Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
The best games to play after Hollow Knight: Silksong depend on which part of the journey you want to keep: layered exploration, demanding bosses, strange atmosphere, environmental storytelling, or precise movement. This list gives you ten strong next choices, from close 2D Metroidvania relatives to deliberate detours into first-person exploration and puzzle-led discovery.
Silksong’s appeal is broad enough that no single substitute reproduces everything. The recommendations below are organized by the specific quality they preserve, drawing on Indie Game Reviewer’s ten-game guide and the additional comparisons in GameSpot’s Hollow Knight alternatives list.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
| Name | Best for | Key trait | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights | Dark exploration and build variety | Fight with spirits of the dead | November 2026 |
| Animal Well | Secrets and puzzle discovery | Nonlinear world with limited combat emphasis | November 2026 |
| Lunacid | Moody lore in first person | Old-school dungeon exploration and customization | November 2026 |
| Momodora: Reverie under the Moonlight | Boss-focused 2D action | Tense Metroidvania combat | November 2026 |
| Grime | Bleak worlds and unusual combat | Absorb and repurpose enemies | November 2026 |
| Lone Fungus | Precision platforming | Bright mushroom world with accessibility options | November 2026 |
| Cave Story | A classic, fair challenge | Compact indie action-adventure | November 2026 |
| Vomitoreum | Surreal first-person backtracking | GZDoom exploration and alien imagery | November 2026 |
| Worldless | Abstract storytelling | Combat that evolves over time | November 2026 |
| Hyper Light Drifter | Difficult combat and visual lore | Non-Metroidvania action-adventure | November 2026 |
How do you choose your next game after Silksong?
If you want the closest structural match, start with Ender Lilies, Momodora, or Grime. They retain the interconnected exploration, ability-driven progression, and boss pressure associated with a 2D Metroidvania. For a game that keeps the feeling of entering an unknown place but changes the rhythm, choose Animal Well or Lunacid. Lone Fungus is the movement specialist, while Cave Story offers a shorter, foundational action-adventure experience.
The biggest departures are intentional. Vomitoreum and Lunacid use first-person viewpoints, Animal Well makes puzzles and secrets more important than fighting, and Hyper Light Drifter is not a Metroidvania at all. Those differences are useful if you are finished with the format but still want discovery, tension, or a world that communicates through implication.
Popular on Amazon
- 【90 Degree Full Function USB C Adapter】Supports the latest USB4 standard for up to 40Gbps of bandwidth, 8K video support, and up to 240W Fast charging; Support USB PD 3.1 Extended Power Range (EPR) including 140W, 180W and 240W. Your productivity is easily doubled. *Warm Tip: For the best fit, please make sure the USB-C port is fully exposed; thick or bulky cases may affect compatibility.
- 【Reliable Quality】Made from high-quality, scratch-resistant aluminum alloy, delicate metal frame. get excellent wear resistance and heat dissipation. Non-Slip Design for easier insertion and removal.
- 【Small and portable】Ultra thin size, ultra compact design, a petite physique that matches the minimalist design of your modern laptops. Coming with a slim figure that won't block the port next to the one it's plugged into.
- 【Compatibility】Widely work with most usb c, thunderbolt 4/3 devices. Compatibilit for ROG Ally, Steam Deck, Switch, MacBook Pro, Quest 3 VR headset, Surface Book 2, iPhone 18/17/16/15, Samsung Galaxy S23/S22/S21, Note 20/10, Google Pixel, ChromeBook, etc.
- 【Excellence Customer Support】If you experience any issues or cable failure, simply reach out to our dedicated customer service team. We provide a prompt response within 18 hours, providing you with the necessary technical support to resolve any concerns.
Is Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights the closest match?
Yes, if you want a dark 2D exploration game with flexible combat builds. Indie Game Reviewer describes Ender Lilies as an atmosphere-first Metroidvania in which the protagonist attacks by calling on spirits of the dead. That system gives you more control over how encounters feel than a single fixed weapon would.
