Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games "Slay the Spire 2 has taken over his life":  Palworld CEO gets a telling off for playing too much of the deckbuilder
Upcoming PS5 games for 2026 showing Lucia from GTA 6, Wolverine from Marvel's Wolverine, Arjun from Saros, and Grace from Resident Evil Requiem
Adventure Games Upcoming PS5 games: New PS5 games for 2026 and beyond
Crimson Desert
Open World Games I played 6 hours of Crimson Desert, but it feels like I've barely scratched the surface of this RPG's open world
Marathon destroyer runner shell using shield to block explosive
FPS Games Overwatch lead says using Steam player counts to dunk on Marathon is "big unemployed, maidenless behavior"
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 has delayed Palworld 1.0 "at least a whole day," jokes publishing head
Ghost of Yotei gameplay showing Atsu sitting on her horse between bright pink cherry blossoms, looking at a distant fortification built against a mountain
Open World Games Best open world games to play in 2026 and completely forget real life exists
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2's Steam domination was always "written in the stars", according to surprised Palworld dev
Best PC games: Screenshots of Baldur's Gate 3, Helldivers 2, Split Fiction and the Resident Evil 4 Remake
PC Gaming The 25 best PC games to play in 2026
Best Ps5 games
Games Best PS5 games: The 25 greatest PlayStation 5 games in 2026, ranked
A woman in witchy garb surrounded by crows and dead trees in Crimson Desert
Open World Games Crimson Desert's first PS5 Pro footage looks promising but Steam suddenly warns of Denuvo DRM
Crimson Desert: Macduff looking out into the distance during the new game, Crimson Desert.
RPGs Crimson Desert: Everything we know so far about the upcoming game
Wonderer heads to the Spire in a screenshot from Slay the Spire 2's animated reveal trailer
Roguelike Games "Slay the Spire but better": Slay the Spire 2 continues Steam domination with 6,000 Overwhelmingly Positive reviews
Slay the Spire 2 character in a skull mask looking shocked
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 beats Elden Ring Nightreign as Steam's biggest roguelike, as launch players rise 162,000% over the OG
Best free Steam games - Doom Eternal image showing a large armored enemy with a gun for an arm
Action Games 25 Best free Steam games you can play in 2026
Best single player games: Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2.
Games The 25 best single-player games to play in 2026
  1. Games
  2. Action RPGs
  3. Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong Steam player count surpasses Palworld as the action RPG surges past Counter-Strike 2 to become Steam's second-biggest game ever

News
By Hirun Cryer Contributions from Ali Jones last updated 20 August 2024

It's Steam's biggest-ever single-player launch

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Black Myth Wukong
(Image credit: Game Science)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Update: The Black Myth: Wukong player count has continued to climb, with the action RPG now surging into second place in the Steam concurrent player charts.

At time of writing, SteamDB says there are 2.138 million players in-game. That's a little less than 40,000 players ahead of Palworld's all-time peak of 2.101 million, making Black Myth: Wukong the second-biggest Steam game ever, by concurrent players. The action RPG overtook Counter-Strike 2's peak of 1.818 million earlier today, meaning it's still on an impressive climb.

The record remains held by PUBG: Battlegrounds, which set its record of 3.257 million in 2017. A single-player game, Black Myth: Wukong is unlikely to beat that target, but with much of the US yet to wake up, there's still potential for Black Myth: Wukong's count to climb.

You may like
  • Slay the Spire 2 character in a skull mask looking shocked Slay the Spire 2 beats Elden Ring Nightreign as Steam's biggest roguelike, as launch players rise 162,000% over the OG
  • Running at a yokai with a long neck in Nioh 3 while holding a four-blade windmill shuriken Nioh 3 shatters record for the series' highest Steam concurrent player count thanks to launching on PC simultaneously
  • Phantom Blade Zero warrior with gold mask and glowing red eye Phantom Blade Zero is my most-anticipated action RPG, and looks like the biggest Chinese game since Black Myth: Wukong

Original story: Black Myth: Wukong's player count has surged past that of huge hits like Elden Ring, DOTA 2, GTA 5, and many more on Steam.

Game Science's action RPG only just launched earlier today, and it's already looking like a certified hit on the former platform. According to SteamDB, which tracks statistics like concurrent players throughout the world on Steam, Black Myth: Wukong had a peak concurrent player count of 1,443,570 players earlier today.

That puts it head and shoulders above the peak concurrent player counts of massive games like GTA 5 with 364,548 peak concurrent players, DOTA 2 with 1,295,114 players, Elden Ring with 953,426 players, Cyberpunk 2077 with 1,054,388 peak players, and 2023's smash-hit RPG Baldur's Gate 3, itself with 875,343 peak concurrent players. 

