In brief: The sequel to one of the most critically acclaimed metroidvanias of all time is finally available, following years of radio silence from its developer. No one is surprised at the indie title's early success, but the hype surrounding it momentarily halted digital commerce throughout the video game industry.
Customers looking to purchase Hollow Knight: Silksong, which launched on Thursday, encountered clogged servers on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo digital storefronts. The long-awaited side-scrolling action game quickly topped sales charts and garnered positive early impressions.
Tom Warren from The Verge shared a photo depicting failed attempts to download the game on the Nintendo Switch 2, Steam, and Xbox, and noted that the PlayStation Store was also affected. Jokes quickly circulated describing Steam's error page as an impossible first boss. Furthermore, the Humble Store ran out of Steam activation keys for Silksong and made a separate DRM-free download available for customers.
Silksong is hammering the Steam, Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation stores
– Tom Warren (@tomwarren.co.uk) September 4, 2025 at 10:10 AM
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Hollow Knight: Silksong is currently Steam's top-selling game and its third most-played game, sitting behind the platform's free-to-play giants, Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2. The indie action platformer's launch day concurrent-player peak of approximately 535,213 gave it the fourth-best 24-hour peak of any title in Steam's history, and the best of any paid game. PUBG, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike 2 still occupy the top three spots.
The original Hollow Knight, released in 2017, gained widespread praise for its stylish 2D graphics and tight gameplay. However, developer Team Cherry gave no updates on the follow-up for several years, until it reappeared at Gamescom last month.
Team Cherry's silence caused concern over the game's development status, which increased anticipation. The studio eventually explained that Silksong's production went smoothly, but the first game's massive success gave the developers financial breathing room to take their time and pursue ambitious design goals.
Anticipation for Silksong also caused other indie developers to delay their upcoming games, similar to how larger publishers are trying to avoid Grand Theft Auto VI's launch window. Examples include the RPG Demonschool, now set for release on November 19, Bennett Foddy's walking simulator Baby Steps (September 23), the 2D platformer Stomp and the Sword of Miracles, and more.
Major outlets haven't published reviews for Silksong yet because Team Cherry did not release early review code, choosing to distribute the first copies to crowdfunding backers. However, early comments from critics are positive.