Black Myth: Wukong Achieves Stunning Sales Figures in First Week

Black Myth: Wukong has had a jaw-dropping debut, selling 10 million units in its first week. As noted by industry analyst Daniel Ahmad on X, "The Everything App," this record-breaking performance outpaces some of the biggest game launches in recent years.

To put these numbers into perspective:

- Hogwarts Legacy:15 million in three months

- Elden Ring:13 million in one month

- Cyberpunk 2077:13.7 million in one month

- Baldur's Gate 3:Over 20 million in five months

- Helldivers 2:12 million in three months

The only title that comes close to Black Myth: Wukong's rapid rise is Palworld, which attracted 19 million players in just two weeks—a milestone that Wukong seems poised to surpass. Notably, Wukong has already climbed to the #2 spot for most concurrent players in Steam's history, a testament to its overwhelming popularity. Prior to its launch, it was also the most wishlisted game on the platform, following the fall of The Day Before.

Unlike its wishlist predecessor, Black Myth: Wukong delivers a superior gaming experience. PC Gamer associate editor Tyler Colp awarded the game an impressive 87%, praising it for offering a fresh take on the challenging combat popularized by FromSoftware’s Souls games. Instead of merely copying the genre's leader, Wukong stands out with its unique approach. Colp highlighted the game’s sense of whimsy and magic, reminiscent of the best Witcher quests, where the player must negotiate with mythical creatures.

A significant factor driving Wukong's success is its immense popularity in China, home to its developer, Game Science. As detailed by games industry analyst firm Niko, 93% of the game’s Steam reviews are in simplified Chinese. Additionally, Steam broke its previous download bandwidth record—set during Cyberpunk 2077's launch—by 28 terabytes per second on Wukong's launch day, with 82% of this traffic coming from East Asia. Gameplay videos and previews of Wukong have also been taking Chinese social media platforms, like bilibili, by storm.

Given this incredible success, it’s likely we’ll see more blockbuster titles emerging from the Chinese gaming industry. Another game to watch is Mecha Break, set to bring high-octane action and impressive production values to the live-service multiplayer shooter genre. Though it's different from Wukong's single-player, story-driven experience, Mecha Break is drawing attention with its Gundam-inspired take on hero shooters.

As Black Myth: Wukong continues to dominate the charts, it sets a new standard for future Chinese game releases and shows the world what the Chinese gaming industry is capable of achieving.