Hollow Knight: Silksong reaches 5 million players in 3 days

September 4, 2025, will go down in video game history. After a seven-year wait, Hollow Knight: Silksong arrived on PC, consoles, and Game Pass, sparking a phenomenon few indie titles have achieved. In just three days, it surpassed 5 million players , with 3 million on Steam and more than 1 million on Microsoft's service.

The success was such that several digital platforms collapsed due to demand, a symptom that Silksong is not just another metroidvania, but the indie equivalent of Grand Theft Auto .

However, Team Cherry's overwhelming victory brought with it a side effect: other games were completely overshadowed. The most obvious example was Adventure of Samsara , a metroidvania released by Atari on the same day as Silksong's release.

While the indie title reached half a million concurrent players on Steam, Samsara barely garnered 12 concurrent users. An unfair failure considering the game's reviews were 100% positive.

This phenomenon wasn't limited to Samsara. According to SteamDB data, releases like NBA 2K26 (32,081 users), Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (19,634), Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion (10,185) and Hell is Us (4,431) fell far behind. Even offerings like Lost Soul Aside , Shinobi: Art of Vengeance or Metal Eden had modest numbers in the face of Hurricane Silksong.

The story is clear: taking on a global phenomenon like Hollow Knight: Silksong is a strategic mistake. Many of these games would likely have performed similarly without the timing mismatch, but it's undeniable that Team Cherry's title stole all the media and player attention.

The lesson for studios and publishers is clear: choosing the release date can be just as important as the quality of the game. Competing against a giant is a losing proposition.

Beyond the numbers, Hollow Knight: Silksong proves that indie titles can set trends and redefine the market. Its ability to eclipse AAA titles and displace other big-budget projects confirms that we're witnessing a cultural phenomenon, not just a commercial one.

With its first update now available and a growing community, Silksong hasn't just made history: it's sent a clear message to the industry about the power of indie gaming.