Hollow Knight: Silksong Achieves Monumental Success with Over 5 Million Players
2025-09-10 21:15:27Hollow Knight: Silksong has achieved an extraordinary milestone, attracting over 5 million players across various gaming platforms since its release. According to recent data, the game has sold more than 3 million copies on Steam alone, demonstrating its massive commercial success in the gaming market.
Initially announced in 2019 with a planned 2023 launch, the highly anticipated sequel finally arrived on September 4, 2025, available on PC and multiple console platforms. The extended development period only heightened expectations among the dedicated fanbase, resulting in an explosive reception upon release.
Building upon the tremendous success of the original 2017 Hollow Knight, combined with years of anticipation for the sequel, Silksong's launch proved to be nothing short of phenomenal for an independent game title. Developed by Team Cherry, the game attracted massive player engagement within hours of release, reaching over 500,000 concurrent players on Steam—an impressive feat for any game, particularly an indie production.
Beyond its immediate popularity among gamers, Hollow Knight: Silksong received widespread critical acclaim from reviewers. The title currently maintains an exceptional average score of 94 on OpenCritic, making it the highest-rated game on the review aggregation platform for 2025.
Data from The Alinea Insight Newsletter reveals that Hollow Knight: Silksong surpassed the 5 million player mark shortly after launch, with over one million players accessing the game through Xbox Game Pass on consoles. During its first three days of availability, the metroidvania title sold more than 3 million copies on Steam, generating over $50 million in revenue from those sales alone.
Market analysis indicates that the majority of Steam purchases originated from the United States and China, with Russia, Japan, and Brazil representing other significant markets. These figures aligned with the ambitious expectations surrounding the indie title, which had been wishlisted by approximately 5 million Steam users prior to release.
An interesting statistic shows that 78% of Silksong players on Steam and 81% on PlayStation also owned the original Hollow Knight, demonstrating strong franchise loyalty and suggesting that many players were longstanding fans who naturally progressed to the sequel.
While many successful games achieve record-breaking launches, Hollow Knight: Silksong distinguished itself with what could be described as a "storefront-breaking" debut. The enormous influx of interested buyers temporarily overwhelmed digital storefronts including Steam, Nintendo eShop, and Microsoft Store, highlighting the unprecedented demand for the title.
The impressive statistics demonstrate that the initial momentum surrounding the Hollow Knight sequel has translated into substantial commercial success and a rapidly expanding player base. The significant overlap between owners of both games suggests that Team Cherry successfully retained their existing audience while attracting new players to the franchise.