It was almost a certainty that Hollow Knight: Silksong would be a massive success for Team Cherry; the real question was the extent of its triumph. Speculation is now unnecessary, as the game has launched and is clearly resonating with players.
Silksong has swiftly established itself as one of Steam‘s biggest game releases of 2025, and undoubtedly a standout launch for an independently developed title.
Shortly after its debut on Steam last night, Silksong rapidly climbed the platform’s Most Played chart, surpassing popular titles such as Path of Exile 2 (which recently received a significant update that boosted its popularity) and enduring multiplayer games like PUBG.
Silksong effortlessly secured a position in the top five and has maintained its presence there. Currently, at the time of this article, the game holds the number three spot, trailing only DOTA 2 and Counter-Strike 2, with over 317,000 players actively engaged.
According to data from SteamDB, its peak concurrent player count reached a remarkable 535,213 approximately 14 hours ago. Furthermore, Silksong is currently Steam’s best-selling game, with the game and its associated soundtrack bundle holding the number two position. Its ascent to the top, after only spending a week in the top 100, is particularly noteworthy, likely fueled by its re-emergence at Gamescom and the subsequent announcement of its release date.
The original Hollow Knight also experienced a resurgence following the sequel’s reveal, surpassing its previous all-time peak concurrent player count on Steam just two days ago, as many players revisited (or purchased) the game in anticipation of the expanded sequel.
Echoing the positive reception of its predecessor, Silksong appears to be receiving similar acclaim from players. Currently, Silksong boasts an “Overwhelmingly Positive” user review rating on Steam, based on nearly 16,000 reviews.
The extensive development period seems to have resulted in a highly refined game, as reports of bugs or technical issues are scarce. With this impressive start, Silksong’s player numbers could potentially increase even further throughout the weekend.