Black Myth Wukong PS5 Graphics modes – Performance vs Balance vs Quality mode

The best way to play Black Myth: Wukong on PS5.

Sun Wukong in Black Myth Wukong / GameScience

Black Myth: Wukong is one of the biggest games in the world right now after selling more than 10 million copies across PS5 and PC. It’s a massive success for the relatively unknown studio, and one of the reasons for this massive success is the visuals. On PC Black Myth: Wukong boasts incredible visuals, making full use of modern rendering techniques like nanite, lumen, ray tracing, and frame generation.

The PS5 version is slightly different, offering three different graphical presets for players to choose between. It’s always nice to have options, but some of these modes are better off not being used at all. For the full breakdown just read through our info below, and thanks go out to Digital Foundry for accurate performance measurements. 

Black Myth: Wukong PS5 Graphics breakdown

1. Quality mode breakdown – Black Myth: Wukong
2. Balance mode breakdown – Black Myth: Wukong
3. Performance mode breakdown – Black Myth: Wukong
4. Best PS5 Graphics mode – Black Myth: Wukong

Quality mode breakdown – Black Myth: Wukong

Wukong Quality mode / Game Science

The Quality mode should be a 30fps lock for high resolutions and crisp visuals, but it comes with relatively high amounts of input latency – not to mention that the 30fps lock isn’t actually a lock at all. The framerate fluctuates just above 30fps, with rare dips below. 

It’s not unplayable, but we can’t recommend playing Black Myth: Wukong in Quality mode on PS5.

Balance mode breakdown – Black Myth: Wukong

Wukong Balance mode / Game Science

Balance mode aims for a framerate target right between Quality and Performance. The problem is that it’s capped at 45fps, with some dips below. It will look and feel smoother than Quality mode, but it will never offer fluid motion thanks to a cap that cannot be divided neatly into a 60hz refresh rate.

It you just can’t perceive the stutter, then it’ll feel good to play, but Balance mode isn’t recommended by us.

Performance mode breakdown – Black Myth: Wukong

Wukong Performance mode / Game Science

Finally, Performance mode targets 60fps, as you’d expect, and often hovers just below that target in general gameplay. For players with VRR displays, this is undoubtedly the best way to play, offering the smoothest visuals. It does also sacrifice visual clarity, but it’s fairly minor, and generally feels better to play than the other modes.

For now, Performance mode is our recommended way to play Black Myth: Wukong on PS5.

Best PS5 Graphics mode – Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong Performance mode. / Game Science

The unstable framerate lock of the Quality mode and odd 45fps target for Balance mode means we struggle to recommend playing these modes. Even though it has some drawbacks, the best way to play Black Myth: Wukong on PS5 is with Performance mode on a VRR display.