Hollow Knight: Silksong PC requirements, FPS and best settings

Can your PC run Hollow Knight: Silksong? The short answer

Where Hollow Knight: Silksong ranks for hardware demand

How this game ranks among 937 modelled titles, with a look at what that means for each class of card.

With a demand score of 7, Hollow Knight: Silksong asks more of a graphics card than 28% of the 937 games in our list. We call that undemanding.

It comes from the recommended card on the Steam page (GeForce GTX 1050 (2GB)), which we map onto a common performance scale and convert to 1080p High. Treat it as a relative guide.

What it means by card class

• With an enthusiast card such as the RTX 5090 the game is limited by its engine long before the card, with about 360+ FPS at 1080p and 360+ FPS at 1440p according to our model.
• With a high-end card such as the RTX 5080 the game is limited by its engine long before the card, with about 360+ FPS at 1080p and 360+ FPS at 1440p according to our model.
• With an entry card such as the RTX 5060 the game is limited by its engine long before the card, with about 360+ FPS at 1080p and 348 FPS at 1440p according to our model.
• With a mid-range card such as the RTX 5070 the game is limited by its engine long before the card, with about 360+ FPS at 1080p and 360+ FPS at 1440p according to our model.

On the CPU side, Hollow Knight: Silksong scores 18, ahead of 0% of the 937 modelled games.

System requirements for Hollow Knight: Silksong

Everything The Steam page lists for Hollow Knight: Silksong, then what it means for real hardware.

These are the developer figures on Steam, and patches can change them.

Reading the specs against real hardware

The minimum card, GeForce GTX 560 Ti (1GB), is the floor Steam sets. In our model it delivers close to 84 FPS at 1080p on Low settings, and 46 FPS if you push it to High.

At the recommended level The Steam page lists GeForce GTX 1050 (2GB). We estimate 77 FPS at 1080p and 50 FPS at 1440p on High. That is above 60 FPS at 1080p, so the recommended spec reads as a comfortable 1080p target.

On the CPU side the recommended entry is Intel Core i5-3470, which our model rates at roughly 72 FPS of frame preparation for Hollow Knight: Silksong.

You will need 4 GB RAM of RAM at minimum or 8 GB RAM to match the recommended spec, plus 8 GB available space on your drive.

Best graphics card for Hollow Knight: Silksong by target

From a 30 FPS floor to 4K, here is the card each target asks for in Hollow Knight: Silksong.

The lowest card we tested that holds 60 FPS at 1080p on High is the GTX 1060 6GB, and the first desktop RTX 50 card to do it is the RTX 5050.

Raise the target to 1440p and the bar moves: the GTX 1060 6GB is the lowest card to achieve 60 FPS on High, while the RTX 5050 is the first RTX 50 card to get there.

At 4K, expect to lean on upscaling. The RTX 5050 is the first desktop RTX 50 card to achieve 60 FPS on High once Quality DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling is switched on.

The table covers NVIDIA, AMD and Intel cards. To test your own parts, open the can my PC run it checker and check for a processor limit in the bottleneck checker.

Hollow Knight: Silksong frame rates: 28 cards compared

Estimated frame rates for 28 graphics cards from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel. Pick a resolution to redraw the bars.

In our model the RTX 5090 delivers close to 360+ FPS at 1440p and 360+ FPS at 4K, while the RTX 5050 manages 259 FPS at 1440p. The spread tells you how much the card matters for Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Full results table

These estimates use High settings paired with a quick CPU. The two upscaled columns switch on Quality upscaling, which only applies if the game supports it. Anything over 360 FPS is capped at 360+ for display. Compare two cards directly in the GPU comparison tool.

Card by card verdicts for Hollow Knight: Silksong

How twelve well-known cards fare, explained simply.

Think of the verdict column as a starting point. It judges every card with High settings, so a modest result can often be improved by dropping one preset or using upscaling.

The step from an RTX 5060 (348 FPS at 1440p) to an RTX 5070 (360+ FPS) is about 29% according to our model, a useful yardstick when choosing between the two.

Hollow Knight: Silksong settings by resolution

Settings that hold 60 FPS at 1080p, 1440p and 4K, worked out for this game.

1080p playbook

At 1080p, GTX 1660 Super, RTX 3060 12GB, RTX 4060 hold 60 FPS natively on High according to our model, so you can leave upscaling off and spend the headroom on settings.

Pick your card in the table for the preset and upscaling mode that keep 1080p above 60 FPS.

1440p playbook

1440p is straightforward on RTX 4060, RTX 5060, RTX 5070, which hold 60 FPS on High natively here, so you only need upscaling for extra smoothness.

