Black Myth: Wukong’s 93GB PS5 Patch — Big Optimizations, Bigger Headaches

Black Myth: Wukong’s latest “optimization” patch is gigantic-here’s the real story

This caught my attention because I’ve been impressed by Black Myth: Wukong since launch-and also because my PS5 storage meter gives me anxiety. Game Science just pushed a massive update focused on graphics and performance. On paper: great. In practice: the PS5 patch is roughly 93.3 GB, and the studio is telling players with tight storage to either stay on the current version or uninstall and reinstall the whole game. That’s not normal advice, but in 2025’s storage-constrained reality, it’s becoming familiar.

Key takeaways

• The PS5 patch weighs in around 93 GB; expect similar “big” sizes on other platforms depending on your install.
• It targets high-res textures, stability, and load-time improvements across PC and modern consoles.
• Official guidance: if you can’t complete the update due to storage, keep the current version or uninstall and reinstall.
• This is less “new content” and more a deep overhaul of assets and streaming, which explains the size.

Breaking down the update: what’s actually improved

Game Science says the patch delivers extensive graphical and technical optimizations. Think cleaner high-resolution textures, better asset streaming, and fewer hitches when sprinting between zones. Load times are also improved-good news for a game that leans heavily on Unreal Engine 5’s streaming tech (Nanite/Lumen are hungry beasts). I’ve seen Wukong at its best on a strong PC with a fast NVMe drive, and the studio’s focus here lines up with the areas most players felt were rougher at launch: occasional traversal stutter, uneven frame pacing in effects-heavy fights, and long reloads after particularly spicy boss wipes.

On PC, expect the gains to be most noticeable if you were CPU-limited during heavy combat—or if your drive struggled with asset streaming. Console players should see fewer drops in crowded arenas and snappier reloads. This is a “quality pass,” not a content drop, and that distinction matters when you’re staring down a 93 GB progress bar.

Why the patch is so huge (and why PS5 gets hit hardest)

Here’s the unglamorous reality: big Unreal Engine games often package assets in giant PAK files. If developers change a lot of those assets—or repack them for better streaming—you’re not getting a tiny delta; you’re effectively redownloading massive chunks. Combine that with high-res texture replacements and revamped LODs, and the patch balloons.

PS5’s update process can also require extra temporary space to apply changes safely, which is why the studio suggests uninstalling and doing a clean install if you’re tight on storage. With roughly 667 GB of usable SSD space on a stock PS5, a 93 GB patch is around 14% of the drive. If you’re juggling Call of Duty, a couple of live-service monsters, and a backlog, this update becomes a game of Tetris.

The studio’s advisory—translated: “If the update cannot be completed due to insufficient storage or other reasons, you may continue playing the current version or try deleting and reinstalling”—isn’t them throwing up their hands; it’s an acknowledgment that this patch repacks core assets. In other words: this isn’t sloppy; it’s the cost of a serious optimization pass in 2025.

Should you install it now?

If you’re mid-playthrough on PS5 and flirting with the storage ceiling, you have three sensible options:

• Stay on your current version and finish your run; you can patch later without risking a failed install.
• Uninstall and reinstall the game fresh to avoid patching errors and temporary space requirements.
• Make room for the patch by clearing a couple of heavy hitters—then let it download overnight.

For PC players on fast NVMe drives, the payoff is clearer: better texture streaming and stability should make a noticeable difference, especially if you were hovering near a performance tier border (e.g., trying to hold 60 FPS without dips). On consoles, I’m expecting fewer micro-stutters and quicker reloads rather than a miracle 10-15 FPS bump.

Practical tips: back up your saves to the cloud, install in rest mode to avoid hiccups, and on PC, verify files afterward to make sure nothing went sideways. None of this is glamorous, but it beats re-downloading twice.

The bigger picture: storage bloat is the tax on “next-gen” fidelity

Black Myth: Wukong launched as one of the most visually striking UE5 showcases, and this patch doubles down on that ambition. But the trend is clear: as teams chase cleaner 4K presentation and better stability, patches aren’t “hotfix size” anymore. We’ve seen 50-100 GB updates from Call of Duty and hefty multipack refreshes from RPGs post-2.0 overhauls. It’s the new cost of doing business with massive texture libraries and modern streaming pipelines.

What would actually help? Optional high-res texture packs on console, modular installs (campaign only, reduced texture mode), and smarter delta patching for giant PAKs. UE5 plus platform-side compression like Kraken can only do so much when you repack the house. Developers, please let players choose “performance textures” if it means shaving 30-40 GB from these updates.

TL;DR

Black Myth: Wukong just got a substantial optimization patch—smoother performance, faster loads, cleaner textures—but on PS5 it’s a 93 GB monster. If you’re low on space, finish your run or do a clean reinstall. The gains sound real, the file size is the price, and the industry needs better ways to deliver this kind of upgrade without eating a sixth of your SSD.