For years, many games from China released elsewhere were MMOs or mobile games. Every now and then, you got a few translations outside of these, but those were largely on PC. However, new Chinese AAA titles have recently gained a fresh opportunity to release on consoles. Such an opportunity has only become viable due to new funding sources, as well as industry giants like Sony making an effort to support upcoming releases from around the world. In the midst such developments, I noticed a trend of six upcoming AAA games from China, all of which I’d classify as being wuxia.
What Is Wuxia?
Wuxia is a Chinese genre of fiction where characters commit reality-breaking feats such as running on water, manipulating the elements, and flying through the air. If you’ve ever wondered where the idea of “chi-destroying attacks” or “unlocking your chi” comes from, look no further. Some of these moves conceptually have a real basis in martial arts, but wuxia pushes it to the extreme.
Offsetting the fantastical feats is a recurring philosophical component. How does struggle translate into your understanding of the world and hone your perspective? Where do personal achievements and life experiences intersect? Conflict? How do they define your decisions? What leads you to enlightenment?
The most compelling thing about this genre is the combination of extreme action with passionate narrative.
These philosophical understandings often translate into the martial prowess of the warriors in this genre. Whether it‘s their ideals (righteous or demonic path), their loyalty (respect the sect vs. loyalty to one’s self vs. loyalty to family), or their ultimate ambition, the synthesis of these elements define the characters of these worlds. Lastly comes the idea of mortality vs. immortality. A common theme within wuxia is looking for a method to live eternally and become the most powerful, even if it means expending others or sacrificing aspects of oneself.
Wuxia in Video Games: Past, Present, and Future
Over the years, there have several notable games from all over the world have dipped into this genre, including Bujingai: The Forsaken City (2003, a PlayStation 2 deep cut), Kingdom of Paradise (2005, a wonderful PSP gem), Jade Empire (2005 RPG from BioWare), and Naraka: Bladepoint (2021 action battle-royale game). Most often, games like these are focused on the action aspects and less so the philosophical. While I haven’t played 2024’s Black Myth: Wukong, it is probably the most notable recent example of a mainstream wuxia title. It’s also the exception—the game tells the famous legend of Sun Wukong, diving into the philosophy as well as the fun action.
I’ve also seen a lot of 2D titles on Steam which explore self-improvement, a decades-long popular sub-focus in wuxia where characters commit to cultivation of growth or the strict rule settings of a sect. However, these elements are not super compelling as gameplay focus for 3D titles, but often appear within stories as essential components.
That said, there’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to upcoming wuxia games. For this piece, I chose to discuss a group of games that I’m excited to play because they show off what makes this genre compelling. I have high expectations that I’ll get to experience the extreme peak of martial arts while soaring through the air like I’m being pulled on wires.
Moreover, the most compelling thing about this genre is the combination of extreme action with passionate narrative. I love to see personal stories of overcoming struggle and terrible odds turn into ones of overwhelming triumphant, justice, love, and the redefinition of the paradigms which shape a world. To me, wuxia does this better than any other genre, even if the vehicle to get us there comes in the most ridiculous of forms.
Lost Soul Aside
Release Date: May 30, 2025
Platforms: PC and PlayStation 5
I know, the first title on this list looks like it straddles sci-fi and fantasy and has nothing to do with wuxia. However, having watched the development of this project from the early days to now, I can see the influence. The focus on light speed combat, an emphasis on epic 1v1 battles, and a transforming weapon (think the Monkey King’s staff) scream wuxia to me.
To call this title merely anticipated does not do justice to the legacy of this game, which started as a solo development project by Yang Bing back in 2014. After a few years with no new visual trailers, developer Ultizero Games announced thatt Sony picked up the title and started funding its development.
Based on its official Sony page, the story is about a man named Kaser who is trying to save his sister’s soul after it was captured by an invading inter-dimensional alien race. When developing the title originally, Bing was influenced by Devil May Cry and the then upcoming Final Fantasy XV. However, Lost Soul Aside is clearly carving out its own space with the fantasy and sci-fi mashup.
Thus far, we’ve seen combat featuring enemies ranging from futuristic robots to super-powered humanoids. At some point, Kaser works with a female companion but it doesn’t appear she’ll be playable (and could be a love interest). We’ve gotten brief glimpses into puzzles and platforming elements that remind me of sequences from Control. We’ve also seen how exploration plays some role into how you’ll travel across the world, when you’re not hopping dimensions.
