All of Hollow Knight’s endings are equally canon, according to Team Cherry. In a 2017 Reddit AMA, co-director Ari Gibson said the studio was not interested in a single “True Ending” and would try to account for every ending in future Hollow Knight content. Co-creator William Pellen explained that each player’s playthrough is its own story and canon. Team Cherry’s AMA is the clearest answer to which ending counts.
What Team Cherry said about Hollow Knight’s canon
Asked whether one ending was more canon than the others, Gibson answered: “All endings are equally canon. We’re not into ‘True Endings.’ You choose the path yourself. We’ll do our best in all future Hollow Knight content to account for all of them.” Pellen added that every player’s playthrough is its own story and canon, so no sequence is universally true or false. Read the developers’ response in the 2017 AMA.
That means the endings are alternate outcomes, not a ladder from non-canon to canon. Team Cherry’s stated approach leaves room for each player’s route to matter without requiring every playthrough to share one definitive ending.
What the different endings show
The routes differ in what happens to the Knight, Hornet, the Radiance, and the Infection. The summaries below describe their depicted outcomes; they are not a ranking. For route details, see the community-maintained Hollow Knight Wiki’s ending guide.
#1 Best Overall
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings.
- Tightly tuned 2D controls. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Explore a vast interconnected world of forgotten highways, overgrown wilds and ruined cities.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- Evolve with powerful new skills and abilities! Gain spells, strength and speed. Leap to new heights on ethereal wings. Dash forward in a blazing flash. Blast foes with fiery Soul!.Equip Charms! Ancient relics that offer bizarre new powers and abilities. Choose your favourites and make your journey unique!.An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation..
| Ending route | What happens | Canon status |
|---|---|---|
| The Hollow Knight | Without Void Heart, the Knight takes the Hollow Knight’s place, absorbs the Infection, and is sealed inside the Black Egg. | Equally canon, according to Team Cherry. |
| Sealed Siblings | With Void Heart, Hornet intervenes. If the Knight does not enter the Hollow Knight’s dream, Hornet is sealed inside the Black Egg too. | Equally canon, according to Team Cherry. |
| Dream No More | The Knight enters the Radiance’s dream and defeats her. The Infection is purged, and Hornet finds the Knight’s broken shell. | Equally canon, according to Team Cherry. |
| Embrace the Void and its Delicate Flower variation | The Godmaster route ends with the defeat of Absolute Radiance. The flower changes the closing scene involving the Void and Godseeker. | Equally canon, according to Team Cherry. |
Does Silksong make one ending the canon route?
No official statement in Team Cherry’s Silksong announcement selects a Hollow Knight ending. The 2019 announcement calls Silksong a “full-scale sequel” starring Hornet on an adventure in a new land, but does not say that the sequel depends on one particular ending. Team Cherry’s Silksong announcement therefore does not overturn the studio’s earlier all-endings-are-canon answer.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why some players call Embrace the Void the “true” ending
Some discussion treats Embrace the Void as the canon ending, but that is an interpretation rather than a Team Cherry ruling. A narrative-analysis paper describes it as what its author assumes to be the canon ending; that phrasing identifies the claim as the author’s view, not a confirmed answer from the developers. The GDC Vault paper can support that interpretation as analysis, but it does not replace Team Cherry’s explicit statement that all endings are equally canon.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Tightly tuned 2D controls. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation.
- Leap into minds with the Dream Nail. Uncover a whole other side to the characters you meet and the enemies you face.
Rank #4
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Tightly tuned 2D controls. Dodge, dash and slash your way through even the most deadly adversaries.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation.
- Leap into minds with the Dream Nail. Uncover a whole other side to the characters you meet and the enemies you face.
Rank #3
![Hollow Knight: Silksong Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51mOgOC8xEL._SL160_.jpg)
- Discover the fallen insect kingdom of Pharloom! Explore mossy grottos, gilded cities and misted moors as you ascend to the shining citadel at the top of the world.
- Engage in lethal acrobatic action! Wield a huge suite of deadly moves as you dance between foes in swift, beautiful combat.
- Craft powerful tools! Master an ever-expanding arsenal of weapons, traps, and mechanisms to vanquish your enemies and explore new heights.
- Solve shocking quests! Hunt down rare beasts and solve ancient mysteries to grant the wishes of the downtrodden and restore the kingdom’s hope.
- Face over 200 ferocious foes! Beasts and hunters, monsters and knights. Defeat them all with bravery and skill!
Rank #2
![Hollow Knight - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51nXCF+sf5L._SL160_.jpg)
- Classic side-scrolling action, with all the modern trimmings.
- Forge your own path! The world of Hallownest is expansive and open. Choose which paths you take, which enemies you face and find your own way forward.
- Evolve with powerful new skills and abilities! Gain spells, strength and speed. Leap to new heights on ethereal wings. Dash forward in a blazing flash. Blast foes with fiery Soul!
- Equip Charms! Ancient relics that offer bizarre new powers and abilities. Choose your favorites and make your journey unique!
- An enormous cast of cute and creepy characters all brought to life with traditional 2D frame-by-frame animation.
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