The launch of Hollow Knight: Silksong proved to be an overwhelming event for digital gaming platforms, with Xbox Store, Steam, and Nintendo eShop all experiencing significant service disruptions on September 4th. This coincided exactly with the release time of the long-awaited sequel, creating frustration for countless fans attempting to download the game. While some players managed to access the title on their preferred platforms, many encountered substantial obstacles as the majority of major gaming storefronts temporarily went offline during the critical launch window.

With Grand Theft Auto 6 postponed until next year, Hollow Knight: Silksong was positioned to become one of 2025's most significant game releases. The indie title generated such enormous anticipation that numerous other games rescheduled their launch dates to avoid competing with Silksong. Several smaller indie developers recognized they stood little chance against what many consider the pinnacle of indie gaming, while even notable titles like Baby Steps, published by Devolver Digital, shifted their release from September 8th to September 23rd to steer clear of the Silksong launch frenzy.

The official release date announcement for Hollow Knight: Silksong came just two weeks before launch, but after eight years of eager anticipation, fan excitement had already reached unprecedented levels. This overwhelming demand resulted in service outages across Xbox Store, Steam, and Nintendo eShop, as reported by Insider Gaming. Following years of waiting, Silksong became available digitally at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET / 3 PM BST on September 4th. With no physical release scheduled until 2026, digital download became the exclusive method to access the game, explaining the massive strain on storefront infrastructure during its release.

Fortunately, these digital storefronts have since restored normal operations, though intermittent issues may persist throughout the day. Within the first hour of availability, Silksong already achieved over 103,000 concurrent players on Steam according to SteamDB data. For context, the original Hollow Knight repeatedly broke its own concurrent player records in the buildup to Silksong's release, reaching nearly 73,000 concurrent players on September 3rd, just one day before the sequel's launch.

Players who haven't yet acquired one of this year's most anticipated releases will be pleased to discover that the game is not only priced at $19.99 USD (representing exceptional value given rising video game costs) but is also immediately available through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Subscribers to Microsoft's premium service tier can download and play Hollow Knight: Silksong without any additional expense.