Black Myth Wukong PS5 Performance
Image: Push Square

We've finally got our grubby hands on the PS5 version of Black Myth: Wukong. And while it'll still take us some time to construct a review, we can at least report on the game's PS5 performance, which has become a bit of a concern for potential buyers over the last few days or so.

Just to reiterate, PS5 review code was not distributed to press or influencers, which inevitably led to speculation regarding the console version's technical prowess. After all, Wukong has long looked like a graphically demanding project, and aside from a very small sample of PS5 footage (which was released just last week), the title has always been shown running on a high-end PC. It's hard not to be at least a little cynical, given the circumstances.

Thankfully, having now spent a good five or six hours with Wukong, we're happy to state that the PS5 version seems to run rather well. A relief for all involved.

All of the images included in this article were taken directly from our PS5, via the share button.

Wukong offers three settings right from the main menu — but they can also be changed in-game without having to reload anything. These three settings are Quality, Balance, and Performance — and they're pretty much exactly what you think they are.

First up, Quality offers a noticeable boost in resolution, with the trade-off being a capped 30 frames-per-second. Visually, Wukong's a downright stunning game — and the Quality mode allows its artistry to truly shine thanks to that focus on crystal clear resolution. We're not totally sure if it's a native 4K, but it's up there.

Quality mode also gives you better draw distance, when rendering object details, textures, and lighting effects. Wukong's environments are fairly linear so this isn't exactly a big deal, but comparing screenshots does show a difference.

Of course, a 30fps cap is going to be a dealbreaker for a lot of players, which is completely understandable given Wukong's unwavering emphasis on action combat. Indeed, it's for this reason that we find the Quality mode difficult to recommend.

With that in mind, Balance mode is an interesting option. The vast majority of games that present graphics settings on PS5 stick to just a simple choice between Quality or Performance, but Wukong's Balance mode provides something in between. From what we can tell, the frame rate is higher than 30, but it's definitely not 60, and it seems to fluctuate quite heavily based on how busy the scene is.

This alone will be enough to put some players off the Balance setting, but we suppose it's a nice option to have. The resolution appears to be decent as well, but ultimately, we're not sure who Balance mode is supposed to please. If you want visual fidelity, you'll go Quality, and if you want smooth gameplay, you'll go Performance — but Balance is worth checking out if only to see what you make of it.

Performance mode will be the way to go for most players, we imagine. This setting targets 60fps at a reduced resolution. Fortunately, the drop-off in resolution isn't hugely impactful. Switching between Performance and Quality will show a fairly obvious difference, but the promise of 60fps is near impossible to ignore.

Is it a perfect 60, though? Sadly not, based on what we've played. Wukong can certainly hit and maintain 60fps more often than not, but there are definitely dips every now and then. Fortunately, these drops seem to be kept under control during combat, but when you're exploring, turning the camera to check your surroundings and sprinting through dense environments, the fluctuations are there.

The performance mode reminds us of Final Fantasy 16, which also struggles to maintain a silky smooth 60 when you're just running around. Although having said that, we don't think Wukong's drops are quite as noticeable, or as prolonged.

As for additional graphics settings, Wukong defaults to heavy amounts of motion blur, but you can either lessen the effect or turn it off completely via the display options. Phew.

Overall, then, Black Myth: Wukong actually holds up well on PS5. It's a gorgeous game both in terms of graphical heft and art direction, and even though its three visual settings each come with their own flaws, it's definitely not the technical disaster that many feared it would be.

What do you think of Black Myth: Wukong's graphical offerings? Are you glad to hear that it's not some kind of crazy mess on PS5? We'll hopefully have a full review in the near future, but until then, let us know if you're itching to embark on this mythical adventure in the comments section below.