Its strongest overlap with Silksong is the combination of a hostile, mournful setting and gradual access to new routes. You explore, find abilities, and adjust your spirit loadout as the danger increases. The tone is sombre rather than playful, so it suits players who valued the melancholy lore and abandoned spaces of Hallownest.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Do not treat older references to an Ender Lilies sequel as current status information. If you want a separately released follow-up in the same broad universe, see Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist on Steam; Steam lists Adglobe and Live Wire as developers, Binary Haze Interactive as publisher, and January 22, 2025 as its release date.
Is Animal Well good if exploration mattered more than combat?
Animal Well is the best choice here for curiosity, secrets, and puzzle-solving rather than boss mastery. Its Steam listing describes a nonlinear world where discoveries and puzzles gradually reveal how the environment works. The appeal is learning what a room, creature, or object means, then revisiting earlier spaces with a new understanding.
That makes it a deliberate change from a combat-heavy Metroidvania. You still get the pleasure of mapping an unfamiliar place and noticing connections that were invisible at first, but the main question is often “what is this hiding?” rather than “how do I defeat it?” The sparse, atmospheric presentation also rewards players who liked Silksong’s visual storytelling.
Steam credits Billy Basso as developer and Bigmode as publisher, with a May 9, 2024 release date. Check the official Steam page for the current edition and regional availability.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteShould you play Lunacid for a different kind of dark fantasy?
Choose Lunacid when you want Silksong’s mystery and lore, but in first person. It is not a conventional side-scrolling Metroidvania; its appeal is closer to older FromSoftware-style dungeon exploration, with moody areas, hidden paths, customization, and fragments of lore that ask you to interpret the setting.
The viewpoint changes how you read space. Instead of judging a jump across a 2D gap, you search rooms for doors, items, and routes that may only make sense later. That slower, more exploratory cadence is ideal after a long platforming campaign, especially if the atmosphere and unanswered questions mattered more to you than matching Silksong’s exact movement.
Also popular on Amazon
- 5-in-1 Connectivity: Equipped with a 4K HDMI port, a 5 Gbps USB-C data port, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports, and a USB C 100W PD-IN port. Note: The USB C 100W PD-IN port supports only charging and does not support data transfer devices such as headphones or speakers.
- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
- Transfer Files in Seconds: Move files to and from your laptop at speeds of up to 5 Gbps via the USB-C and USB-A data ports. Note: The USB C 5Gbps Data port does not support video output.
- HD Display: Connect to the HDMI port to stream or mirror content to an external monitor in resolutions of up to 4K@30Hz. Note: The USB-C ports do not support video output.
- What You Get: Anker 332 USB-C Hub (5-in-1), welcome guide, our worry-free 18-month warranty, and friendly customer service.
Expect a game that rewards note-taking and experimentation. Its value is in the accumulation of strange places and systems, not in being a one-to-one mechanical replacement.
Is Momodora: Reverie under the Moonlight worth playing for boss fights?
Yes, if your favorite Silksong moments were tense encounters and the satisfaction of a clean win. The Momodora entry identified in the source is Momodora: Reverie under the Moonlight, described as a tense Metroidvania with notable bosses and rewards for handling fights cleanly.
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchPC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11It sits toward the action-focused end of this list. Exploration and progression still matter, but the reason to choose it is the pressure of learning attack patterns and improving execution. That makes it a good palate cleanser after a game whose combat you want to keep practicing rather than replace with puzzles.
Because editions and naming can vary across storefronts, confirm that the listing is the fourth entry, Reverie under the Moonlight, before buying. The recommendation is for that specific game, not an unspecified Momodora collection.
Does Grime offer a more aggressive combat system?
Grime is the pick for players who want a stranger, harsher world and combat built around taking power from enemies. Its defining idea is absorbing and repurposing foes, so encounters are about timing and deciding which abilities fit your current approach.
The world is deliberately bleak and unusual rather than conventionally heroic. That makes exploration feel like an act of interpretation: creatures, architecture, and upgrades all contribute to a setting that is difficult to read at first. If you liked Silksong’s hostile beauty but want combat to occupy more of your attention, Grime is a strong step sideways.
