On September 4, 2025, the gaming world witnessed an extraordinary event when the release of Hollow Knight: Silksong triggered widespread server outages across major gaming platforms, including Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo. This unexpected disruption from a $20 indie title has industry analysts reconsidering what might happen when Rockstar Games launches the monumental Grand Theft Auto 6. The scale of this incident is particularly remarkable given that Team Cherry's development resources pale in comparison to Rockstar's massive budget and team working on Grand Theft Auto 6, the sequel to a record-breaking franchise.

The success of Hollow Knight: Silksong was virtually guaranteed, with over five million users adding it to their Steam wishlists before launch. This overwhelming anticipation prompted several other publishers to delay their game releases to avoid competing with Team Cherry's masterpiece. However, few could have predicted that this indie gem would cause such extensive platform-wide issues, leading many to speculate about the potential impact of massive releases like GTA 6 on gaming infrastructure.

What gamers are now calling the "Silksong Incident" saw Steam experience nearly two hours of service interruption on September 4, with more than 70,000 users reporting problems on Downdetector. The timing aligned perfectly with Hollow Knight: Silksong's release at 7 AM PT, strongly suggesting that the massive player influx overwhelmed Steam's servers. Valve's platform wasn't alone in experiencing difficulties, as reports indicate simultaneous technical problems across Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo's online stores. This raises serious questions about how these platforms will manage what might be gaming's largest-ever launch when Grand Theft Auto 6 arrives on May 26, 2026.

To understand how Silksong's release serves as a warning for GTA 6's launch, consider that Team Cherry's game achieved approximately 530,000 concurrent players on Steam at launch—an impressive feat for an indie title. By comparison, GTA 6 is projected to far exceed these numbers, given that its predecessor sold over 11 million copies on its first day alone. GTA 5's historic success, which included six Guinness World Records and the title of fastest entertainment property to reach $1 billion, demonstrates the franchise's unprecedented reach. If a game of Silksong's scale can disrupt major platforms, Rockstar's upcoming open-world masterpiece—which some industry experts are calling the first "AAAAA" title—could create catastrophic server challenges.

Steam's previous significant outage occurred on August 24, 2024, during the launch of Black Myth: Wukong, when a coordinated DDoS attack created technical problems for millions of PC users. While Valve responded quickly to mitigate that attack, industry analysts now believe the release of GTA 6 could trigger even more severe service disruptions unless gaming platforms and storefronts implement substantial preparatory measures.