom Blade Zero is not an open world game, nor is it a linear adventure from beginning to end.” Its eight hand-painted ink-wash maps connect into a single world. Official State of Play gameplay deep dive, on-screen subtitles at 7:03 to 7:34.

Black Myth: Wukong has six chapters. PCGamesN describes it as a linear, story-driven action game split into episodic chapters, each in a different location and each ending with a boss. Press-reported PCGamesN, August 2024.

Which is harder? Difficulty settings compared

Phantom Blade Zero has four difficulty settings: Wayfarer, Pathbreaker, Hellwalker and 66 Days. Official State of Play difficulty menu, 11:10–11:13. Steam also lists “Adjustable Difficulty”. Wayfarer is for players who want the story, and Hellwalker brings more advanced and adaptive enemies. Official PlayStation Blog, 17 August 2026.

The State of Play presents 66 Days as the top level: “For the ultimate test, unlock Sixty-Six Days mode.” The menu describes it as “Hellwalker difficulty, with one added rule: you have only 66 lives. Unlocks after completing PATHBREAKER or HELLWALKER.” Official State of Play subtitles and menu text, 11:51–11:53.

Black Myth: Wukong has no difficulty setting. There is one difficulty, and you cannot lower or raise it. Press-reported Insider Gaming, September 2024.

No one can say yet which game is harder overall. Phantom Blade Zero is not out, and the previews played early chapters only. Unconfirmed No comparison of the two on equal terms has been published.

Engine, PC specs and Steam Deck

Both games use Unreal Engine 5. S-GAME states it on Phantom Blade Zero’s store pages. Black Myth: Wukong was first shown on Unreal Engine 4; Game Science moved it to Unreal Engine 5 in 2021, NVIDIA reported at the time. Official Steam page; Press-reported NVIDIA GeForce news, 19 August 2021.

Official the two Steam pages, minimum tier. Phantom Blade Zero’s minimum targets 1080p at 30 fps with upscaling; Black Myth: Wukong’s specs were “tested with DLSS/FSR/XeSS enabled”. The full Phantom Blade Zero specs are on our PC requirements page.

Valve rates Black Myth: Wukong Unsupported on Steam Deck, for graphics performance. Valve has not rated Phantom Blade Zero yet. Official Steam Deck compatibility reports for Black Myth: Wukong and Phantom Blade Zero, read 14 October 2026. GamingBolt reports the studio is looking to bring it to Steam Deck. Press-reported GamingBolt, 12 June 2026, on PC Gamer’s interview.

Both PlayStation listings say PS5 Pro Enhanced. Store data PlayStation listings for Phantom Blade Zero and Black Myth: Wukong, read 14 October 2026.

What have the two studios said about each other?

Before Black Myth: Wukong came out, Liang predicted it would succeed. He told GamesRadar+: “I think Black Myth: Wukong will be a big hit. There are more to come. I think they’ll all be very successful, and I think that’s the trend. It’s definitely the beginning.” He added that Phantom Blade Zero benefits from such games rather than competing with them. Press-reported eXputer, 29 July 2024, and Multiplayer.it, 27 July 2024, both reporting the GamesRadar+ interview. We could not open the original.

After the launch, Liang spoke of the pressure it created. At GDC 2025 he told Eurogamer: “Everyone now realises there is potential for a Chinese-made game to make 30m copies in half a year.” Press-reported MP1st, 26 March 2025, quoting Eurogamer.

From the other side, Feng Ji, the producer of Black Myth: Wukong, shared Phantom Blade Zero’s July 2025 demo footage on WeChat. He wrote that it truly had the Gu Long-style feel of the martial world that he had in mind: dark, chaotic, cruel and romantic. Press-reported IT Home, 27 July 2025. Our translation from Chinese; Gu Long is a wuxia novelist.

One consultant claims that Black Myth: Wukong’s success brought S-GAME substantial extra investment, citing two developers. He says Wukong did not by itself trigger all of the funding. S-GAME has not confirmed it. Unconfirmed Daniel Camilo, as reported by VGC, 22 January 2025.

Who might prefer which?

We do not score either game. Here is what the studios and press have said that bears on the choice.

• If you want a story modePhantom Blade Zero offers Wayfarer for players who want to enjoy the story; 66 Days is its hardest setting. Black Myth: Wukong has no difficulty setting. Official Press-reported
• If you want Chinese myth or kung fu cinemaGame Science adapts Journey to the West; S-GAME mixes wuxia cinema with punk fantasy. Official
• If you want many weapons or many spellsPhantom Blade Zero lists over 30 primary weapons; Black Myth: Wukong centres on the staff plus spells and transformations. Official
• If you play on Xbox or Steam DeckBlack Myth: Wukong is on Xbox Series X|S; Phantom Blade Zero is not on any other console for at least 12 months after release. Neither is Steam Deck verified. Official
• If you want something to play nowBlack Myth: Wukong has been out since August 2024; Phantom Blade Zero unlocks on 29 October 2026. Store data

What is not yet known

• Reviews of Phantom Blade ZeroNot out. Only previews of early chapters exist.
• Phantom Blade Zero install sizeNot announced.
• Phantom Blade Zero on Steam DeckValve has not rated it.
• Phantom Blade Zero’s measured lengthOnly the director’s estimate before release.