Use the table as a starting point: it shows the highest preset that still hits 60 FPS for each card at 1440p.

4K playbook

At 4K, RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 4080 Super, RTX 5080 hold 60 FPS natively on High according to our model, so you can leave upscaling off and spend the headroom on settings.

Start from the preset that still hits 60 FPS, then raise one setting at a time. The table gives the best preset for each card.

Upgrade path: what a faster card gains in Hollow Knight: Silksong

How much faster each next RTX 50 card is at 1440p with High settings.

Our model finds the best value step at RTX 5050 to RTX 5060, close to 35% faster at 1440p, and the weakest at RTX 5070 to RTX 5070 Ti, about 0%.

Because Hollow Knight: Silksong is light on graphics hardware, upgrades beyond the middle of the range mostly raise a number the game or CPU already limits, so a dearer card buys little.

Compare options directly in the upgrade value calculator or the GPU price to performance calculator.

Hollow Knight: Silksong VRAM requirements

Estimated graphics memory use with High settings. Too little VRAM hurts smoothness whatever the GPU speed.

The model gives 2 GB at 1080p High, rising to 2.6 GB at 1440p and 3.6 GB at 4K. It is an estimate derived from the recommended graphics card, not a measurement.

If memory is tight, lower textures first: Medium brings the 1440p figure down to roughly 2.2 GB.

What each memory size means for Hollow Knight: Silksong

• On a 6 GB card, 1080p is comfortable, 1440p is comfortable and 4K is comfortable on High. Where it is short, Medium textures and upscaling are the practical fixes.
• An 8 GB card is comfortable at 1080p, comfortable at 1440p and comfortable at 4K on High. Where it is short, Medium textures and upscaling are the practical fixes.
• A 12 GB card is comfortable at 1080p, comfortable at 1440p and comfortable at 4K on High. Memory is rarely a worry at these settings.
• 16 GB of VRAM reads as comfortable for 1080p, comfortable for 1440p and comfortable for 4K with High settings here. Memory is rarely a worry at these settings.

Run your own numbers in the VRAM calculator and read how much VRAM you need for gaming.

Hollow Knight: Silksong processor guide

Which processors keep a fast graphics card busy in this game.

The published CPU range runs from Intel Core i3-3240 to Intel Core i5-3470. We turn that into a frame-rate ceiling for nine popular processors in the table.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is gentle on processors (below most of the games we model), so even a budget chip should keep a mid-range card busy.

As a reference, a Core i5-12400F can prepare about 248 FPS here according to our model. If your graphics card can draw more than that, you will be CPU-limited.

Test your own pairing in the bottleneck checker and read system bottlenecks guide.

Which builds are balanced in Hollow Knight: Silksong?

Seven real CPU and GPU combinations, and which part limits each one.

Hollow Knight: Silksong leaves the processor as the limit in 7 of the seven pairings below. Take the RTX 4060 and Core i3-12100F: the CPU tops out around 189 FPS, below the roughly 299 FPS the card could deliver at 1440p.

Our model finds RTX 5090 plus Ryzen 7 9800X3D the most evenly matched build here: roughly 360+ FPS from the processor against close to 360+ FPS from the card at 1440p.

Treat the builds as worked examples. Your own CPU and GPU can be tested together in the bottleneck checker.

How much RAM and storage does Hollow Knight: Silksong need?

The memory and storage Steam asks for, and how to read it.

For RAM, expect 4 GB RAM at minimum and 8 GB RAM recommended. Allow for the operating system and background apps, which means 16 GB is a sensible floor.

The install asks for roughly 8 GB. Downloading it takes around 13 min at 100 Mbps and close to 3 min at 500 Mbps, allowing for overhead.

On drives: Steam does not insist on an SSD, though one will shorten loads.

Add up your own needs in the RAM calculator: it adds Windows, a browser and any streaming to the game's own needs. Time the download with the download time calculator.

Recommended Hollow Knight: Silksong settings by graphics card

A starting point for several popular cards. Each cell is the highest preset that still hits 60 FPS.

These are our model's best 60 FPS setups for Hollow Knight: Silksong, ranked by image quality.

• Cap your frame rate to your monitor to save power and heat, then use the VRR and frame cap calculator to pick the figure.
• Use upscaling first. It costs little image quality and gains many frames. Pick the highest quality mode that delivers your target.
• Leave textures on High when your card has the memory. They cost little speed. Our estimate for this game is 2.6 GB at 1440p.
• Then trim the costliest options. Shadows, volumetric effects and draw distance usually cost the most, if the game offers them.
• Adjust a single setting at once and watch the frame rate, so you know which setting did the work.

