2025 has shaped up to be a landmark year for indie games, and at the center of it all are two giants: Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades II. Both are sequels to beloved indie classics, both have been hyped for years, and both finally launched this September to enormous attention. But with so much buzz around them, the big question remains: which one is truly the bigger indie game of 2025? To find out, we need to look at the hype, the launch numbers, the critical reception, and the lasting impact these games are likely to have.

Indie success on Switch

Back in 2017, the original Nintendo Switch changed the way we thought about indie games. Before then, indies often struggled to find visibility on crowded PC storefronts or had to fight for scraps of attention alongside blockbuster releases. But the Switch offered something new — an affordable, portable console with an eShop that gave smaller games room to shine. Players could suddenly carry deep, stylish indie adventures in their pockets, and that combination turned the Switch into the home of the “indie boom.”

Hollow Knight was one of the biggest beneficiaries of that moment. Team Cherry’s hand-drawn Metroidvania didn’t have the marketing budget of a AAA giant, but on Switch it found its audience. Word of mouth spread quickly, reviews were glowing, and the portable format made exploring Hallownest feel even more personal. Over time, it became one of the defining indie success stories of the Switch era, selling over 15 million copies worldwide.

Hades followed a similar trajectory. While it launched first on PC, it truly exploded once it hit the Switch in 2020. Its quick, roguelike runs felt perfectly suited for handheld play — you could dive into a few chambers of the Underworld during a bus ride or before bed. Coupled with rave reviews and multiple Game of the Year awards, Hades didn’t just succeed, it became a cultural touchstone. It brought roguelikes into the mainstream and cemented Supergiant Games as one of the premier indie studios in the world.

This context is key to understanding why Silksong and Hades II were so highly anticipated. Both franchises weren’t just great indie games — they were pillars of the Switch 1 era. And in 2025, with the launch of the Switch 2, fans were ready to see these series return and define a new chapter for indies on Nintendo’s hardware.

The Hype

The stories of how these two games built up their hype couldn’t be more different. Hollow Knight: Silksong was first revealed in 2019, originally planned as a small expansion before growing into a full sequel. But then came the long silence. Updates were rare, release windows slipped, and fans were left waiting year after year. That gap — six years of anticipation — turned Silksong into something bigger than just a game. It became a legend, the kind of title people joked about never actually coming out. By the time Team Cherry finally announced its release in 2025, excitement had reached a boiling point. For many players, Silksong wasn’t just another indie release — it was the most anticipated game of the decade.

Hades II, on the other hand, took a very different path. Supergiant Games revealed it at The Game Awards in 2022 and followed with a smart move: Early Access in 2024. Instead of leaving fans in the dark, they let players jump in early, give feedback, and watch the game evolve in real time. This steady, transparent development kept the community engaged while also building trust. Players knew exactly what to expect, and by the time the full 1.0 release rolled around in 2025, Hades II already had a dedicated fanbase who’d spent hundreds of hours in the Underworld.

So while Silksong’s hype came from mystery and long anticipation, Hades II built its momentum on accessibility and community involvement. One was a six-year wait that erupted into a tidal wave of excitement, the other a slow burn fueled by constant interaction. Two very different strategies — but both proving just how powerful indie hype can be.

Player count

When the dust settled on launch week, the numbers told a clear story. Hollow Knight: Silksong didn’t just arrive — it exploded. On day one, the game hit a peak of nearly 587,000 concurrent players on Steam, making it one of the biggest indie launches in the platform’s history. In just its first two weeks, Silksong sold around 3.2 million copies on Steam alone, while another 1.5 million players downloaded it through Xbox Game Pass. Across all platforms combined, the total quickly shot past 4.2 million sales, edging toward five million players worldwide. The surge was so massive that storefronts like Steam and the Nintendo eShop even buckled under the demand, briefly going offline as players scrambled to get in.

Hades II’s numbers paint a different but still impressive picture. During its Early Access launch in 2024, the game peaked at over 103,000 concurrent players on Steam, far surpassing the original Hades’ peak of around 37,000. It was a major milestone for Supergiant, proving the appetite for a sequel was real. But compared to Silksong’s record-breaking debut, Hades II’s launch impact was smaller. By 2025, as the game hit its full release, its concurrent player base had settled into the 2,000–5,000 range on Steam, reflecting a dedicated but more modest ongoing community.

So if launch impact is the metric, Silksong clearly stole the spotlight. Its debut wasn’t just a success — it was a cultural event, the kind of release that makes headlines outside the usual gaming circles. Hades II’s numbers, while strong, leaned more on consistency and community support rather than sheer explosive growth.

