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See if you can run Black Myth: Wukong for free ahead of release, but beware of Denuvo

See if your system can run the AAA game
Last Updated on August 13, 2024
Black Myth: Wukong screenshot, source: Steam
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Players have been eagerly awaiting the release of Black Myth: Wukong, an upcoming AAA action RPG title. The game is being developed by Game Science, and it is based on the Chinese novel Journey to The West.

Last week, the trailer for the game was released, and players got a sneak peek into what Black Myth: Wukong has to offer. Judging from the trailer, the video game will deliver high-quality visuals, so the demanding system requirements make sense. With the release of a new benchmark tool on Steam (for free), you can see if you can run the game for yourself.

New benchmark tool will show how Black Myth: Wukong will run on your PC and more

Above you can see system requirements for Black Myth: Wukong, but the best way of testing your system for the game is by using the newly-released Benchmark Tool. At the moment, users can head over to Steam and download the benchmark tool. After installation, the tool will test how the player’s system will handle the game’s visuals by rendering an in-game sequence in real-time. This will allow players to adjust their settings to get the best experience. While the tool is easy to use, it is worth noting that you will have to restart it if you change settings like ray tracing.


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Users can also choose to share their results with the developer to help them finetune the experience. “Your benchmark results can assist the development team in better identifying potential software and hardware compatibility issues before the official game launch,” Games Science said in the X post.

As you can see from these numbers, Black Myth: Wukong seems to rely a lot on graphics. Plus, considering that the game recommends high-end GPUs like RTX 4080 Super, RTX 4070, and RX 7800 XT, it does look like a demanding game. In any case, it should be noted that the benchmark tests don’t dictate the exact performance that you can get – they just give you an idea.

We will know for sure how the game performs when Black Myth: Wukong is launched on August 20th, which is just a week away. Further, the game’s developers collaborated with Nvidia, so Black Myth: Wukong comes free with select RTX 40 series GPUs.

What about Denuvo?

Denuvo is a controversial piece of software that has been making its way into games in recent years as a third-party DRM (Digital Rights Management) system. It is a security measure to prevent piracy, so it makes sense that developers want to use it.

The backlash from some fans relates to how Denuvo requires kernel-level access, a constant internet connection (even for single-player games), and reports that it can cause performance issues. While we already know that the game itself will feature Denuvo, it is a surprise to see a free benchmark tool get the same treatment.

Some users have taken to social media to complain about the inclusion of this DRM system, with one person claiming that “Denuvo is one of the reasons I rarely buy games on release”. There is a chance that the developers will remove it further down the line, but we don’t expect them to open up the door to piracy at launch.

Nitisha is a content writer and editor and she has over 3 years of experience in writing about video games and tech.