I still remember the summer of 2024 like it was yesterday. Picture this: I’m walking through the bustling alleys of Huaqiangbei in Shenzhen, the world’s largest electronics market, and every store I pass has the same two words scribbled on a makeshift cardboard sign – “Sold Out.” Not for some limited-edition GPU or a rare vintage console. No, it was the PlayStation 5. And the reason? A single video game. Now, two years later in 2026, I can’t help but chuckle at how Black Myth: Wukong turned the entire Chinese console scene upside down practically overnight.
Let me give you the full picture from the ground level. Before the launch, the PS5 was already doing decent numbers in China, but nothing out of the ordinary. Then Game Science dropped their action RPG masterpiece on August 20, 2024, and everything shifted into overdrive. Publishing consultant Daniel Camilo reported from the front lines that PS5 stock was simply being “swept” off shelves. I saw it myself – retailers at Huaqiangbei were scrambling, and by noon, the whole of Huaqiang North had zero consoles at the standard price. The official price of the PS5 disc edition hovered around 4,399 yuan back then, but within days, scalpers and resellers were charging anywhere from 3,000 yuan for a used unit to an outrageous 4,000 yuan or more for a new one. That’s almost double the original cost in some cases! Friends of mine who hesitated for even a day had to either pay the premium or wait weeks for restocks.
The frenzy wasn’t just about hardware. On the very same day, Black Myth: Wukong shattered records on Steam like a Celestial Pillar crashing down. It hit an all-time peak of over 2.4 million concurrent players, dethroning giants like Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077 to become the most-played single-player game in the platform’s history. I remember logging in and seeing my entire friends list glowing with that heavenly golden aura from the Destined One’s quest. The game’s blend of brutal yet fluid combat, stunning environments ripped straight from Chinese Mythology, and the sheer nostalgia of Journey to the West resonated with millions. And that was just day one.
Fast forward to 2026, and the echoes of that summer haven’t died down. The PS5 is still a hot ticket item in China whenever a major domestic blockbuster drops, but Wukong set the template. Game Science has since released a massive expansion – “The Jade Emperor’s Gambit” – that reignited console demand all over again. I walked into a Suning store last week just to browse, and the clerk told me they’re still selling more PS5 units each month than any comparable period before 2024, largely because new titles developed in China keep the momentum going. We’ve entered this new golden era where homegrown AAA games aren’t just novelties; they’re system sellers. Sony even acknowledged the “Black Myth effect” in a fiscal report, noting a permanent shift in the Chinese market towards higher console adoption.
The real magic, though, is how the community evolved. In 2024, I watched countless gamers who’d never touched a controller outside a mobile screen suddenly obsessing over stance combos and spirit summons. Now those same players are running challenge gauntlets on the expansion’s hardest difficulty, producing guides, and debating lore in Discord servers that didn’t exist before. Black Myth: Wukong didn’t just sell PlayStation 5s – it created a new generation of console enthusiasts in China.
Looking at the numbers again: by late 2024, insider estimates put the game’s total sales across all platforms at well over 20 million units. And the PS5 benefitted disproportionately – in some Chinese cities, the PS5’s market share jumped by nearly 40% in the month following release. Scalpers eventually got burned when Sony ramped up supply, but the cultural impact remained. Wukong became a symbol, a proof of concept that a Chinese studio could deliver a world-class experience that honors its roots while appealing to a global audience.
What does this mean for us gamers today? Every time I fire up my PS5 (the same one I was lucky enough to grab at MSRP back then), I’m reminded that the industry can still be shaken by a game of pure passion. The Huaqiangbei shortage of 2024 is now a funny story we tell newcomers, but it highlighted something profound: when a game speaks to its audience’s soul, they’ll move mountains – or at least empty out an entire electronics market – to play it. So, if you’re still on the fence about getting into console gaming, just look at what a monkey king born from myth and a small but fiercely talented team made possible. The Destined One’s journey is far from over, and the PS5 is still here, waiting for the next mythological storm.
I’d love to hear from you: did you manage to snag a PS5 during the great Wukong scramble, or are you one of the many who joined the adventure later on PC? Drop your stories – the community thrives on those memories.