Hollow Knight: Silksong, which released on September 4, 2025, has already inspired modders to create multiplayer experiences for what is traditionally a single-player metroidvania. Within the first week of its launch, two distinct multiplayer mods have been released, demonstrating the passion and technical prowess of the modding community supporting this highly anticipated title.
The first mods to arrive are SilklessCoop, developed by modder Nek5, and the Silksong Steam multiplayer mod by 233xvx233 (also known as XvX). Both mods allow a friend to join a game session so two Hornet characters can be visible simultaneously in the game world, providing a cooperative experience of exploring the game’s rich environments. These mods are distributed through the popular Nexus Mods platform and leverage the BepInEx modding framework, a common choice for Unity-based games like Silksong.
However, these early versions remain in a proof-of-concept state. While players can see their co-op partner moving through Pharloom, actual cooperative gameplay mechanics such as taking on bosses together or fully synchronized combat are not fully functional yet. The Silksong Steam multiplayer mod mentions plans for "basic PvP," though this is yet to be demonstrated publicly. Nek5’s SilklessCoop mod includes a GitHub-hosted server utility required to run the multiplayer session, with setup instructions that some users have found challenging.
The rapid arrival of these multiplayer mods underlines both the enthusiasm for Silksong and the dedication of the modding community to expand the game beyond its original scope. Achieving multiplayer functionality for a game not designed for it is a challenging task, involving complex engineering to synchronize game states and player inputs in real time.
This development fits into a wider pattern of modders quickly adapting popular PC titles to add multiplayer components, inspired by successes such as HKMP, the multiplayer mod for the original Hollow Knight. Such grassroots innovation enriches the player community and often sparks fan-driven content that keeps games relevant long after release.
Though these mods remain experimental and may require technical knowledge to install and operate, their existence so soon after launch reflects the vibrant ecosystem surrounding Silksong. For now, interested players are encouraged to follow updates from the modders and approach installation cautiously until the mods become more stable and user-friendly.
In summary, the emergence of multiplayer mods within days of Silksong’s release highlights the game's massive popularity and the robust activity of modding communities eager to push the boundaries of single-player experiences into cooperative gameplay horizons.
