- The Steam community crowns Hollow Knight: Silksong as Game of the Year and Best Hard Game.
- Silksong surpasses favorites like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.
- The Steam Awards 2025 recorded 43,8 million votes cast by users of the platform.
- Team Cherry's metroidvania establishes itself as a benchmark of the genre and a symbol of intense gameplay challenge.
The release of Hollow Knight: Silksong in 2025 marked the end of a very long wait for Metroidvania fans. The sequel to the acclaimed Hollow Knight arrived amidst great anticipation and, despite not winning top honors at other international ceremonies, it has ultimately found its greatest showcase for recognition on Steam.
The Steam community has voted Silksong the standout game of the year and one of the most challenging titles available on PC. At the 2025 Steam Awards, Team Cherry's title took home both Game of the Year and Best Hard Game, a double victory that solidifies its status as a benchmark for those seeking demanding yet rewarding experiences.
Silksong, chosen as Game of the Year by Steam users
According to data released by Valve, the 2025 Steam Awards received 43,8 million votes from users worldwide. This is not a decision made by a professional jury, but rather an open process in which any Steam account can participate during the store's winter sale.
In the "Game of the Year" category , Hollow Knight: Silksong competed against other major releases such as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Kingdom Come II: Deliverance, Arc Raiders, and Dispatch. Although Clair Obscur had become a strong contender thanks to its performance at other awards ceremonies, Silksong ultimately won the community vote, becoming the preferred choice for PC players.
This result is even more significant considering that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 had just triumphed at The Game Awards , where it did win Game of the Year. However, the scales tip in favor of Team Cherry's metroidvania on Steam, where user reviews have given more weight to its gameplay, level design, and ability to keep players engaged for dozens of hours.
For Valve, which presents the complete list of winners and finalists each year, Silksong's award reflects a clear preference within the international community for this type of action-exploration experience with a strong challenge component. In a year full of high-budget releases, Team Cherry's title manages to carve out a niche not only as an alternative, but as a top choice.
Recognition for one of the most influential Metroidvanias
Critics had already hailed Hollow Knight: Silksong as one of the best recent Metroidvanias , highlighting its ability to improve upon virtually everything the first installment offered. Reviews like the one published by Spanish media outlets point out that the sequel expands the world, deepens the combat system, and takes the feeling of constant discovery even further.
Among the most praised aspects are its meticulous art direction , the soundtrack that accompanies each area, and the design of enemies and bosses, conceived to test the player's patience and skill. Several media outlets have emphasized that the original feels almost like a prologue compared to the scale and ambition of Silksong.
The game has also been repeatedly recommended even to those who already own the title on other platforms, highlighting that the PC version on Steam offers convenient access to future updates and improvements, as well as the ability to play on devices like the Steam Deck. For the European audience, where PC gaming remains one of the most common formats, this visibility on Valve's store helps keep the title very much a part of the community's daily life.
Beyond the occasional praise, the players' response has translated into a surge of activity on forums, social media, and dedicated communities, where routes, secrets, and strategies for overcoming the game's most challenging areas are discussed. This public engagement has been key to Silksong's rise to first place in the Steam Awards voting.
Best Hard Game: challenge as a hallmark
In addition to the top prize, Hollow Knight: Silksong also won the award for "Best Difficult Game ," a category reserved for titles known for their challenging gameplay. It shared the spotlight with games like Elden Ring: Nightreign, Where Winds Meet, Marvel Rivals, and Path of Exile 2, all known for their demanding nature.
Steam explained that this recognition aims to highlight games whose mechanics encourage perseverance , trial and error, and the constant improvement of the user's skills. In the case of Silksong, its combat system, boss patterns, and exploration of danger-filled environments require players to learn each encounter almost by heart and hone their reflexes.
The map design, the distribution of save points, and the resource management add an extra layer of tension that makes every advance feel hard-won. The award for Best Difficult Game, according to data shared by Valve, is precisely due to that mix of initial frustration and satisfaction when finally overcoming a challenging section.
Within the Spanish and European gaming community, the idea has taken hold that Silksong is one of those games that doesn't forgive mistakes, but rewards those who take the time to understand its systems . Guides, walkthroughs, and recommendations for newcomers to the genre and those approaching this title for the first time abound on forums and specialized networks.
Awards marked by variety and popular vote
Although Hollow Knight: Silksong was the star of the show, the other categories at the 2025 Steam Awards demonstrated a very balanced distribution of recognition across different genres and studios. Valve itself emphasizes each year that the awards are a direct barometer of the community's tastes, as they depend solely on user votes.
In this edition, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 missed out on the top prize on Steam, but did take home the award for Best Soundtrack , further solidifying its reputation in the music category. Meanwhile, Dispatch was recognized as an Outstanding Game with a Good Story, and ARC Raiders won the award for Most Innovative Gameplay, reflecting players' interest in narrative and mechanical approaches that break from the norm.
Other notable titles included Hades II, chosen as Best Game on Steam Deck , and Silent Hill f, which received the Outstanding Visual Style award against high-profile titles like Doom: The Dark Ages and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The With Love and Dedication award went to Baldur's Gate 3, recognizing the developers' ongoing work to keep the game alive with updates, extra content, and quality-of-life improvements.
Rounding out the list of winners are The Midnight Walk, awarded VR Game of the Year, PEAK (or Peak) as Best with Friends, and VR There Yet? in the Sit Back & Relax category. This set of results makes it clear that, although Silksong was the big winner, the Steam community wanted to distribute the spotlight among multiplayer experiences, more relaxed offerings, and games focused on virtual reality.
The global context of the 2025 Steam Awards places Hollow Knight: Silksong as the star of the show, but also showcases a very diverse catalog that includes big-budget blockbusters, independent projects, and titles that rely on very loyal communities to stay relevant over time.
The results of this year paint a fairly representative picture of what the year has been like for PC gamers: a period of highly competitive releases where, despite the strong presence of other established contenders, Team Cherry's metroidvania managed to prevail in the two key categories that define the Steam Awards. For those who closely follow the video game scene in Spain and Europe, this outcome confirms the impact of Silksong and reinforces its place as one of the essential titles in Valve's platform's recent catalog.
