Almost two years after launch, Black Myth: Wukong is still pulling numbers that most games never see in their entire lifetime. Developer Game Science has confirmed the action-RPG has "achieved results beyond our expectations" in both China and international markets, stopping just short of putting a hard number on it.
The sales figure itself comes from a report published by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China, which places total copies sold at over 30 million. Game Science declined to confirm that specific number, but its statement made clear the game has well outpaced whatever internal benchmarks the studio had set going in.
From Steam record to global phenomenon
To put 30 million in context: that figure would put Black Myth: Wukong ahead of where Elden Ring sat when FromSoftware reported 30 million shipped copies in April last year, and closing in on Cyberpunk 2077, which reached 35 million copies sold as of last November. Both of those are widely regarded as all-time commercial benchmarks for the genre. Matching them in under two years is a different kind of achievement.
The game launched in August 2024 and immediately broke Steam records, peaking as the most-played single-player game in the platform's history. It hit 10 million copies sold within four days of launch. The momentum clearly did not stop there.
What Game Science actually said
Game Science's full statement is worth reading carefully. The studio noted it has no new sales figures to share beyond the 10 million milestone announced at launch, but added: "What we can say is that Black Myth: Wukong has achieved results beyond our expectations in both China and international markets, and we remain incredibly grateful for the enthusiasm and support from players around the world."
The studio also acknowledged the role of the community and media in keeping the game's momentum alive post-launch. That kind of sustained attention matters for a single-player game with no live-service hooks.
The wider ripple effect
Black Myth: Wukong's success has done something beyond just selling copies. It effectively signaled to the broader industry that big-budget, Chinese-developed console and PC games could compete at the highest commercial level globally. Several other Chinese studios have accelerated their own projects in the years since, pointing directly to Wukong as the proof of concept.
Here's the thing: the 30 million figure, if accurate, makes this one of the fastest-selling action-RPGs ever made. That is not a category where new entrants usually show up and immediately sit alongside decade-long franchises.
What comes next from Game Science
Game Science is already working on its follow-up. Black Myth: Zhong Kui, announced at Gamescom last year, centers on the ghost-catching deity who moves between the mortal world and the underworld. It is not a direct sequel but shares the same single-player action-RPG DNA rooted in Chinese folklore. No release date has been confirmed yet, though the game is planned for PC and mainstream console platforms.
For players who want to get the most out of the current game while waiting, the Black Myth: Wukong guide collection covers everything from boss strategies to build optimization. And if you are branching out across other titles in the meantime, the broader gaming guides hub has you covered across the genre.
