Phantom Blade Zero Preload Times Are Set: Get Your SSD Ready Before October 29

The countdown is now official. According to Vandal, Phantom Blade Zero, one of the strongest Game of the Year contenders, arrives on October 29 on PlayStation 5 and PC, and the preload kicks off in the next few hours. S-GAME has set a date and time for the download to begin in each region, so anyone who wants to jump in on day one without waiting now has the schedule in front of them.

This matters for two reasons. First, because it is one of the most anticipated releases of the year, and any technical stumble at launch shows up on Twitch, on YouTube, and in the team chat within five minutes. Second, because the studio has issued a warning that should not be overlooked: the game weighs 145 GB, but installation requires at least 300 GB of free space. If your drive is running tight, today is the day to clean house.

What You Need to Know

• Phantom Blade Zero launches on October 29 on PS5 and PC, with a physical edition planned for 2027.
• The preload begins in the early hours of October 27 in Spain and on the night of October 26 in the Americas.
• The game takes up 145 GB, but needs a minimum of 300 GB of space to install.
• S-GAME recommends that PC players check the minimum and recommended requirements, paying special attention to the use of an SSD.
• It is a good idea to update your graphics card drivers to the latest version to avoid compatibility issues.

Preload Times by Region

Here is the schedule reported by Vandal for the start of the preload on PS5 and PC. As always, each region has its own local time, so double-check yours before staying up waiting for a download that has not started yet.

For the Underworld Lordz community, this translates into something very concrete: Lordz in the Americas can leave the game downloading before heading to bed on Sunday, while those in Europe will find it ready to download when they wake up on Monday. With two days of buffer until the 29th, the problem will not be time, but disk space.

145 GB Download, 300 GB of Space: The Technical Warning

The detail that will generate the most noise is the gap between the game's size and what it demands to install. Phantom Blade Zero takes up 145 GB, but S-GAME warns that at least 300 GB will be needed during installation. That is more than double, and on a console like the PS5 with its internal SSD, it could force you to uninstall several titles just to let the process finish.

On PC, the studio has been even more insistent. It asks players to check the minimum and recommended requirements and stresses the use of an SSD for a smooth experience. It also recommends having the latest graphics drivers installed to reduce potential compatibility issues. It is the kind of warning that sounds like a formality until the game crashes during the first cutscene.

Anyone who prefers to wait for a boxed copy will need patience: the physical release will not arrive until 2027, according to the information Vandal has.

Our Take

Here at the Underworld Lordz editorial desk, the first thing to do is applaud S-GAME for publishing clear region-by-region schedules and giving advance notice of the requirements. It sounds like the bare minimum, but we still see launches where the preload appears without warning and content creators find out through a Reddit thread. Here there is a schedule, there are figures, and there are concrete recommendations. That helps with planning streams, first-impressions videos, and team sessions without improvising.

That said, 300 GB of space to install a 145 GB game strikes us as outrageous. We understand that installation processes need headroom, but demanding more than double the final size penalizes anyone playing on a console with the stock SSD and anyone without the budget to expand their storage. For a competitive player who keeps several titles installed for tournaments and content, this forces a choice about what to delete, and there is not always a comfortable option.

Our practical recommendation is simple: free up space today, update your drivers today, and do not leave the preload until the 28th. If you plan to stream the launch, run performance tests before going live. A Game of the Year contender deserves a smooth arrival, and the technical side is the studio's responsibility, but the preparation is ours.

What Do You Think?

Phantom Blade Zero arrives with enormous expectations and a storage requirement that is bound to spark debate. Will you jump in on day one, or wait to see how it performs on PC and PS5? Tell us in the team chat or on our Discord: do you think it is reasonable for a 145 GB game to require 300 GB of free space to install?