Black Myth: Wukong Surpasses 30 Million Sales Faster Than Elden Ring
Black Myth: Wukong has reportedly crossed 30 million units sold worldwide, giving Game Science one of the most impressive commercial milestones ever achieved by a Chinese developed premium game and placing it ahead of FromSoftware’s Elden Ring when comparing how quickly both games reached the same sales mark.
According to a document published by the China Belt and Road Network, the Game Science development team behind Black Myth: Wukong has pushed the action RPG beyond 30 million global sales, with overseas markets accounting for more than half of that total. That detail is just as important as the number itself. Black Myth: Wukong was never only a domestic breakout. It became a global release powered by Chinese mythology, high production values, strong PC momentum, and a level of worldwide curiosity that turned the game into one of the biggest single player success stories of the current generation.
The comparison with Elden Ring makes the milestone even sharper. FromSoftware and Bandai Namco announced that Elden Ring had surpassed 30 million worldwide shipments and digital sales in April 2025, a little more than 3 years after its February 2022 release. Black Myth: Wukong launched on August 20, 2024 for PC and PlayStation 5, with the Xbox Series X|S version arriving 1 year later on August 20, 2025, according to Game Informer. Reaching 30 million sales before its 2 year anniversary means Game Science cleared the same benchmark significantly faster than one of the most successful action RPGs in modern gaming.
PC appears to have been the main engine behind that momentum, especially through Steam, where Black Myth: Wukong became a massive launch event and one of the strongest examples of how global PC gaming can accelerate a premium title beyond its home market. The PlayStation 5 version also played a major role, while the delayed Xbox Series X|S release gave the game another platform push in 2025. The fact that more than half of total sales reportedly came from outside China reinforces how effectively Game Science translated a story rooted in Journey to the West into a product that resonated with players across regions.
The game’s community strength was also visible during awards season. Black Myth: Wukong won Game of the Year at the 2024 Steam Awards, a fan voted result that reflected the scale and intensity of its player base. As reported by Game Developer, it also won Outstanding Story Rich Game and Best Game You Suck At, showing that the title maintained engagement beyond launch hype. While industry awards can be debated, Steam’s player vote carries a different weight because it comes directly from the platform where Black Myth: Wukong built much of its global momentum.
The next chapter for Game Science is already in motion, but it will not be a direct sequel to Wukong. The studio revealed Black Myth: Zhong Kui during Gamescom 2025, introducing a new mythological figure instead of immediately continuing the Monkey King’s story. As reported by GamesRadar, Game Science described Zhong Kui as being in a very early stage of development and said it is still exploring how to differentiate the project from Wukong. The studio also reassured fans that the westward journey is not over, which suggests that Wukong’s world and legacy may still continue later.
The 30 million milestone is bigger than a sales number. It confirms that Black Myth: Wukong was not a temporary launch phenomenon, but a market changing release. It proved that a Chinese studio could deliver a premium action RPG with global appeal, compete directly with the biggest Japanese and Western names in the genre, and build a franchise platform strong enough to support future mythological entries. The success also changes expectations for Black Myth: Zhong Kui, because Game Science is no longer operating like an ambitious outsider. It is now developing under the pressure of a global audience waiting to see whether the studio can repeat or evolve the formula.
The challenge is that following Wukong will not be easy. Part of the original game’s power came from surprise, cultural identity, visual spectacle, and the long wait that built enormous anticipation. Zhong Kui will arrive under a different kind of spotlight, one shaped by higher expectations, more scrutiny, and direct comparisons to Wukong’s combat, boss design, world structure, and technical presentation. Game Science will need to prove that Black Myth can become a broader mythological franchise rather than a single breakout success.
Still, the foundation is now undeniable. Black Myth: Wukong reaching 30 million sales before Elden Ring’s pace shows that the global action RPG market has room for new cultural voices when the production quality, combat identity, and visual ambition are strong enough. Game Science has already made history once. Now the question is whether Black Myth can become one of gaming’s defining long term franchises.
Do you think Black Myth: Zhong Kui can match the global impact of Wukong, or was the Monkey King’s breakout success a once in a generation moment?
