# Phantom Blade Zero vs Elden Ring

As of 2 November 2026, 90% of 49,609 player reviews recommend Phantom Blade Zero, and 93% of 835,064 recommend ELDEN RING.

> Both are action RPGs built on sword fights and big bosses, and players describe two different games. Phantom Blade Zero is fast and linear, with long combos and difficulty modes, and Elden Ring is an open world with no easier mode, built on learning each boss.

## In short

Elden Ring suits players who want a world to explore at their own pace, builds to experiment with and bosses that take many tries. Phantom Blade Zero suits players who want flashier, faster fights in linear levels and a gentler start, though players who come for a soulslike’s challenge often find it too easy.

## At a glance

| | Phantom Blade Zero | Elden Ring |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Released | 28 October 2026 | 24 February 2022 |
| Price at launch | $59.99 | $59.99 |
| Developer | S-GAME Studio | FromSoftware |
| Publisher | S-GAME Publishing | FromSoftware and Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| Players recommend it | 90% of 49,609 reviews | 93% of 835,064 reviews |
| Our reading | 80 most helpful and 40 latest reviews, read 29 October 2026 | 80 most helpful and 40 latest reviews, read 2 November 2026 |

## What players praise

### Phantom Blade Zero

- **The fights look like a martial arts film.** Fast, fluid combos, parries that flow into counters and boss attacks with their own animations make every fight a show.
- **Bosses and weapons keep it fresh.** Players praise bosses that make them adapt and a wide range of weapons, each with its own moves.
- **Many PCs run it smoothly.** Players report steady frame rates from older cards such as the RTX 2060 up to high-end machines.

### ELDEN RING

- **Exploration rewards curiosity everywhere.** Hidden dungeons, items and optional bosses fill the world, and players keep exploring for dozens of hours.
- **Dodging and parrying reward good timing.** Players call the combat its strongest part, with guard counters, poise breaks and jump attacks adding variety to the basic dodge and parry.
- **Builds stay open for most of the game.** Ashes of War, weapon affinities and a respec let players try many builds, and many return to test new ones on later runs.
- **Hard boss wins feel earned.** Long runs of deaths end in a win players say they earned, and learning each boss is part of the payoff.

## What players criticise

### Phantom Blade Zero

- **Many find it too easy.** Long combos seem to play themselves and parries come easily, and some find little risk even on Hellwalker, the harder mode.
- **Shader compilation takes a long time.** The first launch spends 20 minutes or more compiling shaders for several players, and some had to sit through it twice.
- **Some PCs hit glitches and crashes.** Players report stutter, broken sky and hair textures and crashes, and several turn off ray tracing to stop light flickering.

### ELDEN RING

- **The PC version has rough edges.** Players report stutter in some areas, crashes on loading screens and no ultrawide option.
- **Some boss attacks drag on too long.** Delayed swings and long combos with no safe window to counter strike some players as difficulty added for its own sake.
- **Online play is lopsided.** Invasions often pit one player against two or three, and some connections drop back to single player.
- **Side quests are easy to miss.** There’s no quest log, and a quest can break if a character is spoken to too early or a boss is fought out of order.

## Which to pick

- Pick Phantom Blade Zero if you want faster, flashier sword fights in linear levels, with difficulty modes to choose from. https://creativecult.digital/games/phantom-blade-zero
- Pick Elden Ring if you want a large world to explore at your own pace, deep combat with many builds, and no easier mode to fall back on.

## Questions

### Is Phantom Blade Zero like Elden Ring?

Only on the surface. Its look invites the comparison, but players place it nearer Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden or Black Myth: Wukong, with linear levels and long combos. Elden Ring is an open world built on dodging, parrying and learning each boss.

### Is Phantom Blade Zero harder than Elden Ring?

No. Phantom Blade Zero has four difficulty settings, and many players find it easy, some even on Hellwalker. Elden Ring has no difficulty settings, and players find its opening hours hard, though Spirit Ashes, summons and levelling up elsewhere can ease a boss.

### Is Phantom Blade Zero open world like Elden Ring?

No. Players describe Phantom Blade Zero’s levels as linear, with a map and fast travel between them. Elden Ring is an open world, and players praise the hidden dungeons, items and optional bosses that fill it.

### Which is better, Phantom Blade Zero or Elden Ring?

Players recommend both widely. As of 2 November 2026, 90% of Phantom Blade Zero’s 49,609 reviews recommend it and 93% of Elden Ring’s 835,064. Players who loved Elden Ring’s challenge are the most likely to find Phantom Blade Zero too easy.

### How much are Phantom Blade Zero and Elden Ring?

Both are $59.99. Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree Edition, which adds its expansion, is $79.99. Elden Ring came out in February 2022, and Phantom Blade Zero on 28 October 2026.

## Sources

182. Steam: Phantom Blade Zero, store page and user reviews: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4115450/
221. Steam: ELDEN RING, store page and user reviews: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1245620/

Page: https://creativecult.digital/compare/phantom-blade-zero-vs-elden-ring