What's more, Black Myth: Wukong has a serious shot at beating this peak concurrent player count that's already set. At the time of writing, Game Science's action RPG is hovering consistently around 1.4 million players at a time when the majority of European players might be working and the vast majority of American players are likely asleep.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

It's worth bearing in mind that yes, SteamDB does track players from across China in its statistics. The tracking website said as much in a tweet earlier today, seeming to deliberately coincide with the launch of Black Myth: Wukong, a new game from a Chinese studio.

Our Black Myth: Wukong review called it "a great action RPG that feels like God of War for Chinese mythology," awarding it four out of five stars and praising its fun combat and incredible world and atmosphere. 

You'll want to keep an eye on our Black Myth: Wukong tips guide for nine essential points to remember if you're just starting out your journey.

CATEGORIES
PC Gaming PS5 Platforms PlayStation
Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Social Links Navigation
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

With contributions from
  • Ali JonesManaging Editor, News
Read more
Slay the Spire 2 character in a skull mask looking shocked
Slay the Spire 2 beats Elden Ring Nightreign as Steam's biggest roguelike, as launch players rise 162,000% over the OG
 
 
Phantom Blade Zero warrior with gold mask and glowing red eye
Phantom Blade Zero is my most-anticipated action RPG, and looks like the biggest Chinese game since Black Myth: Wukong
 
 
Running at a yokai with a long neck in Nioh 3 while holding a four-blade windmill shuriken
Nioh 3 shatters record for the series' highest Steam concurrent player count thanks to launching on PC simultaneously
 
 
Slay the Spire 2
Slay the Spire 2 dev "totally blown away" as the roguelike hits 573,000 Steam players: "We'll getcha one day Silksong"
 
 
A screenshot from Black Myth: Zhong Kui's non-canon teaser video.
Black Myth: Wukong devs are literally "cooking" in "non-canon" teaser for sequel Zhong Kui, flexing the game's engine
 
 
Slay the Spire 2
Slay the Spire 2 flies past 165,000 concurrent Steam players, instantly nearly tripling the original's all-time peak
 
 
Latest in Action RPGs
A screenshot of Yoko Taro in the "Message from NieR: Automata director Yoko Taro" Square Enix video announcing Nier: Automata's Steam release.
Nier Automata's Yoko Taro thinks his generation of directors has "a lot of weirdos" and "oddballs," himself included
 
 
Key art for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred showing Mephisto, a spiky and angular demon, against a red, lightning backdrop, arm and claw raised menancingly, cropped to show more of him
Diablo 4's endgame is about to look a lot more like Diablo 2's with low-level loot that can become legendary
 
 
Nier: Automata screenshot
Nier Automata-inspired indie includes a system that Yoko Taro "stopped" being added to his own action RPG
 
 
A screenshot of a man holding red fire in his palm in Elden Ring Tarnished Edition on Nintendo Switch 2
I played Elden Ring Tarnished Edition on Nintendo Switch 2 and rolled through the Lands Between as the new Knight class
 
 
Nier Automata director Yoko Taro
Nier creator Yoko Taro thinks the indie game dev scene is "too intimidating for me to even think of entering"
 
 
Key art for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred showing Mephisto, a spiky and angular demon, against a red, lightning backdrop, arm and claw raised menancingly, cropped to show more of him
Diablo 4's Lord of Hatred expansion will be "really f*cking hard" at its highest difficulty, dev threatens
 
 
Latest in News
Resident Evil Requiem Leon Kennedy
Resident Evil Requiem fans are imagining all the quips Leon would say in other games: "'Guess that's The Last of Him'"
 
 
Slay the Spire 2
"Slay the Spire 2 has been out for merely a week and we have already hit 3 million units sold," says a stunned Mega Crit
 
 
Overwatch Jetpack Cat smiling smugly
"What if we could just drop 30 new heroes into Overwatch?": Marvel Rivals "definitely had an impact" on Blizzard
 
 
Overwatch's Brigitte offers you a hand up.
Overwatch director celebrates no longer being "the lowest-rated game on Steam" but he's not sure how to reach positive
 
 
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
"They're not good enough," joke devs behind "self-feeding" horror giant stuck in the Steam Top 50 while others rot
 
 
Donkey Kong Bananza
Donkey Kong Bananza devs admit the blatantly OP elephant transformation "probably went too far," but "it's fun"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Nicole Kidman as Dr. Kay Scarpetta during the new show, Scarpetta
    1
    3 new to Prime Video shows I recommend you binge-watch this weekend (March 13–March 15)
  2. 2
    Resident Evil Requiem fans are imagining all the quips Leon would say in other games: "'Guess that's The Last of Him'"
  3. 3
    "Slay the Spire 2 has been out for merely a week and we have already hit 3 million units sold," says a stunned Mega Crit
  4. 4
    "What if we could just drop 30 new heroes into Overwatch?": Marvel Rivals "definitely had an impact" on Blizzard
  5. 5
    Overwatch director celebrates no longer being "the lowest-rated game on Steam" but he's not sure how to reach positive

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...