Zhong Kui in Video Games
From MOBAs to RPGs, Zhong Kui has found his place in modern gaming, bringing his demon-quelling powers to digital battlefields worldwide and introducing his legend to new generations.
Black Myth: Zhong Kui
In development (no release date)PC and mainstream consolesProtagonistThe upcoming action RPG from developer Game Science that casts Zhong Kui as its protagonist. It was revealed in August 2025, followed by a 15-minute gameplay trailer in August 2026, and has no release date yet.
Read the Black Myth: Zhong Kui guideSmite
Added in 2013PC, ConsoleMage (Chinese Pantheon)Zhong Kui is a playable Mage of the Chinese pantheon in the third-person MOBA Smite, a close-range caster who marks enemies as demons and stores them in his bag for protection.
Read the Smite guide- MobileTank/Support
A hook-wielding hero in Tencent's mobile MOBA, reimagined as an otherworldly guardian of Chang'an rather than the wronged scholar of the classical legend.
Read the Honor of Kings guide Hunt: Showdown 1896
2019 (DLC for the 1896 version)PC, PlayStation, XboxLegendary Hunter DLCA DLC pack adds a Legendary Hunter inspired by Zhong Kui, framed as a descendant of a demon-hunting line, to the haunted Louisiana bayous of Hunt: Showdown 1896.
Read the Hunt: Showdown 1896 guideShin Megami Tensei Series
Several titlesMultiple platformsRecruitable demon (as Shōki)Under his Japanese name Shōki, Zhong Kui appears in the Megami Tensei series as a demon the player can recruit, one of many mythological figures in its party system.
Read the Shin Megami Tensei Series guide
Gaming Archetype
From folklore to final boss: why the legend of a wronged scholar turned demon hunter suits so many game genres.
Durable Mage (Smite)
A close-range caster who marks enemies as demons and stores them in his bag for protection.
Hook Hero (Honor of Kings)
A hook-wielding hero reimagined as an otherworldly guardian of Chang'an.
Action RPG Protagonist
Protagonist of the upcoming Black Myth: Zhong Kui, shown in a 15-minute gameplay trailer in August 2026.
Recruitable Demon (SMT)
Appears as Shōki, one of many mythological figures the player can recruit; stats vary by game.
Tragic Hero Origin
In the best-known Ming and Qing version, a brilliant scholar denied the top place because of his face.
Divine Authority
Later novels and operas make him a king of ghosts with power over demons, distinct from Yanluo Wang, the judge of the dead.
Cultural Guardian
A protective figure whose image is hung to ward off evil, a role explored in our folklore guides.
Power Fantasy
A mortal given supernatural authority, a ready-made arc for a game hero.