RPG dominated China’s livestreaming landscape in October 2026, standing out as some of the month’s most-watched content. Niko Partners China Games & Livestreaming Tracker reveals that RPG remained one of the most-watched genres in China’s livestreaming market in October 2026, with the newly launched title Phantom Blade Zero emerging as the latest driver of the genre’s overall performance.
S Game’s Phantom Blade Zero, ranked as the #23 most-viewed game on our Niko Index chart, and at #11 when isolating the RPG genre, amassing a total of 19.8 million viewers across Huya, Douyu and Bilibili in October. The premium RPG PC/console game was launched across Steam International, WeGame, and PlayStation 5 on October 29.
The title recorded strong launch demand following its October 29 release. On November 2, S-GAME highlighted its sales exceeded 4 million copies across all platforms within 72 hours. Niko Partners estimates that China accounted for more than 2.5 million units.
Compared with other Chinese single-player RPG launches, Phantom Blade Zero drew approximately 59% more viewers in its first three days than Wuchang: Fallen Feathers (12.4 million). However, its launch audience was about one-fifth of Black Myth: Wukong (99.8 million) which sold 10 million copies in 4 days.
Since its launch, it ranked #1 on the Steam China Weekly Top Sellers chart for 3 consecutive weeks. Steam global concurrent players peaked at 834,000 in early November, making it one of the most successful game launches this year.
The title holds a 9.3 rating on WeGame. Meanwhile, simplified Chinese accounts for approximately 93.37% of the Steam reviews, 94% of which are positive. Chinese-language Steam reviews highlight weapon variety, expanding exploration and distinctive wuxia atmosphere.
Like Black Myth: Wukong, the strong launch of Phantom Blade Zero is another example of a Chinese developer finding success in the AAA premium game space with a new IP. We expect higher total viewership in November, reflecting the game’s first full month following its October 29 launch.
The above is an extract from our China Games & Livestreaming Tracker October 2026 summary. See the free sample here.
Niko Partners’ China Games & Livestreaming Tracker views all current and historical data in our dashboard, updated every 24 hours. Niko’s Analysts write and post monthly analysis of key trends and data observed in the Tracker to help our clients with important insights. Learn more about the platform here. Book your free demo!