After six years of waiting, Hollow Knight: Silksong finally launched, and it didn’t just make headlines, it crashed digital storefronts and pulled in hundreds of thousands of players within hours.
On launch day, it reached nearly 454,000 concurrent users on Steam, making it one of the biggest launches in the platform’s history.
Chaos Across All Platforms at Launch
Let’s talk about what actually happened when the game dropped. Silksong launched globally on September 4th at 10 AM EDT. Within minutes, digital stores like Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo eShop were overwhelmed. Listings vanished. Checkout screens froze. People kept refreshing pages hoping the game would finally appear. It was a mess.
If you were watching Twitch, you probably saw streamers trying and failing to buy the game live on camera. Social media was flooded with memes, angry posts, and confused reactions. Some players waited years, only to hit a wall of loading screens. But honestly, that’s how you know this wasn’t just any game launch. This was an event.
SILKSONG KILLED THE FUCKING ESHOP AND STEAM pic.twitter.com/Tguynavwcg
— Nathan (@NSuperGamerGuy) September 4, 2025
Once the dust settled and storefronts recovered, things picked up fast. Silksong didn’t just sell well, it dominated. Just a few hours after launch, Steam recorded 453,993 concurrent players. That made it the third most played game on the platform, right behind Counter Strike 2 and Dota 2. For comparison, it’s already passed games like HELLDIVERS 2 and Stardew Valley. And it’s still climbing.
It also hit number 29 on Steam’s all time chart. Not bad for a 2D indie metroidvania. That number is probably going to rise over the weekend as more people get time to play.
Years of Anticipation Finally Pay Off
This kind of launch doesn’t come out of nowhere. Silksong has been building momentum for years. It was first announced in 2019 as DLC for the original Hollow Knight, but it grew into a full sequel. Since then, fans have been waiting. Some have been waiting since the original game dropped in 2017.
The first Hollow Knight built a loyal following. It’s considered one of the best indie games of all time thanks to its hand drawn world, tight combat, and huge scope. Silksong had massive shoes to fill, and the delay only added to the expectations.
https://twitter.com/Vaharrak/status/1963618543892635871
Over the past few years, Silksong became the most wishlisted game on Steam. The fan community kept it alive with endless memes and one truly dedicated YouTuber who posted a video every single day for over 1,600 days, tracking Silksong news. That kind of dedication says a lot.
A True Global Launch Across Every Platform
What makes this launch even more impressive is how widespread it is. Silksong launched on almost everything: PC, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and S. It’s priced at $19.99, takes up just 7.62GB of space, and runs on day one through Xbox Game Pass.
That means the real player count is way higher than the Steam stats. We don’t have numbers from Sony, Nintendo, or Microsoft, but considering their stores went down too, it’s clear the demand was massive across the board.
With a price that’s more than reasonable and no deluxe or collector’s editions trying to squeeze players, Silksong is shaping up to be not just a huge indie launch, but maybe the biggest ever. It’s got the numbers, the history, and the reach. And now it’s finally out there, being played, explored, and loved. It was a long wait, but for most players, it looks like it was worth every second.
Industry Impact and What Comes Next
There’s already speculation that Silksong’s surprise release and overwhelming success may have influenced other studios to delay or shift their indie launches. With so much attention focused on one game, even well-established indie titles could struggle to compete during the same window. It’s the kind of ripple effect you don’t see often in this space.
The original Hollow Knight sold over 15 million copies, setting a high bar for any sequel. Silksong landed on all major platforms at launch and immediately drew a massive crowd. With a low entry price and day one access through Game Pass, it is already reaching a wider audience than the original. If current trends continue, it may pass that milestone in time.