--- title: "Phantom Blade Zero Release Date: October 29 on PS5 and PC, and How It Runs on Unreal Engine 5" description: "Path Tracing costs about half your frame rate in Phantom Blade Zero, so check the benchmark numbers before launch day." url: https://gaming.skoop.news/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks-8211-fast-paced--10-27/ published: 2026-10-27T04:38:35.338202-04:00 modified: 2026-10-27T04:38:35.338251-04:00 section: "Gaming & Streamers" publisher: "skoop.news" language: en keywords: ["phantom blade zero release date", "Path Tracing", "Ray Tracing", "Ray Reconstruction", "Shader Compilation", "Very High", "MSI MEG Z790 ACE", "FPS", "Ultra", "Sha-Chi"] hashtags: ["#PathTracing", "#RayTracing", "#RayReconstruction", "#gaming", "#gamingclips"] image: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/G2_Esports_LoL_at_IEM_Katowice_2017.jpg/1280px-G2_Esports_LoL_at_IEM_Katowice_2017.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail --- # Phantom Blade Zero Release Date: October 29 on PS5 and PC, and How It Runs on Unreal Engine 5 > Path Tracing costs about half your frame rate in Phantom Blade Zero, so check the benchmark numbers before launch day. Published 2026-10-27 · Updated 2026-10-27 · Gaming & Streamers, [skoop.news](https://skoop.news/) ## In brief - Phantom Blade Zero releases on October 29 for PlayStation 5 and Windows PC, and turning on Path Tracing on PC costs about 50% of your frame rate compared with native Ultra. [[1]](https://www.polygon.com/phantom-blade-zero-review/) [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) - The game starts with a Shader Compilation screen that takes a good amount of time. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) - In the preset benchmark, the Low preset averaged 103 FPS and the Medium preset averaged 99 FPS. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) ## Release date and platforms Phantom Blade Zero releases on October 29 for PlayStation 5 and Windows PC, and turning on Path Tracing on PC costs about 50% of your frame rate compared with native Ultra. [[1]](https://www.polygon.com/phantom-blade-zero-review/) [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) If you plan to play on PC, the graphics menu matters from the first launch. The game is made using Unreal Engine 5, version 5.7.4. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) It offers increased graphics fidelity through NVIDIA's DLSS 4.5 technology and Path Tracing. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) ## What the graphics menu offers The game starts with a Shader Compilation screen that takes a good amount of time. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) It is a one-time process. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) Super Resolution settings let you pick TSR, NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, or Intel XeSS as the SR method. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) Dynamic Resolution Quality is disabled when DLSS, XeSS, or FSR is used. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) Frame generation is built in, with AMD up to 2x, Intel up to 4x, and NVIDIA up to 6x modes. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) Path Tracing is not enabled by default, and you can choose between Native Rendering, Ray Tracing, and Path Tracing. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) NVIDIA RTX GPUs also support Ray Reconstruction based on DLSS 4.5, which offers better image quality in RT and PT modes. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) ## Preset benchmarks In the preset benchmark, the Low preset averaged 103 FPS and the Medium preset averaged 99 FPS. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) The two differ by only 3-5 FPS because lighting is the same between them. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) Moving from Medium to High causes about a 14% drop in performance, and the step from High to Very High causes about a 15% hit. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) The Ultra preset yields a 6-7% drop compared with Very High. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) Ray Tracing costs 20-22% compared with native Ultra. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) Path Tracing has a 35-40% FPS hit versus Ray Tracing and about 50% versus native Ultra. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) These runs were at 4K on an RTX 5090, and the author notes that results may vary with resolution and graphics card. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) The test system used an Intel Core i9-13900K, an MSI MEG Z790 ACE motherboard, and 32 GB of DDR5-7600 (CL36) memory. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) ## Which GPUs reach 60 FPS At native 4K, the RTX 5090 averaged 63 FPS, the RTX 4090 averaged 51 FPS, and the RTX 5080 averaged 40 FPS. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) Hardly any GPUs other than the RTX 5090 can reach 60+ FPS there. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) At 1440p, 60 FPS can be achieved on cards such as the RTX 5070 Ti, RX 9070 XT, and above. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) Most enthusiast-grade cards do not need frame generation, since upscaling alone can deliver over 100 FPS. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) ## The game itself The protagonist Soul must find a way to survive before his magically inserted artificial heart stops working, and he has only 66 days to do so. [[1]](https://www.polygon.com/phantom-blade-zero-review/) The game has eight maps. [[3]](https://www.ign.com/articles/phantom-blade-zero-review) Only heavy attacks cost stamina, which is shown in Soul's Sha-Chi bar, and normal attacks do not. [[1]](https://www.polygon.com/phantom-blade-zero-review/) Parrying is the best defensive technique because it depletes enemies' Sha-Chi bars. [[1]](https://www.polygon.com/phantom-blade-zero-review/) Swapping between two primary weapons restores Soul's entire Sha-Chi bar, subject to a short cooldown. [[1]](https://www.polygon.com/phantom-blade-zero-review/) Actor Donnie Yen, known for Ip Man, is part of the project and trains the player in a questline. [[1]](https://www.polygon.com/phantom-blade-zero-review/) That questline, in which he trains you as the mysterious gold-masked man, is a strong subplot that is often missable. [[3]](https://www.ign.com/articles/phantom-blade-zero-review) ## Reviewer's problems The reviewer died nearly 200 times during the playthrough, and roughly half of those deaths came from falls or getting caught in the environment. [[3]](https://www.ign.com/articles/phantom-blade-zero-review) The reviewer also describes occasional performance issues and bad geometry, such as invisible borders and characters getting stuck on surfaces. [[3]](https://www.ign.com/articles/phantom-blade-zero-review) ## What this means for you If you play on PC, expect the Shader Compilation screen at the start, which takes a good amount of time and happens once. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) Path Tracing is off by default, so you have to choose it yourself. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) If you want Ray Tracing or Path Tracing, turn on frame generation, which is a must with those modes. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) On an RTX card, Ray Reconstruction gives better image quality in those modes. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) At 4K, only the RTX 5090 reached 60+ FPS at native settings in the tests. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) At 1440p, cards such as the RTX 5070 Ti and RX 9070 XT reach 60 FPS. [[2]](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) ## Sources 1. [Phantom Blade Zero Is the Perfect Martial Arts Game, For Better or Worse](https://www.polygon.com/phantom-blade-zero-review/) — Polygon 2. [Phantom Blade Zero PC Performance Benchmarks – Fast-Paced Wuxia That Looks Phenomenal In Path Tracing & Boosted By NVIDIA RTX Tech](https://wccftech.com/phantom-blade-zero-pc-performance-benchmarks/) — wccftech.com 3. [Phantom Blade Zero Review](https://www.ign.com/articles/phantom-blade-zero-review) — ign.com Image: Photo (illustrative): Fillo Records / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:G2_Esports_LoL_at_IEM_Katowice_2017.jpg) --- Written from the sources above and checked twice (rules and an independent model) before publishing. How we work: https://skoop.news/how-we-work/ · Corrections: https://skoop.news/corrections/