Black Myth: Wukong is set to release next week, and developer Game Science has unveiled a dedicated benchmark tool ahead of the game’s launch. Available for free on Steam, this tool is designed to push even the most powerful graphics cards to their limits. I took it for a test run to assess the game’s performance demands.
My initial run at 4K with maxed-out settings yielded an average of only 22 frames per second (fps) using top-of-the-line hardware, including an RTX 4090 GPU and a Ryzen 7 7800X3D.
Although the initial results may seem low, Black Myth: Wukong incorporates path tracing, making it comparable to a game like Alan Wake 2. The game encourages the use of upscaling and frame generation techniques, supporting technologies like DLSS 3, FSR 3, XeSS, and TSR. By enabling DLSS 3 at a 60% render resolution and activating frame generation, I achieved significant performance improvement.
Game Science stresses that while the benchmark represents expected performance, actual in-game results may vary due to system configurations and gameplay scenarios. The results collected will assist the development team in addressing any potential issues before the game’s release on August 20, as stated in a post announcing the benchmark.
The benchmark is separate from the main game and can be downloaded without purchasing the full game. I recommend giving the benchmark a try to evaluate how your PC performs. While demanding, Black Myth: Wukong offers full control over graphics settings, including DLSS 3, FSR 3, XeSS, and TSR.
Despite its high demands, Black Myth: Wukong surprisingly has relatively modest system requirements. The game can run on a GTX 1060 with lowered settings and recommends an RTX 4080 Super for optimal performance. During testing, the game utilized 13.5GB of VRAM, with the recommended RTX 4080 Super boasting a 16GB VRAM capacity.
I plan to continue testing various graphics cards and configurations leading up to the game’s release to determine stable performance requirements. From my initial impressions, it appears that Black Myth: Wukong offers stability and ample performance headroom via the graphics menu, but this will be further evaluated upon the game’s official launch.
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