Black Myth: Wukong is out now for PC and PlayStation 5, and on Steam, the game is seeing extraordinary popularity right out of the gate. The game has exceeded 2.2 million concurrent players, surpassing the all-time peak concurrent records for titles like Dota 2 (1.2 million), Counter-Strike 2 (1.8 million), and more. It is Steam’s most popular game today based on concurrent players.
On August 20, Black Myth: Wukong passed Palworld’s all-time record (2.1 million concurrent players), but remains well short of the all-time record-holder, PUBG, which reached an astonishing 3.2 million concurrent players. Of note, titles like Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, and PUBG are free, whereas Black Myth costs $60. The game is also the No. 1 title on Steam’s top-selling games chart.
A significant portion of Black Myth: Wukong’s playerbase comes from China, according to a report. Another development is that Palworld developer Pocketpair has congratulated Black Myth: Wukong on surpassing Palword’s concurrent player figure on Steam.
How China-specific is interest in Black Myth: Wukong? A lot: @GameDiscoverCo‘s current estimate of its Steam country split for players is 88.1% China, 3% U.S., 1.6% Hong Kong, 1% Japan. pic.twitter.com/FeAFn85NBH
— Simon Carless (@simoncarless) August 20, 2024
Black Myth: Wukong, which was created by Chinese developer Game Science, has been controversial in some circles. Game Science’s guidelines for content creators ask them to avoid discussing “feminist propaganda” and COVID. A report from IGN in 2023 documented the alleged sexist and misogynist commentary from the development team.
Congratulations Wukong for becoming the second most played game on Steam ever!
This year has been a big year for FUN games, and we’re so proud to stand alongside these amazing games! @BlackMythGame pic.twitter.com/iFJQaycPHd
— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) August 20, 2024
If you’re just getting started with Black Myth, you can check out GameSpot’s Black Myth: Wukong guide that runs through 20 things to know before you jump in. We also have a dedicated guides hub where you can get all the key info you need. GameSpot’s Black Myth: Wukong review scored the game an 8/10.
Black Myth: Wukong is available now on PC and PS5 and is scheduled to come to Xbox Series X|S at a later date. Game Science delayed the Xbox version because it didn’t meet the studio’s quality standards.
