Quick answer: Phantom Blade Zero pre-load opens tonight, Monday, October 26 at 9 PM CT (7 PM PT, 10 PM ET), and the game unlocks Wednesday, October 28 at 9 PM CT (02:00 UTC on October 29). On PC the game is about 145 GB, but S-GAME says you need at least 300 GB free on the drive to pre-load, it must go on an SSD, and NVIDIA players should be on driver 621.01. The PS5 download is listed at about 135 GB. You have to pre-purchase the game to pre-load it.
S-GAME posted its official PC pre-load checklist on Steam this morning, two days before launch. The headline number is the one that will catch people out: a 145 GB game that needs more than twice that much free space while it downloads. Here’s when to start, how much room to clear and how to get the download going on PS5, Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Phantom Blade Zero pre-load and unlock times
S-GAME gave one global time for each step: pre-load at 02:00 UTC on October 27 and unlock at 02:00 UTC on October 29. Here’s what that means where you are. The US is still on daylight time until November 1, so the Americas get both a day “early.”
| Time zone | Pre-load opens | Game unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific (PT) | Mon, Oct 26, 7 PM | Wed, Oct 28, 7 PM |
| Central (CT) | Mon, Oct 26, 9 PM | Wed, Oct 28, 9 PM |
| Eastern (ET) | Mon, Oct 26, 10 PM | Wed, Oct 28, 10 PM |
| UK (GMT) | Tue, Oct 27, 2 AM | Thu, Oct 29, 2 AM |
| Central Europe (CET) | Tue, Oct 27, 3 AM | Thu, Oct 29, 3 AM |
| Beijing | Tue, Oct 27, 10 AM | Thu, Oct 29, 10 AM |
| Japan (JST) | Tue, Oct 27, 11 AM | Thu, Oct 29, 11 AM |
| Sydney (AEDT) | Tue, Oct 27, 1 PM | Thu, Oct 29, 1 PM |
That’s why Steam and PlayStation in the US say October 28 while most other regions say October 29. It’s the same moment everywhere.
Step 1: Clear 300 GB on an SSD (PC)
S-GAME’s own wording: the game is “approximately 145 GB,” and you should “reserve at least 300 GB of free disk space for the pre-load process.” Its PC guide explains why. Temporary files and the complete game have to sit on the drive together while the game unlocks, and usage drops back to about 145 GB once that finishes. If you only have 150 GB free, the pre-load can fail.
- SSD only. Steam lists SSD installation as required for both minimum and recommended specs. To check what kind of drive you have, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, open the Performance tab in Task Manager and click the disk.
- Avoid your C: drive if you can. S-GAME recommends a separate drive so Windows activity doesn’t hurt frame rate stability.
- If a download fails, S-GAME’s fix is to free up the space and download again.
Step 2: Update your graphics driver
For NVIDIA cards, S-GAME “strongly” recommends GeForce Game Ready Driver 621.01, which it says includes optimizations for Phantom Blade Zero and improves stability. Update through the NVIDIA app under Drivers. AMD players should update Adrenalin Edition and check for a Phantom Blade Zero driver before launch; S-GAME didn’t name a version. Our check: PC performance was the biggest worry in the final previews, so this step matters more than usual.
Step 3: Pre-purchase and start the download
- Steam: pre-purchase on the store page, then open your Library. The pre-load button appears on the game’s page once the window opens, and you can pick the install drive there.
- Epic Games Store: pre-purchase, then check your Library once the window opens. S-GAME’s times and 300 GB advice are for PC in general, so plan for the same on Epic.
- PS5: pre-order the digital version, then go to Game Library and download it, or turn on Auto-Download under Settings, Saved Data and Game/App Settings, Automatic Updates, and leave the console in rest mode. The PS5 file is listed at about 135 GB, per our PS5 file size report.
Which edition, and what you get for pre-ordering
It’s $59.99 for the standard edition and $69.99 for the Digital Deluxe Edition, digital only at launch, with a physical PS5 edition coming in 2027 (see our launch trailer story). Pre-purchasing on Steam unlocks the Treasure Basin accessory, which raises Remnant Dust drops by 10%, and the Legacy outfit. Both can also be earned in the game, so neither is a reason to buy early on its own.
Pick your difficulty before you start
S-GAME lists three options. Wayfarer is for players who mainly want the story. Hellwalker brings what S-GAME calls “more advanced and adaptive enemy intelligence.” Sixty-Six Days mode “isn’t for the faint of heart.” Weapon choices aren’t permanent either: you can reforge an upgraded weapon to get the materials back. If you’re still deciding whether to buy at all, our reviews roundup has the scores (88 on Metacritic when we checked on October 25) and what critics did and didn’t like.
What we don’t know yet
S-GAME hasn’t announced a day-one patch or its size, or whether the 300 GB rule works any differently on Epic than on Steam. We’ll update this guide if it does.
Sources: S-GAME’s “Ready your blade!” Steam announcement and PC Preload Guide (October 26), Phantom Blade Zero Steam page, PlayStation Blog, TechSpot. Featured image: S-GAME (official Phantom Blade Zero screenshot).
