Silksong Release Causes Global Game Store Crashes

The release of Hollow Knight: Silksong, one of the most anticipated games of 2025, caused major disruptions across multiple digital storefronts, including Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo eShop. Steam experienced a crash and very slow performance due to an unprecedented surge of users attempting to purchase the game simultaneously, compounded by the decision not to offer pre-orders. Other platforms also faced difficulties, with users reporting issues adding the game to their carts or encountering error messages at checkout. The game was launched without advance copies for review, leading all players to attempt access at the same time, further straining the servers. Despite these technical problems, the game remains a major event in the gaming community, with high demand reflecting its status as the most wishlisted game on Steam. Storefronts are gradually recovering, but the launch highlighted the challenges of handling massive concurrent traffic for highly anticipated indie titles.