Hours after release, Black Myth: Wukong is a huge hit on Steam

Action RPG Black Myth: Wukong is already a huge hit on PC, breaking into Steam’s all-time most-played games within hours of launch.

The game, which was developed by Shenzen-based studio Game Science, and is based on Chinese novel Journey to the West, was released for PC and PS5 on Tuesday.

Within hours of release, it attracted over 1.44 million concurrent players on Steam, according to tracker Steam Charts, which means it’s already the platform’s fourth biggest game ever in terms of concurrent players.

Wukong is above recent single-player hits like Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy and Baldur’s Gate. Only Counter-Strike 2 (1.81m), Palworld (2.1m), and PUBG: Battlegrounds (3.25m) have ever had more concurrent players.

As noted by a China business analyst on X, Wukong dominated the trending list throughout the day on Weibo, China’s X-style social network, with 6.7 million discussions at the time of publication.

Crucially, Tuesday’s numbers do not include players on WeGame, where Wukong is sold in China, or PlayStation 5. An Xbox version of the game is also in development, however, it has been delayed. 

The successful launch comes amid controversy involving reported demands sent to influencers interested in covering Wukong, that they keep politics, COVID-19 references and “feminist propaganda” out of their coverage.

Some Game Science developers had previously been criticised for a reported history of making sexually crude and misogynistic comments on social media.

VGC’s Black Myth: Wukong final impressions called the game “a beautiful if slightly boring boss rush”, saying: “It’s utterly gorgeous and technically mighty, but its gameplay and narrative leave quite a bit to be desired.”