'Hollow Knight: Silksong' shatters expectations

'Hollow Knight: Silksong' – the long-awaited sequel to Team Cherry's acclaimed Metroidvania title – has made a major impact on its release day, with more than 500,000 players recorded on Steam within just hours of launch on Thursday.

When the game went live at 10am in the US, it quickly became one of the most played new releases of the year, while the rush of players attempting to purchase it temporarily overwhelmed multiple storefronts.

Despite initial difficulties in accessing downloads, the title's Steam player base climbed rapidly, reaching over 535,000 users shortly after launch. This figure already far surpasses the peak player count of the original Hollow Knight, which reached just over 71,000 concurrent players on Steam at its height.

Silksong's release was highly anticipated following several years of development updates and speculation. Interest in the franchise surged in the weeks leading up to release.

Following the August announcement of Silksong's release date, the first Hollow Knight saw a significant rise in activity on Steam, as players revisited the original or played it ahead of the sequel's debut.

While the figures from Steam alone are notable, the actual player base of Silksong is expected to be considerably higher. Silksong is also available on Xbox Game Pass, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation platforms, meaning its reach extends far beyond a single storefront.

With its strong start, Hollow Knight: Silksong has established itself as a major release in 2025, and attention now turns to how its player base will continue to grow across all platforms in the coming weeks.