In a year punctuated with heavyweights like Nioh 3 and FromSoftware's The Duskbloods, my most-anticipated action RPG of 2026 is Phantom Blade Zero, the first game of its kind from Chinese developer S-Game. The studio has been making action games for over a decade, but with a more casual and often mobile focus – never anything with the depth, intensity, or presentation of Phantom Blade Zero, which is due on PS5 and PC on September 9.
I've been following and sampling this game, and interviewing its lead developers, for multiple years. With every updated demo or new reveal, I've become increasingly confident that this is going to be a big deal – not just a fun and replayable action romp, but another major milestone in the rise of Chinese games on console and PC, which is going to be a huge influence on games in the years and decades to come.
