Finally, You Can Play Hollow Knight: Silksong Demo at Gamescom

It’s official: Hollow Knight: Silksong has soared from rumor to reality with a playable demo at Gamescom 2025. After six years of waiting—and countless “Where’s Silksong?” memes—Team Cherry and Xbox are handing Hornet’s next adventure to eager fans, but only in person at Cologne’s Koelnmesse from August 20–24.

Why This Demo Matters

The original Hollow Knight redefined Metroidvania games on release in 2017, earning critical praise and selling millions of copies thanks to its precise combat, hand-drawn art, and sprawling world. Silksong has become one of the most anticipated indie sequels in recent memory, with fans dissecting every trailer and screenshot for hints. This demo is the first chance to feel Hornet’s silk-based skills under your fingers rather than on a YouTube video—and it arrives months ahead of any confirmed launch window.

How to Get Your Hands on the Silksong Demo

This preview is strictly on-site at the Xbox booth in Hall 7 of Koelnmesse. There’s no surprise Steam drop or public download—if you don’t plan a trip to Cologne, you’ll have to wait. Attendees choose between playing on high-end PC rigs provided by the show or the brand-new ROG Xbox Ally X handheld console. For many outside Europe, that means passports, plane tickets, and maybe even preordering the portable Ally X just to gain demo access.

Exclusive Stress Test at Gamescom

By keeping Silksong locked to a single trade-show booth, Team Cherry turns Gamescom into a real-world QA environment. The developers can watch how players tackle demo-only challenges—spotting choke points, measuring load times, and gauging reactions to newly introduced mechanics. It’s a bold contrast to the usual teaser reels: here, fans aren’t just watching—they’re playing, adjusting, and feeding back in real time.

Hands-On Impressions

Demo attendees have called it “remarkably polished” for a work-in-progress build. A lightning-fast boot drops you into a central hub where you can remap controls, tweak sensitivity, and preview a truncated skill tree. Unlike the original game’s manual bench saves, Silksong uses autosave checkpoints between boss fights—making retries snappier and less punishing.

One PC playtester praised the movement: “Chaining silk dashes felt buttery smooth,” they said, while another highlighted the art direction: “Layered backgrounds and dynamic lighting are arguably even more intricate than the original Hollow Knight.” Observers also note an overhauled UI, with clearer tooltips, streamlined inventory screens, and mini-map highlights that hum to reveal hidden passageways.

Hornet’s New Silk Abilities

• Silk Dash & Grapple: Fire a silk tether midair to latch onto ceilings or distant walls, opening fresh vertical routes and secret alcoves. It encourages exploration in spaces that felt out of reach in the first game.
• Needle-and-Thread Attacks: Hornet’s trusty needle now launches silk projectiles to pin foes or trigger environmental traps—plus an optional silk shield that can absorb hits and unleash explosive counters.
• Skill Tree Teasers: The demo’s trimmed-down node map hints at future unlocks—faster silk regen, extended grapple range, and passive buffs promising deep custom builds in the full release.

Two Stunning Biomes & a Teaser Boss

Players explore two contrasting zones before confronting a demo-only boss. In the Bioluminescent Cavern, phosphorescent mushrooms double as springboards amid volatile spore traps. Then, the Sky-High Fortress challenges you to time silk grapples across crumbling parapets and powerful updrafts that can launch Hornet skyward—or into the void. Each section culminates in a boss fight with tight hitboxes and telegraphed attacks, giving a taste of Silksong’s ramped-up difficulty curve.

Industry Insight

Performance on the ROG Xbox Ally X handheld was solid overall, though developers admitted occasional frame dips during particularly dense sequences. “This demo gives fans real data on performance and polish,” says a MediaTrac analyst, “and it sets Silksong apart from the typical pre-release teaser.” For Team Cherry—known for meticulous design and hand-drawn visuals—this early public build is a vote of confidence that Hornet’s next tale is ready for the spotlight.

Fan Reaction & What’s Next

Within hours of the reveal, social feeds lit up with Silksong gameplay clips, deep-dive analyses, and excited conjecture about the full game. No official release window has been announced, but industry rumblings point to late 2025 or early 2026. Whether you’re booking a trip to Cologne, waiting for streamer impressions, or scrolling GIFs of silk combos, this demo marks the moment Silksong’s long, winding journey truly takes flight.

Quick Recap

From August 20–24, visit Hall 7 at Gamescom 2025 to play the only Hollow Knight: Silksong demo. Test Hornet’s silk dash and grapple, explore two vivid biomes, and face a teaser boss on PC or the ROG Xbox Ally X.