Hollow Knight: Silksong is finally getting another playable demo at Gamescom

Outside of the rare appearance at a video game showcase, the infamous Hollow Knight: Silksong has been mostly missing in action ever since it first made a playable appearance at E3 2019. Thankfully, that’s changing soon, as it’s getting a public-facing playable demo soon. You’ll just have to go to Europe to play it.

Yes, a new demo for Hollow Knight: Silksong is coming, but it will only be playable at Xbox’s booth at Gamescom 2025. Gamescom is Europe’s biggest gaming trade show, and it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Those going this August will be the first to play Hollow Knight: Silksong in over six years.

Why is Hollow Knight: Silksong playable at Gamescom 2025?

It’ll be at Xbox’s booth alongside Ninja Gaiden 4 and more

Developer Team Cherry didn’t make a big display of Hollow Knight: Silksong’s Gamescom appearance. We learned it’d be playable through an Xbox Wire post about Microsoft’s plans at Gamescom this year. Between August 20 and August 24, Gamescom attendees will be able to visit an Xbox booth featuring lots of playable demos of upcoming games as well as upcoming hardware, like the ROG Xbox Ally.

On the first-party front, Ninja Gaiden 4 is the most notable demo featured, while The Outer Worlds 2 will have a theater presentation. Hollow Knight: Silksong headlines the third-party demos, which also include the likes of Borderlands 4, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and Invincible VS.

Below, you can see the full list of titles featured at Xbox’s Gamescom 2025 booth:

• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Ninja Gaiden 4
• Grounded 2
• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
• Age of Mythology: Retold
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
• The Outer Worlds 2
• Borderlands 4
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword
• Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
• EA Sports FC 26
• Aniimo
• There Are No Ghosts at the Grand
• PowerWash Simuilator 2
• Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Invincible VS
• Super Meat Boy 3D
• Cronos: The New Dawn
• Mistfall Hunter

Such a public-facing appearance for Hollow Knight: Silksong is very surprising considering how little we’ve seen of the game in recent years. This follow-up to a dark 2016 Metroidvania is one of the most anticipated indie games right now, partly because of the mystery and intrigue that surrounded the title as Team Cherry stayed quiet following E3 2019.

It occasionally popped up at an Xbox or Nintendo showcase, but it wasn’t until the Nintendo Direct unveiling the Switch 2 that Team Cherry committed to releasing it this year. If Hollow Knight: Silksong is truly intended to be released this fall, then a playable demo appearing at events like Gamescom beforehand makes sense.

It’s disappointing that those of us not traveling to Cologne, Germany for this event won’t seemingly be able to play the demo, though. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too much longer before we can finally play the full game ourselves.