Independent research archive
Black Myth:
Zhong Kui
A calm, source-backed record of what is known, what is visible, and what remains unknown.
ZHONGKUI
ARCHIVE
Start here
One reliable place to check the signal.
Game Science has shown an early work-in-progress build, but the final game, platforms and launch timing can still change. We keep confirmed information separate from direct observations and informed analysis — and when a widely repeated claim turns out to have no source, we say that too.
Read our evidence standardThe archive
Follow the trail.
Release date tracker
What has been announced, what has not, and the official timeline so far.
↗15-minute reveal
The official gameplay presentation, with visible evidence separated from inference.
↗Who is Zhong Kui?
The mythology behind the name, separated from game speculation.
↗Facts vs speculation
Claims that circulate as fact, and what happened when we checked the source.
↗Platforms and availability
Two words are confirmed. No console has been named and no store page exists.
↗Official video archive
Three first-party videos, each verified against the uploading channel.
↗20 AUG 2026
15-minute gameplay reveal published
The official reveal is a work-in-progress presentation.Official videoVGC We are cataloguing visible evidence while keeping unconfirmed systems clearly marked.
Read the breakdownOfficial video and project status are tracked from first-party channels.
Sources
Where this page comes from.
“As the game is still in early development, all footage was captured in-game from a work-in-progress build running at a 21:9 aspect ratio. The final release may differ.”
The 15-minute reveal this archive breaks down. Embedded, not re-hosted. The quote is from the video’s own description — it is the first-party origin of the “early development” and “work-in-progress build” lines that Gematsu and VGC both carry. The description also calls the player character only “the protagonist”.
- 《黑神话：钟馗》 — official game page Official
“PC+主流主机平台，正式信息请以发售前通知为准。”
Chinese-language page, rendered client-side. Its 常见问题 (FAQ) tab is the first-party record for the platform line — “PC and mainstream console platforms, official information subject to the pre-release announcement”. No specific console, storefront or date appears anywhere on it.
“all footage was captured in-game from a work-in-progress build running at a 21:9 aspect ratio”
Quotes a Game Science statement posted on X. Also reports PC and “major consoles”, no date.
“As the game is still in early development, all footage was captured in-game from a work-in-progress build”
Dated 19 Aug 2026 US Eastern time; the video went out 20 Aug 2026 China time.
“is in development for PC and consoles, and does not yet have a release window”
Describes the footage as “a mixture of event scenes and combat against apparent undead foes”.
Links open the original page. We quote and link rather than re-host, and record the date each source was last opened.