Black Myth: Wukong has dramatically shifted Steam’s landscape, as Chinese-language users now outnumber English-language users on the platform. Recent stats reveal that 33.7% of gamers use Steam in Mandarin Chinese, edging past the 33.5% using English – marking a major industry milestone.

Black Myth: Wukong is more than a video game – it’s a cultural force. Developed by Game Science, this action RPG has not only captivated a massive global audience but has also sparked a wave of high-budget development across Chinese studios targeting PC and console markets. The game’s success has extended well beyond China’s borders, helping to elevate Mandarin Chinese to the most common language setting on Valve’s Steam platform.

Data presented during GDC 2025 underscores a historic moment for digital distribution: for the first time, Simplified Chinese has overtaken English in Steam’s user language settings. With Mandarin at 33.7% and English slightly trailing at 33.5%, this shift underscores China’s growing dominance in the global video game space, powered by breakout hits like Black Myth: Wukong.

Ultra-Realistic Visuals of Wukong Present New Challenges for Developers

The impact isn’t confined to mainland China. Mandarin Chinese is also widely used in Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia, contributing to this broader transformation. Alongside Black Myth: Wukong, other successful Chinese-developed games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail have accelerated this language and market shift.

Japanese developers have taken notice, pointing to the massive scale of investments in China. “There’s ten times more money and manpower allocated to Chinese projects than in Japan,” one insider told PC Gamer.

This summer promises a wave of new Chinese releases. WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, a dark medieval fantasy RPG announced in 2021, is expected soon. More notably, Lost Souls Aside – an action RPG that has been in development for a decade – is launching on May 30, showcasing impressive visuals and flashy gameplay. Meanwhile, the latest State of Play revealed Tides of Annihilation, a stylistic hack and slash that left players stunned with its atmosphere and presentation.

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