Black Myth: Zhong Kui: All info on release, gameplay and story

Black Myth: Zhong Kui is the second game in the Black Myth series from Game Science, the studio behind the global hit Black Myth: Wukong. Instead of the Monkey King, the focus this time is on Zhong Kui, the legendary ghost hunter of Chinese folklore. We’ve gathered all the official info on story, gameplay, platforms and release for you.

What is Black Myth: Zhong Kui?

Black Myth: Zhong Kui is a single-player action RPG being developed by Game Science from Shenzhen. After Black Myth: Wukong from 2024, it’s the second entry in the Black Myth series. Like its predecessor, the new game draws deeply on Chinese mythology and folk culture. This time, the main inspiration is the figure of Zhong Kui, who has been revered in China for centuries as a vanquisher of demons and evil spirits.

Black Myth: Zhong Kui was officially unveiled on August 19, 2025 with a first teaser trailer at Gamescom Opening Night Live. At that point, development had only been running for a few weeks. Game Science explained that it simply wanted to inform fans about the start of a new project. In doing so, the studio continues its tradition of reporting on the state of its work around August 20 every year.

The legend of Zhong Kui

Zhong Kui is one of the best-known figures in Chinese folklore. According to tradition, after his death he was appointed king of ghosts, who hunts demons and protects people from evil forces. His image was traditionally hung on doors at New Year to ward off misfortune. The game’s background is the classic tale „Zhong Kui Drives Out Evil“.

At the presentation, Geoff Keighley introduced the main character as the „ghost-catching god who walks between hell and earth“. Game Science names life and death as the game’s central theme. That fits the first images: gloomy villages, weathered temples and figures standing somewhere between the world of the living and the afterlife.

Gameplay: What the 15-minute trailer shows

On August 20, 2026, Game Science released a 15-minute gameplay trailer for Black Myth: Zhong Kui without prior announcement. The studio stresses that all scenes were captured directly in-game from an early development build. The footage is shown in a 21:9 aspect ratio, and the finished game may still look quite different. For the first time, we see the new hero in combat and some excerpts from the story.

Sword instead of staff

The biggest change compared to Wukong is immediately noticeable: instead of a monkey with a fighting staff, we control a human swordsman. Dodging and parrying form the foundation of combat. While parrying in Black Myth: Wukong was still tied to a specific ability, according to the trailer it’s one of the basic techniques in the new game. Deflecting enemy attacks and countering directly therefore looks set to become a central part of the combat system.

Elemental powers and summons

The elemental attacks are exciting. In one scene, the hero sets a group of enemies on fire, then absorbs the fire into his blade and unleashes the stored energy in the next fight. In another sequence, the sword is charged with lightning. On top of that comes a summon that clearly differs from Wukong’s transformation system: the summoned ally stays active throughout the entire fight, moves independently and draws enemy attacks. In the boss fight at the end of the trailer, the hero briefly merges with this companion and takes direct control.

From teaser to New Year special

Even before the gameplay trailer, there were two official videos. The teaser from Gamescom 2025 mainly introduced the figure of Zhong Kui and the game’s mood; there were no real gameplay scenes yet. On February 10, 2026, a roughly six-minute special made in the game’s engine followed for Chinese New Year. Game Science made clear that this short film isn’t part of the actual story and shows no gameplay. The 15-minute trailer is therefore the only real look at the game so far.

Incidentally, the idea for the new game came about while the team was still working on content for Black Myth: Wukong. Studio head Feng Ji said that after the release of Wukong, a project he had in his head for almost twenty years, he initially fell into a slump. In 2025, he finally proposed to co-founder Yang Qi and the team to make a completely new game in the series instead of further expansions.

Platforms and release

According to Game Science, Black Myth: Zhong Kui is coming to PC and „all major console platforms“, following the same pattern as Black Myth: Wukong. Which consoles exactly hasn’t been confirmed by the studio yet. There’s no release date either, not even a rough time frame. The official site says, in essence, that even Feng Ji has no idea when the game will be finished. There’s no store page on Steam or the Epic Games Store yet, so there’s also no price, no system requirements and no official list of languages.

Business model and genre stay the same: Black Myth: Zhong Kui will again be a classic single-player action RPG. If you want to follow development, you’ll find all the news on the official Black Myth: Zhong Kui website and on the series‘ social media channels.

Our assessment

With Black Myth: Wukong, Game Science delivered one of the most successful releases of recent years in 2024: around 20 million copies sold in the first month speak for themselves. Expectations for the successor are correspondingly high. The 15-minute trailer leaves you wanting more. The new combat system with standard parry, elemental blade and permanent companion looks like a sensible evolution and not a mere copy of Wukong. The visuals are already impressive at this early stage.

At the same time, you should bring patience. The game is still early in development, and Game Science is known for not being rushed. We don’t expect a release anytime soon, but we’re keeping Black Myth: Zhong Kui at the very top of our list. As soon as there’s new info on date, platforms or price, we’ll update this entry.