Hollow Knight Silksong: Everything we know so far

Hollow Knight Silksong, the long-awaited Metroidvania sequel to Hollow Knight, is still in development and has yet to receive a release date. The game is confirmed for release on Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The game will also be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one.

Hollow Knight Silksong is still at large in 2024, but we're not losing hope just yet. Team Cherry's long-awaited Metroidvania has been in the works for some fives years, and despite the long wait, fans are running on little more than crumbs when it comes to intel. In fact, one of the most concrete facts we know about Hollow Knight Silksong is that it will be on Xbox Game Pass on day one.

It's not for lack of listening up, though. It's been seven years since the first game launched, and despite the developer keeping things under wraps, the hype around Hollow Knight: Silksong seems to just keep growing. The long wait has made some fans antsy, having gone full Elden Ring on the hunt for mere morsels of intel as a hidden Hollow Knight Silksong update on its Steam page was enough to make hopeful hearts soar earlier this year. A 2023 controversy surrounding engine Unity's intended pay-per-download business model had made other Hollow Knight fans panic, with speculations that an engine swap could incur further delays on top of  Silksong's initial postponement that pushed its launch date from early 2023 to sometime in the as-yet unknown future. Frustrating though the lack of information is, Team Cherry has reassured its restless players that Silksong is still very much in the works. Sounds like we will just have to keep being patient. 

And the wait will hopefully be worth it. Hollow Knight Silksong stills ranks high on our list of new games of 2024, and as we close in on Summer Game Fest 2024, we can't help but pray that more news sits just on the horizon. Here's everything you need to know about Hollow Knight: Silksong, from  its delays to gameplay news and more.

This Hollow Knight: Silksong hub was updated on May 28. With no news from developer Team Cherry as we reach the year's midpoint, we're still hoping to see more of the beloved Metroidvania sequel before 2024 is out. Check back soon! 

The Hollow Knight Silksong release date has yet to be revealed, having been pushed back from an early 2023 target. Team Cherry's Matthew Griffin confirmed the of the delay, noting in a statement that while "development is still continuing" the scope of the project requires more time. "We're excited by how the game is shaping up, and it's gotten quite big, so we want to take the time to make the game as good as we can," adds Griffin.

The Hollow Knight: Silksong platforms have been confirmed as Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC – via Steam, GOG, and the Humble Store. Additionally, Team Cherry has confirmed that a Hollow Knight: Silksong Xbox Game Pass release has been secured, meaning it'll be available to all subscribers on the day of release. 

Ever since Team Cherry announced this sequel back in 2019, PlayStation owners have been left asking the same question: Will Hollow Knight Silksong be on PS4 and PS5? And for the longest time it looked uncertain, especially after Xbox owners learned that the game would be coming to Xbox Game Pass. Thankfully, PlayStation has since cleared up any confusion. The platform holder took to Twitter to confirm that Hollow Knight: Silksong will be available on PS5 and PS4. 

It's been a little while since we heard any new details on Hollow Knight Silksong, following its gameplay reveal at E3 2022. Naturally, after the game failed to make an appearance during the Nintendo Direct February 2023 showcase tensions are running a little high in the community – although a playtester threw fans a little lifeline, and a refreshed trademark only caused excitement to grow.

Above you can watch the debut Hollow Knight: Silksong reveal trailer, which Team Cherry used to announce the game to the world for the very first time all the way back in February 2019.

The two-minute trailer began with Hornet’s kidnapping, showing her breaking free to explore lush meadows and dank underground passageways. The trailer showed there are new enemies to conquer, new bosses to fight, brand new friends to meet along the way, and new towns to explore, complete with NPC characters and their associated quests.

And now we have this second Hollow Knight: Silksong gameplay trailer to pour over from E3 2022. More gameplay sneak peeks, more bosses and bad guys, and more from our old pal Hornet – who's been promoted from friend and foe of the original game to playable hero.

As for Hollow Knight: Silksong's gameplay, initially the only footage we had to go off was from the debut trailer. Despite it being a pure introduction to the sequel, we actually did get to see plenty of clips of protagonist Hornet jumping into action, as she bounds and leaps over enemies with finesse. And now that's been solidified and built upon by the more recent trailer, with everything looking incredibly fluid.

It’s clear then that Hollow Knight’s blend of platforming and 2D combat is returning for Silksong. In fact, Team Cherry looks to have made the platforming distinctly more acrobatic with Hornet than with the Knight in the original game: the new protagonist looks like a gymnast compared to the Knight, deftly flipping over huge enemies with ease. 

Healing also works differently in Silksong than in Hollow Knight. Instead of slowly refilling her health like the Knight did, Hornet can instantly heal three health nodes, and not only that, but she can also do this on the move. However, Hornet has a Silk metre, and healing three nodes of health immediately empties the bar.

If you’ve played Hollow Knight, you’ll no doubt remember Hornet, who frequently got in the way of the player character, but ended up becoming their ally partway through. Hollow Knight: Silksong actually switches out protagonists, replacing the Knight with Hornet for this new adventure.

In this new game, Hornet finds herself kidnapped, and spirited away to a kingdom called Pharloom. Said to be “haunted by Silk and Song” according to developer Team Cherry themselves, Silksong’s basic plot puts Hornet right at the bottom of this new kingdom, and tasks her with ascending to the top of the kingdom and reaching a shining citadel to find out the truth behind her kidnapping.

Additionally, there’s also going to be side quests for Hornet to take on. These sound a lot more fleshed out than in the original Hollow Knight, as Silksong actually allows you to keep track of all your side quests in a journal. Perhaps this is an opportunity to tell more stories outside of the main plot of Silksong.

Hollow: Knight: Silksong actually began development as another DLC chapter for the original Hollow Knight. Set to star Hornet, developer Team Cherry quickly realised the scope of the DLC was far bigger than they anticipated, so they actually carved out the space for a full-blown sequel starring Hornet instead.

Looking at the sequel now, it’s not hard to see why. Hollow Knight: Silksong’s debut trailer boasted of over 150 brand new enemies, including new bosses to fight in addition to this. In fact, there’s brand new features for the sequel, like the ability to craft weapons, tools, and traps from materials gathered off of fallen enemies.

If you liked the music of the original game, then we’ve got good news for you. Original composer Christopher Larkin has returned to collaborate with Team Cherry to score Hollow Knight: Silksong, which means the new adventure promises to have memorable tunes for punchy moments.

Can't stand the wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong? Then you might want to check out one of the best Metroidvania games, or even some of the fantastic games like Hollow Knight that are out there just waiting to be played today.