Phantom Blade Zero tops 1M sales, gets day-one patch
Phantom Blade Zero passed an estimated 1 million prelaunch sales. Here is the 5 GB day-one patch, the NVIDIA 617.42 driver advice and the exact launch time.
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Phantom Blade Zero passed an estimated 1 million prelaunch sales before release. S-Game has also prepared a roughly 5 GB day-one patch that boosts ray tracing performance, and is warning NVIDIA users away from the newest driver.
Key facts
- Release: 28 October, 7:00 PM PDT (29 October, 02:00 UTC)
- Platforms: PC and PS5
- Steam price: $49.99
- Estimated prelaunch sales: over 1 million (Alinea Analytics)
- Day-one patch: about 5 GB
- Recommended NVIDIA driver: 617.42
How many copies has Phantom Blade Zero sold?
There is no official figure yet. The numbers come from Rhys Elliott, head of market analysis at Alinea Analytics. As reported by IGN, Elliott estimates the game sold about 850,000 prelaunch copies on its Western launch platforms, Steam and PS5.
Add sales on WeGame, Tencent's PC store in China, and the total reportedly climbs above 1 million. Elliott says about three quarters of Western prelaunch sales came from Steam, and nearly two thirds of all prelaunch sales came from China, Taiwan or Hong Kong.
| Estimate | Figure |
|---|---|
| Steam + PS5 prelaunch | About 850,000 |
| Total incl. WeGame | Over 1 million |
| Prelaunch revenue | About $43 million |
| Steam share of Western sales | About three quarters |
Elliott says prelaunch revenue alone puts the game in the top 40 of 2026 by revenue. He does not expect it to match Black Myth: Wukong, which sold 10 million copies in its first three days, but says it will still sell a lot in a crowded market.
What does the Phantom Blade Zero day-one patch fix?
Director and producer Soulframe Liang shared a message on Chinese social media, which was translated on the game's subreddit and picked up by Wccftech. Liang says the team rushed out a day-one patch of about 5 GB before launch.
The patch significantly improves ray tracing and path tracing performance and fixes some bugs. If you pre-loaded, download the update before your first launch. If you did not, your download will already be the latest version.
The NVIDIA driver warning
Liang says NVIDIA's latest 621.01 driver shows unstable performance in certain situations. After testing, the team found that 617.42 currently gives the best compatibility. If you are on a newer driver, you can pick the older one from NVIDIA's driver archive and do a clean reinstall, or wait for NVIDIA's next release, which S-Game expects soon.
Not sure how to downgrade? Our guide on how to roll back NVIDIA drivers walks through it step by step.
PC install size and tips
S-Game's Steam post gives PC players three tips: install on an SSD, keep at least 300 GB free for the pre-load, and update your graphics driver. The game itself is about 145 GB. Keep the driver advice in context: staying current is good, but the director's warning about 621.01 still applies.
The Steam page lists 15 interface languages, with full audio in English and Simplified Chinese.
A launch letter from the game's creator
Ahead of launch, S-Game also posted a long letter from the game's creator on Steam. It traces the game back to Rainblood: Town of Death, an indie game the author made with RPG Maker as a student 20 years ago, and says the studio cancelled its other projects to focus on Phantom Blade Zero.
The letter includes practical details as well: three button layouts on PS5, more flexible remapping on PC, and support for 16:9, 16:10 and ultrawide aspect ratios beyond 3:1. Donnie Yen has been a creative consultant on the game since 2023.
Reviews and expectations
Critics are positive too. IGN gave it 9/10, and Wccftech's reviewer says he awarded it a perfect score. We rounded up the wider critical response in our Phantom Blade Zero reviews roundup. For another big release this week, see our Crimson Desert DLC release time guide.
Frequently asked questions
What time does Phantom Blade Zero release?
It unlocks on 28 October at 7:00 PM PDT, which is 29 October at 2:00 AM UTC.
Which NVIDIA driver is recommended for Phantom Blade Zero?
Director Soulframe Liang says driver 621.01 can be unstable in certain situations and that 617.42 currently offers the best compatibility.
How big is Phantom Blade Zero on PC?
S-Game says the game is about 145 GB and recommends keeping at least 300 GB free for the pre-load, installed on an SSD.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Questions answered in this article
Sources
External links cited in this article
- 01Steam / S-Gamestore.steampowered.com (opens in a new tab)
- 02IGN: Phantom Blade Zero estimated 1 million prelaunch salesign.com (opens in a new tab)
- 03Wccftech: 5 GB day-one patch and NVIDIA driver warningwccftech.com (opens in a new tab)
- 04Steam: Phantom Blade Zero announcementsstore.steampowered.com (opens in a new tab)
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