Hollow Knight breaks its own player record on Steam

Best Steam Games — (Image credit: Team Cherry)

Hollow Knight’s concurrent player number has reached an all-time high.

While it’s common for a game to beat its record for the highest number of players in its early days or when a shiny new slice of content gets added, it’s pretty unusual for them to randomly do so five years after launch. But that’s just what’s happened with the brilliant Metroidvania that is Hollow Knight. The wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong is hitting all of us, it would seem.

According to Steam's statistics, Hollow Knight’s concurrent player number hit an all-time high on May 7 with over 20,000 players - 20,324 to be exact. Not only did the game beat its previous record, it absolutely smashed it. A look at the monthly breakdown of peak player numbers shows that the game has been gaining increasing popularity in recent months. In March, the title was doing better than ever, with a record of 13,721 concurrent players. Compare this to May of last year, where user numbers peaked at 5,103.

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So what’s the reason for the sudden interest in Hollow Knight? Well, it’s likely a few different things. A recent Steam sale saw the game’s price reduced by a hefty 60%, and seemingly many who were keen to try out the indie darling snapped it up for this low price.

Also, thanks to the release of Elden Ring, soulsike games are more popular than ever. And with it bearing similarities to From Software’s titles in terms of mechanics, difficulty and atmosphere, Hollow Knight is a solid option for those who can’t get enough of the soulslike formula. The hype surrounding the long-awaited follow-up is likely also enticing fans back to the original as well as encouraging newcomers to see what all the fuss is about.

A release date for the sequel to Hollow Knight has yet to be announced, and the wait for Hollow Knight: Silksong has been so excruciating that even other games are referencing it.

When you’ve finished Team Cherry’s excellent 2D adventure, take a look at our pick of the best games like Hollow Knight.

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Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.