Hollow Knight: Silksong launch crashes major game stores

Major digital game stores experienced outages and purchase errors on Thursday as players tried to buy Hollow Knight: Silksong at launch, leaving thousands unable to complete transactions.

The sequel to the 2017 indie hit went live at 15:00 BST, and users immediately reported being unable to buy the game on Steam and other platform storefronts. Errors and failed purchases persisted for roughly two and a half hours, with many users saying they were unable to add the game to their libraries or complete checkout until around 17:30 BST.

Outage-monitoring site Downdetector registered a sharp spike in reports after the release, peaking at about 3,750 before gradually falling over the following hour. Social media posts showed players encountering error messages and timeouts across Steam, the Nintendo eShop, the PlayStation Store and the Xbox Store. Some users said they faced repeated failed attempts to purchase the game or to download it after purchase.

Fans voiced frustration at the disruptions, with several criticizing platforms for not offering a pre-order option that might have staggered demand. "Ridiculous," one user wrote on social media, while another said it was "stupid" there was no pre-order choice to avoid launch-day congestion.

Hollow Knight, developed by Team Cherry, has been highly anticipated since the original Metroidvania-style game was released in 2017. The developer has said the first title sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, contributing to strong demand for the sequel.

Stores did not immediately issue public statements confirming the cause of the errors on Thursday evening. Platform status pages and customer-support channels showed increased activity as users reported problems with purchases and downloads.

Team Cherry announced the release date and time ahead of launch and promoted Silksong as one of the year’s major indie releases. The publisher and platform operators typically use staggered launches or pre-orders to manage traffic spikes; in this case, users and observers said the absence of a pre-order window appeared to have exacerbated load on storefront systems.

By about 17:30 BST, user reports indicated many issues had subsided and additional Downdetector activity had decreased, though some players said intermittent problems continued for a period afterward. Demand for the game remained high, with users continuing to share screenshots and gameplay impressions on social media as access was restored.

The incident highlights the technical challenges digital storefronts can face when a much-anticipated title launches, and adds to ongoing discussions about how platforms can better manage surges in traffic to minimise disruption for buyers.