Older coverage mentions a sequel in development, but that status came from a 2025 source and should not be assumed current. Judge the original game on its own rather than buying it for a promised follow-up.
Is Lone Fungus the right choice for platforming fans?
Lone Fungus is the movement-first recommendation. It trades Silksong’s gloom for a brighter mushroom setting while emphasizing exploration, precision platforming, and accessibility options. The source specifically connects its design influences to Hollow Knight and Celeste.
Also popular on Amazon
- Sleek 7-in-1 USB-C Hub: Features an HDMI port, two USB-A 3.0 ports, and a USB-C data port, each providing 5Gbps transfer speeds. It also includes a USB-C PD input port for charging up to 100W and dual SD and TF card slots, all in a compact design.
- Flawless 4K@60Hz Video with HDMI: Delivers exceptional clarity and smoothness with its 4K@60Hz HDMI port, making it ideal for high-definition presentations and entertainment. (Note: Only the HDMI port supports video projection; the USB-C port is for data transfer only.)
- Double Up on Efficiency: The two USB-A 3.0 ports and a USB-C port support a fast 5Gbps data rate, significantly boosting your transfer speeds and improving productivity.
- Fast and Reliable 85W Charging: Offers high-capacity, speedy charging for laptops up to 85W, so you spend less time tethered to an outlet and more time being productive.
- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (7-in-1), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
Choose it when the pleasure of controlling a character through demanding spaces mattered more than dark lore. Its challenge comes from reading jumps, preserving momentum, and repeating a sequence until your inputs are reliable. The accessibility features also make it easier to tailor that challenge instead of treating every obstacle as all-or-nothing.
The tonal shift is substantial, which is useful if you want familiar movement principles without returning to another oppressive fantasy world.
Recommended Free Tools
Why is Cave Story still a useful recommendation?
Cave Story remains valuable as a compact example of fair, readable indie action design. The source describes it as challenging but fair, with exploration, shooting, and a clear sense of progression rather than an enormous map to exhaust.
It is a good choice when you want to reset your expectations after a very large game. The original Windows version has been described as free, while remasters and remakes exist, but access and edition details can change. Verify the exact release and storefront before relying on an old download link.
Because it is older and more compact than the other recommendations, Cave Story works especially well as a bridge: it preserves the satisfaction of discovering a hostile world while asking for less time than another sprawling Metroidvania.
What makes Vomitoreum a worthwhile first-person detour?
Vomitoreum is for players who want surreal imagery, alien environments, and backtracking without another side-scroller. Built with GZDoom, it uses a first-person structure for exploration and return trips through spaces that become more legible as you gain knowledge and abilities.
The recommendation is primarily about atmosphere. Its grotesque visual language and unfamiliar settings can provide the same sense of being somewhere no ordinary map explains, even though the controls and combat perspective are different from Silksong’s.
Pick it when you want a shorter, more concentrated dose of strange-world exploration. If your priority is precise platforming or elaborate 2D boss patterns, one of the Metroidvania choices will fit better.
Also popular on Amazon
- Portable and powerful USB-C HUB: BENFEI USB Type-C HUB, with super-soft and knot-free silicone woven design cable, meets most mobile office needs. Compact, lightweight, stylish, and powerful portable USB C Hub equipped with 1 x HDMI port, 1 x 100W charging, and 3 x USB ports. 18-month warranty, 24-hour response, to ensure you feel at ease when using our product.
- Design centered on comfort and reliability: Thanks to BENFEI's end-to-end in-house cable production capability, in-house PCBA and assembly capability, using the industry's most advanced silicone woven design and process, 20cm cable in length, no knots, super-soft, the HUB is easy to use in all scenarios: laptop, tablet, stand etc. Super-soft, 25000+ life cycles, to meet your daily carrying and office needs.
- 100W Charging: Support up to 90W USB C pass-through charging via Type-C port to keep your laptop powered. 10W is reserved for other interface operations. No data and video function on the Type-C port.
