Pre-release events

Overview

Phantom Blade Zero's pre-release campaign began in December 2023 and spanned multiple major gaming events over the following years. Each appearance showcased different aspects of the game, combat mechanics, boss encounters, environmental design, and narrative elements. Building anticipation through a carefully paced reveal strategy. The campaign culminated in the announcement of the September 9, 2026 release date. The game is estimated to offer approximately 40 hours of gameplay content.

December 2023: PlayStation Showcase debut

Phantom Blade Zero was revealed to the global audience at a PlayStation Showcase event in December 2023. The debut trailer, approximately three minutes long, introduced the game's Kung Fu Punk aesthetic, its protagonist Soul, and its core combat loop. The trailer featured a mix of cinematic sequences and gameplay footage, demonstrating the Ghostep teleportation mechanic, weapon switching, and a brief boss encounter.

The reveal generated immediate attention for several reasons. The visual quality exceeded expectations for a studio that had previously worked exclusively on mobile titles. The combat appeared fast, responsive, and visually distinctive. And the Kung Fu Punk aesthetic was unlike anything else in the market. Comparisons to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Devil May Cry were frequent, though S-GAME was quick to emphasize that PBZ has its own identity rooted in Chinese martial arts.

Summer 2024: State of Play

An extended gameplay presentation was featured during a PlayStation State of Play event in summer 2024. This presentation provided a deeper look at the combat system, showing sustained gameplay sequences rather than the quick cuts of the debut trailer. Viewers saw the Sha-Chi system in action, weapon switching during combos, and the blue/red flash system for Brutal and Killer Moves.

August 2024: Gamescom playable demo

The first public hands-on opportunity came at Gamescom 2024 in Cologne, Germany. S-GAME offered a playable demo featuring exploration, standard enemy encounters, and boss fights. Reception from press and content creators was overwhelmingly positive, with the combat's responsiveness, weapon impact weight, and enemy telegraph readability praised repeatedly.

The Gamescom 2024 demo featured encounters with specific bosses including Huangxing and Tie Sha the Frenzy, whose multi-phase fights demonstrated the depth of the game's boss design.

December 2024: The Game Awards

Phantom Blade Zero made an appearance at The Game Awards in December 2024, presenting a new trailer that focused on narrative elements alongside combat. The trailer introduced additional characters, hinted at the scope of the conspiracy plot, and showed new environments not previously revealed.

January 2025: Year of the Snake trailer

A special Year of the Snake trailer was released in January 2025, showcasing new gameplay footage and building additional anticipation heading into the major showcase season. The trailer featured new weapons, combat sequences, and hints at the game's broader world.

July 2025: S-PARTY 2025 (Beijing)

S-GAME hosted S-PARTY 2025 in Beijing, unveiling fresh gameplay including never-before-seen boss fights, secret item discoveries, and new weapon showcases. A 22-minute gameplay video published by IGN India offered the most extensive single look at the game to date.

The S-PARTY demo showcased the 'Seven Star Sword Formation' level, packed with intense boss battles against Wan Jun (Coppermaul), Red Wraith, the Chief Disciple of the Seven Stars, and the Chief Disciple's Fallen Hope. The event also confirmed the three difficulty modes. Wayfarer, Gamechanger, and Hellwalker that unlock only in New Game+.

August 2025: Gamescom 2025

S-GAME planned a major presence at Gamescom 2025, setting up over 60 demo stations inside a 500-square-meter booth at Hall B-050G. The new demo promised the most in-depth hands-on experience yet, offering approximately one full hour of gameplay per session. A dramatic increase from the shorter demos at previous events.

The Gamescom 2025 demo was described by multiple outlets as 'gorgeous, brutal and surprisingly fresh,' with hands-on previews praising the depth of the combat system and the visual quality running on PlayStation 5 Pro hardware with sharp visuals and stable performance.

2025-2026: Final build-up

Throughout 2025 and into 2026, S-GAME continued to build anticipation through developer deep-dive videos, behind-the-scenes materials, and community events. A key announcement confirmed the September 9, 2026 release date, giving fans a concrete target and allowing S-GAME to enter the final stretch of development with a public commitment.

Demo content by event

Key details