Critical Reception

When it came to reviews, both games proved that the hype wasn’t just smoke and mirrors. Hollow Knight: Silksong landed with universal acclaim across multiple platforms. Critics praised its sprawling new world, the fluidity of Hornet’s combat, and the sheer amount of content packed into every corner. Over 200 unique enemies, dozens of bosses, and a haunting soundtrack gave it the kind of depth usually associated with AAA studios. Reviewers highlighted not just the scale, but also the refinement — calling it a sequel that felt both bigger and sharper than the original.

Hades II also impressed critics, though in a different way. Because it spent over a year in Early Access, much of the criticism and polish happened long before its full release. By the time 1.0 launched, reviewers praised it for its mechanical tightness, expanded roster of gods and weapons, and the sheer replayability of its roguelike structure. Supergiant was lauded for listening to its community and shaping the game based on feedback, delivering an experience that felt tuned and player-driven.

The main divide in critical reception came down to expectations. With Silksong, the conversation centered on its ambition and scope — a full world that justified the six-year wait. With Hades II, the discussion leaned more toward refinement. Some critics did note that it felt like “more of the same,” but for fans of the original, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It was still widely praised as one of the best roguelikes ever made, even if it didn’t reinvent the wheel.

In the end, both titles stood tall in the eyes of reviewers. Silksong carried the shock factor of a massive, long-awaited adventure, while Hades II showcased polish, depth, and an unshakable formula for fun.

Longevity & Replayability

Once the dust of launch settles, the question becomes: how long will these games actually keep players hooked?

Hollow Knight: Silksong is massive. Its labyrinthine world is packed with secrets, its bosses are brutal, and its challenges demand patience and skill. For most players, exploring every corner and defeating every foe will take dozens of hours, if not more. But at the end of the day, Silksong is a finite experience. Once you’ve conquered its challenges and uncovered its mysteries, the journey is largely complete. Yes, speedrunners and lore enthusiasts will keep diving back in, but the average player’s story has a natural endpoint.

Hades II, on the other hand, thrives on repetition. Like the first game, its roguelike structure means every run feels different — new weapon combinations, new storylines, and fresh interactions with the gods of Olympus. The dialogue system alone ensures that you’ll encounter new lines of story even after dozens of hours. It’s designed not just to be played, but replayed endlessly, with each run pushing you deeper into the Underworld and closer to mastery.

So while Silksong may dominate the spotlight at launch with its sheer size and spectacle, Hades II is built for the long haul. It may not hit the same dizzying peaks in player numbers, but it will likely sustain a more active community for years to come. In short: Silksong is a feast, while Hades II is a bottomless buffet.

Legacy & Cultural Impact

To really understand why these games matter, you have to look at where they came from. The original Hollow Knight wasn’t just another Metroidvania — it became one of the defining indie titles of its generation. Selling over 15 million copies worldwide, it proved that a tiny studio like Team Cherry could stand toe-to-toe with the biggest names in the industry. Its haunting art style, deep lore, and demanding gameplay helped set a new standard for what players expected from indie adventures. On the Nintendo Switch, especially, it became iconic — a perfect handheld experience that symbolized the “indie boom” of the Switch era.

Hades carved out a legacy of its own. When it launched on Switch and PC in 2020, it didn’t just sell well — it broke barriers. Winning multiple Game of the Year awards, Hades elevated roguelikes into the mainstream, transforming what was once considered a niche genre into something celebrated by millions. It wasn’t just the tight gameplay, but also the storytelling — weaving narrative into a roguelike structure in a way that felt groundbreaking. For many players, Hades was the moment when they realized indie studios could outshine AAA in creativity, polish, and innovation.

That’s the weight both Silksong and Hades II carried into 2025. These weren’t just sequels — they were cultural events, continuations of two of the most important indie legacies of the past decade. On the new Switch 2, they’re not only keeping the indie flame alive, they’re proving that the spirit of the Switch 1 indie boom is still shaping the future of gaming today.

Conclusion

So, which one is the bigger indie game of 2025? If we’re measuring by raw launch numbers, cultural buzz, and the sense of a global event, Hollow Knight: Silksong clearly takes the crown. Its release was more than just another game dropping — it was a once-in-a-generation moment, the payoff to six years of anticipation that sent millions of players rushing in at once.

But Hades II makes its case in a different way. Its strength lies in longevity — in a design that keeps players coming back for hundreds of runs, in a community that grows with each new discovery, and in a pedigree that already reshaped the roguelike genre. It may not have matched Silksong’s explosive debut, but its staying power could make it just as influential in the long run.

Maybe the real answer is that there doesn’t need to be a single winner. What 2025 proves is that indie developers can dominate the gaming landscape just as much as AAA studios. Whether you’re exploring the haunting depths of Pharloom in Silksong or battling through the Underworld in Hades II, both games stand as proof that indie gaming is bigger, bolder, and more important than ever.

So I’ll put the question to you: which do you think deserves the title of the biggest indie game of 2025? Let me know in the comments — and don’t forget to like and subscribe for more deep dives into the biggest games of the year.