Phantom Blade Zero PS5 Release Date Revealed at The Game Awards 2025

Phantom Blade Zero looks like it could be the next big action game out of China, and thanks to The Game Awards 2025, it also has a firm 2026 release date. Much like other heavy-hitting Chinese action games of recent years, such as Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and Black Myth: Wukong, Phantom Blade Zero made a significant splash when it was first revealed, courtesy of its fluid wuxia-inspired combat, which sees players flying through the air in a graceful ballet of destruction.

The announcement of the release date itself wasn’t much of a shock: The Game Awards’ official Twitter account teased the reveal on December 6, five days before the event itself. The post included a short trailer featuring Phantom Blade Zero‘s protagonist Soul performing a ritual to “awaken” a being reminiscent of the dragon puppets used during Chinese New Year. Unlike previous Phantom Blade Zero trailers, this one was more focused on lore and atmosphere than action and chaos, suggesting that the Game Awards release date trailer may focus more on the game’s narrative and lore elements. While this turned out to be somewhat true, Phantom Blade Zero‘s Game Awards trailer certainly didn’t skimp on the action side of the equation either.

Phantom Blade Zero Could Be 2026’s Black Myth: Wukong

Phantom Blade Zero blends Chinese culture and steampunk amazingly, making it the next potential blockbuster after Black Myth: Wukong.

Phantom Blade Zero Gets 2026 Release Date at The Game Awards 2025

Phantom Blade Zero release date: September 9, 2026

Phantom Blade Zero‘s Game Awards trailer kicks off with another look at the game’s epic narrative. It first depicts an assault on a home, from which a masked man emerges with a wailing baby. The masked figure defeats his opposition, and the footage transitions from a close-up shot of the crying baby to a close-up of protagonist Soul as an adult, strongly suggesting they are one and the same.

It isn’t too long before the trailer returns Phantom Blade Zero‘s most in-your-face strength: the action. It shows Soul exercising more of his lightning-fast, acrobatic abilities against foes large and small, once again painting a picture of Phantom Blade Zero as a no-holds-barred hack-and-slash experience. Perhaps the most exciting and illuminating parts of the trailer are those that focus on Phantom Blade Zero‘s boss battles, which look incredibly unique and intense. And yes, the ceremonial Chinese dragon from the aforementioned teaser is indeed a boss—and a deadly-looking one at that.

Phantom Blade Zero Isn’t the Only Major PlayStation Exclusive Coming in 2026

Other Notable PS4 Exclusives to Look Forward to in 2026

Saros release date: April 30, 2026
Marvel’s Wolverine release date: TBD 2026
Stupid Never Dies: TBD 2026

Phantom Blade Zero is far from the only major action game coming to PlayStation next year. And among these Sony-exclusive powerhouses, few are as hotly anticipated as Marvel’s Wolverine, the long-awaited evolution of Insomniac’s Marvel universe.

2026 will also play host to Soros, a sci-fi third-person shooter from Housemarque, makers of Returnal. Returnal was among the best games of 2021, and is still shamefully overlooked among the PS5’s exclusive lineup, and Soros is expected to continue that trend of excellence. It stars Rahul Kohli and boasts the same high-fidelity, luminous art style of its predecessor.

The Game Awards also unveiled Stupid Never Dies, a cartoonish, pop-punk-infused debut from GPTRACK50, a new studio helmed by former Capcom producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi. It looks to have some serious SUDA51 vibes, which should add some much-needed levity to Sony’s decidedly dark and gruesome beat-em-up slate.

With so many promising action games on the way, PlayStation owners are likely going to be quite busy next year. And with a good blend of tones, genres, and scopes, 2026’s action game output will hopefully be as diverse as it is impressive.