An upscaler is assumed throughout; confirm the game has one in its graphics options. For advice matched to your own PC, use the best settings generator and compare upscaling modes in the DLSS and frame generation estimator.

Laptop performance in Hollow Knight: Silksong

What RTX 50 laptop GPUs manage at common wattages.

Among RTX 50 laptop GPUs, RTX 5050 Laptop, RTX 5060 Laptop, RTX 5070 Laptop, RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, RTX 5080 Laptop, RTX 5090 Laptop clear 60 FPS at 1080p on High at typical wattage, with RTX 5050 Laptop, RTX 5060 Laptop, RTX 5070 Laptop, RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, RTX 5080 Laptop, RTX 5090 Laptop also holding 60 FPS at 1440p.

Power limit matters on a laptop: the same GPU name can perform very differently at 60 W and 120 W, and cooling decides how long it holds the higher figure.

Try different wattages in the laptop TGP estimator.

Tips for an Action, Adventure and Indie titles like Hollow Knight: Silksong

General guidance for this kind of game, chosen from the Steam genres and features.

The advice below is general guidance for this kind of game, written from the genres The Steam page lists for Hollow Knight: Silksong. It is a prompt for testing, not a technical statement about the game.

• Exploration games stream assets as you move, so storage speed and spare VRAM help avoid hitches when you enter new areas.
• Fast action is easier to play with a steady frame rate than a high peak, so consider capping a few frames below your monitor refresh rate.
• Small teams sometimes skip advanced graphics menus, so resolution scaling and a frame cap may be your best tools.
• Full controller support is listed, so playing from the sofa on a TV is an option, where 60 FPS is usually the sensible target.

Screenshots of Hollow Knight: Silksong

Official screenshots of Hollow Knight: Silksong follow. They are promotional images, so your own settings and resolution will look different, but they show the art style.

Screenshots and artwork are promotional images from the Hollow Knight: Silksong Steam store page and belong to Team Cherry.

Games similar to Hollow Knight: Silksong

Related PC game guides on this site.

These guides sit closest to Hollow Knight: Silksong in our data, either because they share genres or because they are about as hard to run. The demand scores use one common scale.

• Hello Kitty Island Adventure scores 8 on the same scale (Hollow Knight: Silksong scores 7), which makes it about as demanding. Shared genres: Action, Adventure, Indie.
• With a demand score of 7, Sledding Game is about as demanding as Hollow Knight: Silksong. Shared genres: Action, Adventure, Indie.
• Öoo: 4 on our demand scale, about as demanding as Hollow Knight: Silksong. Shared genres: Action, Adventure, Indie.
• Silver Pines: 7 on our demand scale, about as demanding as Hollow Knight: Silksong. Shared genres: Action, Adventure, Indie.
• Metal Garden sits at 7 for graphics demand and is about as demanding as Hollow Knight: Silksong (7). Shared genres: Action, Adventure, Indie.
• Lucid Blocks sits at 4 for graphics demand and is about as demanding as Hollow Knight: Silksong (7). Shared genres: Action, Adventure, Indie.
• Necesse: 4 on our demand scale, about as demanding as Hollow Knight: Silksong. Shared genres: Action, Adventure, Indie.
• With a demand score of 4, Demon Lord: Just a Block is about as demanding as Hollow Knight: Silksong. Shared genres: Action, Adventure, Indie.

About Hollow Knight: Silksong on PC

Steam user reviews put Hollow Knight: Silksong at Very Positive (93% positive from 147,146 reviews, checked 2026-11-02). It is a measure of popularity and sentiment, not of technical performance.

It was out for close to 14 months when we wrote this guide, so expect patches and driver updates to move the numbers a little over time.

Steam features

Facts come from the public Steam store page. We have not tested the game on every card, so frame rates on this page are estimates from our model.

How the Hollow Knight: Silksong estimates work

A short, honest note on how the numbers are produced.

Three numbers drive this page: graphics demand 7 (from the recommended card), CPU score 18 (from the listed processor line) and VRAM of 2 GB at 1080p High (estimated from the demand score).

Each card is scored against the game demand, then scaled for resolution, quality preset and upscaling. If a card has less VRAM than the game wants, the estimate drops, and a processor ceiling stops frame rates running away.

Please read the figures as estimates rather than measurements. Drivers, game updates, temperatures and the part of the game you are playing can all move them.

Hollow Knight: Silksong: your questions answered

The questions players ask most about Hollow Knight: Silksong on PC.

Test Hollow Knight: Silksong on your own PC