Hollow Knight: Silksong launch BREAKS the internet

Hollow Knight: Silksong has finally been released after years of anticipation, but the game’s launch has caused major problems for online platforms like Nintendo Switch, Steam and PlayStation.

The long-awaited sequel to the 2017 hit Hollow Knight went live on Thursday morning, yet players struggled to download it as digital stores buckled under demand.

Hollow Knight: Silksong was made available at 10 a.m. ET, but the sudden rush of buyers forced storefronts like the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop, Steam and the PlayStation Store into temporary breakdowns.

The popularity of Hollow Knight: Silksong was so intense that Nintendo took its eShop offline for maintenance, a rare move usually reserved for wider system issues rather than the arrival of a single title.

On social platforms, players shared images of crashes and error messages as they attempted to buy Silksong. The difficulties were made worse because pre-ordering and preloading were not available, leaving everyone trying to access the game at the same time.

Despite the early challenges, Hollow Knight: Silksong has now begun to download properly for most players, though reports of occasional errors remain. The £20 price tag, combined with the enduring popularity of the original Hollow Knight, helped fuel the extraordinary demand.

Many indie developers even shifted their own release dates to avoid clashing with Hollow Knight: Silksong, underlining just how significant the launch has become for the wider gaming community.

For fans, the arrival of Hollow Knight’s latest addition marks the end of a long wait filled with silence from its developers and renewed excitement in recent weeks.

While the rollout may have tested the limits of digital stores, it also confirmed the extraordinary appeal of Hollow Knight: Silksong and its status as one of the most talked-about indie releases of the decade.

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