 |
| The majority of Phantom Blade Zero pre-orders came from Asia. |
Phantom Blade Zero has officially crossed 4 million copies sold in just three days, and the regional breakdown reveals some fascinating platform preferences.
The action RPG from Chinese studio S-Game has been a runaway success since launch, with the official Phantom Blade Zero X account confirming the milestone in a celebratory post. "Phantom Blade Zero has sold over 4 million copies in just 72 hours!🔥 Thank you everyone from the bottom of our hearts for all the love and support!" the developer wrote — alongside a hilariously candid note from a team member who admitted they hadn't seen their family in four days despite living in the same house. You can read the full post here.
But while the headline number is impressive on its own, the pre-order data leading up to launch paints an even more interesting picture — particularly when you look at where those sales are coming from and which platform players are choosing.
China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong Are Carrying the Load
According to estimates from market research firm Alinea Analytics, Phantom Blade Zero had already racked up around 850,000 pre-orders across Steam and PS5 before launch. Of those, a staggering 62.5% came from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong alone.
That's not entirely surprising. Much like Black Myth: Wukong before it, Phantom Blade Zero is a Chinese-developed title steeped in traditional martial arts and cultural themes. It clearly resonates with its home audience — and they showed up in force.
 |
| Phantom Blade Zero is a Chinese action RPG featuring a dark setting and fast-paced kung fu combat. Players take on the role of Soul, a warrior who has just 66 days left to live and must uncover a conspiracy. (Pictured: A screenshot from Phantom Blade Zero.) |
Steam Is the Platform of Choice in Asian Markets
Here's where things get really interesting. When you break down the pre-order data by platform, players in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong overwhelmingly chose PC. A massive 75.9% of all Steam pre-orders for Phantom Blade Zero came from these three markets, compared to just 24.9% of PS5 pre-orders.
In other words, if you're playing Phantom Blade Zero on Steam, there's a good chance you're doing so in an Asian market — or perhaps on a Steam Deck. The preference for PC gaming in these regions is well-documented, and Phantom Blade Zero's success on Steam only reinforces that trend.
The Rest of the World Leans PlayStation
Outside of those three key markets, the platform split flips. According to Alinea Analytics, approximately 167,500 PS5 pre-orders were placed internationally, compared to roughly 151,000 on Steam. That's a slight but meaningful lead for Sony's console in Western markets — suggesting that while Asian players prefer PC, the rest of the world is still very much attached to their PlayStation.
It's worth noting that these figures are market estimates rather than official sales data, and they specifically refer to pre-orders only. Whether post-launch sales have followed the same regional and platform distribution remains to be seen — but given the game's momentum, it's likely the overall picture won't shift dramatically.
What This Means Going Forward
Phantom Blade Zero's 4 million sales in 72 hours puts it in rare company, and the strong showing in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong suggests that Chinese-developed action RPGs are becoming a major force in the global market. With Steam dominating in those regions and PlayStation holding its own elsewhere, S-Game has managed to find success across both platforms — a balancing act that many developers struggle to achieve.
For now, the developer is clearly riding high. And if that X post is anything to go by, the team is probably due for a well-earned nap.
Source: Phantom Blade Zero on X