When is the Black Myth Wukong release date? The classic 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West has been adapted into many videogames over the years, and developer Game Science’s upcoming soulslike is the latest of the bunch. Black Myth Wukong’s monkey protagonist is due to run a similar gauntlet of trials as Journey to the West’s Sun Wukong, and this trickster warrior has plenty of abilities up his sleeve.
While we’ve seen the release of several soulslike games that explore Chinese legends over the years, Black Myth Wukong has been highly anticipated since its initial announcement back in 2020. The time has finally come to see if it lives up to the hype, as we comb through trailers, gameplay footage, and the latest news ahead of release. Game Science has given us plenty to go off, so let’s dig into the RPG game‘s story, the Destined One’s abilities, and the Black Myth Wukong bosses we’ll be pitted against on our journey.
Black Myth Wukong release date
The Black Myth Wukong release date is set for Tuesday, August 20, 2024. It will be available on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Check our guide to the exact Black Myth Wukong release times to see when it will be rolling out across the day.
To test if your PC can run the game, check PCGameBenchmark for the Black Myth Wukong requirements, minimum system, recommended specs, size and benchmarks. Our team has also tested the game on Valve’s handheld, and the good news is that Black Myth Wukong Steam Deck looks amazing.
PCGamesN got to play the game ahead of release – check our full Black Myth Wukong review and see what we thought of it.
While Game Science hasn’t revealed any plans to bring Black Myth Wukong to Game Pass on release, we might find the action-adventure game will come to Microsoft’s subscription service later down the line.
Black Myth Wukong trailers
We first saw Black Myth Wukong in August 2020, four years to the day before the announced release date. In it, an old man regales us with the legend of the Monkey King as we see the first pre-alpha game footage of a cicada flying in a forest. After passing many enemies, the cicada transforms into our monkey protagonist, known in-game as the Destined One.
He also fights a boss wielding a flaming double-ended spear in a small area, parrying incoming blows and summoning copies of himself to fight the boss while he recovers. Eventually, the warrior transforms into a gigantic wolf beast, able to clamber onto a building and attack with great speed.
One year later, we see the next in-game trailer with the game running in the Unreal 5 Engine. There’s a snowy area filled with still human figures that come to life and attack our ape-like protagonist. He soon begins brawling with another monkey creature with a big sword, a dragon at a frozen lake, and several other monsters in a montage. There was also an update the following Chinese New Year, where the developer showed off motion-captured cats.
The next trailer dropped in August 2022, showing off a six-minute cutscene where numerous women gather in a garden to talk about their mother’s upcoming marriage. After instructing another woman on etiquette, their mother emerges from a room in a red dress to address her daughters. It doesn’t really give much away about the plot itself, but at the end of the trailer, we see a massive spider-like creature at the end, which is heavily hinted to be a woman in red’s true form.
The final trailer was released on July 7, 2024, showing off a CGI teaser of the Destined One surrounded by multiple bosses. The end of the teaser gives us a glimpse of all the pre-order packages available to purchase.
Black Myth Wukong gameplay
Our very own Cameron Bald went hands-on in a Black Myth Wukong preview that spanned several hours of gameplay, taking on bosses, uncovering secret treasure, and oscillating between despair and elation. We’ve also got details on Black Myth Wukong new game plus, which should extend the single-player game well beyond its initial playtime.
Most of the trailers we’ve seen so far have shown gameplay at various points in the Destined One’s journey, but the details about the mechanics outside of our preview are scarce. What we do know is that the Destined One primarily uses his extendable staff, known as the Golden Cudgel, as his primary weapon. He’s able to cast a range of tricky spells to stun foes, transform himself into a cicada and a bat, and even deflect incoming arrows with the rapid spinning of his weapon.
The cudgel has multiple stances: Smash, Pillar, and Thrust forms, which affect how hard the staff hits enemies or how quickly the Destined One attacks. While the combat is rather fast and fluid, it’s worth noting that the smallest enemies have the power to take you down in just one hit, so it’s not an easy game to play.
Another Black Myth Wukong gameplay trailer shows a few more techniques, including a protective ring of fire surrounding the Destined One as he drinks a potion to heal himself. In a fight against a pearl-white dragon in a frozen lake, he extends his cudgel and stands on top of it, avoiding an otherwise devastating-looking electric attack that emits across the whole arena.
That’s everything we know about the Black Myth Wukong release date. Based on the number of times this game has been wishlisted, it’s easily one of the most anticipated upcoming PC games this year – even Black Myth Wukong Steam Deck players have cause to be excited. If you’re looking for something to play before launch, our best PC games list has plenty of options for you to consider.