Hopefully, we get a glimpse into the latest gameplay through a demo on the PSN store soon to see what the team has been working on in the last year (last demo gameplay I’ve seen is ChinaJoy 2024).
Personally, I can’t wait to play Lost Soul Aside because a talking, transforming weapon is always going to be cool to me (plus the world looks amazing). I saw the first trailer when I was in college, and the minute I saw that first fight with the antagonist, I knew this was a game for me.
Where Winds Meet
Release Date: December 27, 2024 in China; TBD worldwide
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android
Developed by Everstone Studios and produced by NetEase (the same company that brought us Naraka and Marvel Rivals), Where Winds Meet is an open world game set in China’s tumultuous Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era. In the game, players get to create their own character and set off on their journey to learn martial arts and engage in adventures.
This game is the definition of what I would say when someone asks what a wuxia game could become. Looking at some clips one reddit user strung together from what I believe is official footage from the developer released only in China, we see a jumping Buddhist palm attack, a shadow clone move, and the boundless flying associated with wuxia. This flying was teased at the Tokyo Game Show back in 2023, but seeing a more updated video makes it all the more impressive.
Combat is very much what you see in wuxia movies: a lot of intricate weapon play with weapons ranging from sabers, swords, spears, fans, polearms, and daggers just to name a few. Your character can parry and perform miraculous last second dodges, chaining into wuxia-style quick steps (teleportation) behind enemies to gain attack advantages. Combos are a mixture of weapon attacks with barehanded moves intermixed and a seamless switch between primary and secondary weapons. Enchanting weapons and elemental abilities appear to be another option in combat.
Surprisingly, the game is a free-to-play live service title with a gacha system that utilizes free and paid pulls for items. There also appears to be a cash shop for cosmetics, mounts and even a battle pass. Honestly, I didn’t expect this based on the significant combat—I thought this would be a console title like the others listed, so I’m excited to see what can be accomplished. Given the depth of the wuxia genre, building this style of game makes sense and means more content and exploration to create a larger overarching story.
There is footage of the game in its current form already, so you can watch a playthrough of the initial release at least on YouTube. Right now, there isn’t information about a worldwide release but the game is still coming to PlayStation 5 at some point as teased in this trailer. If I had to guess, the game still doesn’t appear finished and the exclusive release in China is allowing the developers to finalize the base game.
Thus far, Where Winds Meet has been really successful, attracting 15 million users in less than two months. Even with the language barrier and other restrictions, it’s clear that it’s a hit. Sadly, there is no official news about a worldwide launch. Games of this size are a huge translation project. I would love to play it, but we’ll see how long we wait until there is an English version available.
Phantom Blade Zero
Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PC and PlayStation 5
Phantom Blade Zero being developed by S-GAME is the game I’m most excited for on this list. The plot is intriguing—it follows an assassin who only has 66 days to live and a lot he wishes to accomplish. The announcement trailer capitalizes on that story with a dazzling array of characters and action. The camera work teased so far is dynamic and imaginative with swords flying from every angle and close action ubiquitous. The setting of the game matches this energy with a heavy use of dark colors, fog and haze, and a never-ending overcast in almost every shot shown.
In a 2023 Sony Blog, creator Soulframe Liang talked more about his vision and how he views this “kungfu punk” world he and his team are building. With a mixture of influences coming from film and the rich history of martial arts in China, as well as being a fan of the hack-and-slash genre, many of the moves in combat are made with handcrafted animation.
Skeptics may question the feasibility of the combat (the developers have promised minimal button-mashing and bespoke moves), but I think they should watch the Year of the Snake Gameplay Trailer, which demonstrates the game’s fighting action at lightning speeds. The parries and blocking look great, and overall the gameplay demonstrated the polish you would expect from a final product launching this year.
While there is no release date, it will be a day one purchase for me as soon as I can pre-order.
Ballad of Antara
Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PC and PlayStation 5
Ballad of Antara from Infold Games tells the story of a world devastated by a conflict in a distant past, and the journey of a young girl and a male warrior as they look to save it. They meet other characters who they recruit along the way, offering players the option to switch up perspectives and gameplay. With this in mind, the story is presenting itself as an epic fantasy where a small group will determine the fate of their troubled world.
The world itself is sparsely populated. We’re shown a lot of statues of people stuck in stone as if frozen in time from a great calamity and the environments are ruled by uninhibited nature. One of the most eye-catching moments in the gameplay trailer shows the release of the frozen time, swiftly revealing a chaotic world ruled by otherworldly monsters and colors. The landscape becomes sinister, vegetation shifts colors, and the atmosphere is darker with a purple haze floating around. It will be interesting to see how the actions of the characters continue to impact the world as they accomplish their goals.
With a mix of long and short range combat, I expect a lot of flexibility. We’ve already seen a few different weapon types between the two trailers as well as magic and enchantments.
Swapping between characters looks to be seamless, opening up combos and innovative takedowns on enemies as you learn their weaknesses. It appears you can transition between up to three characters in combat (the triangle on the bottom right side of the screen shows character options) which indicates a party system. Magic and enchantments will play a significant role as both are shown off as a means to find enemy weakness and inflict large AOE damage. There’s also an NPC assistant, a young girl who rides a mount, chipping away at enemy health with physical and magic attacks.
What draws me in with this title is the mysterious cadence from the story unveiled thus far, including from Sony’s announcement. I love a close narrative between strangers in the wild west style—slow, compelling plot that boils over into tension and a list of characters and situations you won’t be forgetting anytime soon. That’s the feeling I get from this game so far.
Project: The Perceiver
Release Date: TBA
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4 & 5
Project The Perceiver is another Infold Games work-in-progress with a trailer that does a great job highlighting what makes the wuxia genre so exciting: a fever dream of magic, martial arts, and mysticism. Initially, I confused this title with Where Winds Meet, but the two are actually quite different (despite what SEO or YouTube thinks). Here’s what’s stated about the story so far from the gameplay demo’s description:
Set against the backdrop of ancient China, Project: The Perceiver is a unique mix of open-world and soulslike gameplay. The story follows an artist who died before he could complete the play that he was writing. As he spends his last moments drowning in the waller, a mask grants him a second shot at life and he sets off to avenge those who wronged him in the first place. This kickstarts your journey to free your homeland of Tang from the hostile presence that has invaded these lands.
From what’s been showcased, the game has a strong historical perspective present in the storytelling, even down into the physical world construction. There’s a great moment in the demo video around 41:00 where they talk about the historical context of the style of roof the main character runs upon. The conversation then shifts into how homes in this environment would be made from mud due to its composition that resists extreme temperature shifts. It’s the attention to little details like this which make this game my second most anticipated on this list, because if this is being done for the structures, how does this same attention appear in the story and gameplay?
Still, the most interesting part of this game to me is the use of masks that allow the player to change fighting styles. These different personas are based on boss-equivalent enemies you defeat. Although not shown, it’s possible there are other ways to earn these as you explore the world. Some are even comparing elements of its combat to that of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Though there haven’t been any recent updates in the last year, I anticipate hearing more about this game as the 2025 goes on.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
Release Date: TBA 2025
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, a soulslike title coming out from Lenzee Games, features the titular character Wuchang, an amnesiac pirate struck by the Feathering disease and who embarks on a quest to regain her memory. During her journey, she faces monsters which are sweeping across the land as a result of mutations from the mysterious circulating disease.
So far, we’ve seen a good showcase of weapon options, magic, and abilities related to the Feathering. The weapon pacing and interactions are the kind you’d expect out of a soulslike game with five main weapon types and 25 unique weapons spread across short, mid, and long range. At least 40 different spells exist in the game, showing off options like lightning or magic arrows, and unique spells like scattering flower petals or the combination of weapon attacks with spells.
It’s unclear if Feathering is a process which can be slowed down or controlled, but certain attacks seem only possible in that state. While we’ve been teased with a character who has been fully transformed by the process, it’s unclear what the story implications are or their relationship to Wuchang. In fact, most of the characters shown in gameplay have been enemies with a few NPCs that offer quests in between.
It’s important to recognize that the latest video explores the lore of the world and makes it clear Wuchang’s quest has a higher purpose than a search for truth. Likewise, this video also highlights the latest build of the game (you’ll see the HUD in the bottom left corner) which is important as there isn’t a lot of gameplay floating around of this version of the game.
I’m very curious about the transformation aspect of Feathering. Bloodborne is the first game that came to mind when I think of transformation builds. The difficulty of compensating for the weakness that comes with change is one of the reasons I never considered it. I wonder how this disease can become a boon for Wuchang during her journey? All in all, I’ll be following this intriguing soulslike closely and happy to follow backup with answers to my questions when it does.
More AAA Games From Chinese Studios
It’s exciting to see titles from new groups of creators! On this list, you’ll have noticed that several of the titles covered on this list are supported by large industry names, while others are coming from newly formed studios. Know any other exciting games you’re looking forward to? Let me know in the comments.