- 4K HDMI Display: The HDMI port supports media display at resolutions up to 4K 30Hz, keeping every incredible moment detailed and ultra vivid. Please note that the C port of the Host device needs to support video output.
- Transfer Files in Seconds: Transfer files and from your laptop at speeds up to 10 Gbps with USB A 3.2 port. Extra 2 USB A 2.0 ports are perfectly for your keyboards and mouse.
Is Worldless a good option for abstract storytelling?
Worldless suits players who value visual abstraction and environmental storytelling over a literal narrative. Its presentation is deliberately minimal, and the combat changes over time rather than remaining a single static system.
That evolving combat gives the game a distinct identity among these recommendations. You are not simply clearing rooms with the same toolkit; the way encounters function develops as the journey continues. The sparse world also asks you to infer meaning from spaces and images instead of waiting for every detail to be explained.
Choose Worldless if you want something that feels authored and unusual rather than a familiar fantasy map. It is less suitable if your main requirement is a large, traditional Metroidvania map with extensive backtracking.
Should you play Hyper Light Drifter after Silksong?
Play Hyper Light Drifter when difficult combat, visual design, and secrets matter more than the Metroidvania label. It is an action-adventure game with a silent protagonist moving through a ruined world, and much of its story is communicated through imagery and discovery.
The structure is a departure from Silksong, but the emotional overlap is strong: danger is constant, the setting is not fully explained, and hidden paths reward attention. Combat is demanding, so it can satisfy the desire for mastery without asking you to learn another long sequence of 2D platforming routes.
It is the best non-Metroidvania pick on this list for players who want a concentrated world of secrets and a strong visual identity.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
What other games should you consider beyond these ten?
GameSpot’s comparison adds three useful alternatives for specific tastes. Nine Sols is framed around parrying, making it a natural choice if defensive timing was your favorite part of Silksong’s combat. Blasphemous 2 combines heavy combat with more platforming, while Metroid Dread emphasizes exploration and formidable bosses.
These are not replacements for the ten recommendations above so much as decision points when one quality dominates your choice. The GameSpot article lists Animal Well for puzzle discovery as well, which matches its Steam description of a nonlinear world full of secrets.
Also popular on Amazon
- 【Read before You Buy】 Note: This adapter is USB 2.0 version and cannot transmit HDM, VGA, or other video signals. Nevertheless, they are fully capable of charging devices,duplicating files, and can be seamlessly integrated with USB-C earphones, wireless network adapters, and SD card adapters.
- 【Easy to Use and Safe】Thanks to modern manufacturing techniques, we've made these adapters sufficiently compact so that they can remain inserted in your device without noticeable protrusion or inconvenience. This means you don't have to constantly plug and unplug them, reducing the likelihood of wear and misalignment, and making them more convenient to carry around.
- 【Reliable Quality】Engineered for enhanced durability, durable aluminum alloy shell material,get excellent wear resistance and heat dissipation,the male USB C and female USB connectors & the male USB and female USB C connectors are designed to be plugged and unplugged up to 20000 times. Provides data transfer, device charging, memory space expansion, and additional computer peripherals.
- 【Think more for you】Do you need to connect a USB-C-enabled device to an odd device that only has USB-A ports? Then these USB-A male to USB-C female adapters are made for you.Simply insert the adapter into the USB-A port on the device, and you can instantly connect your USB-C device to the device that originally didn't have the correct connection port.
- 【Trusted xiwxi Quality and Service】As a responsible brand seller, you will receive xiwxi's 12-month Quality assurance and lifetime friendly customer service, you're not just buying a product,you're investing in peace of mind with all-round quality and exceptional customer service.
How were these ten games selected?
The selection follows the qualities readers commonly seek after Silksong: exploration and discovery, demanding combat and bosses, mood and lore, precise movement, and the degree to which a game follows the Metroidvania format. The ten come from the exact-topic recommendation article, with their differences made explicit rather than presenting every title as an equivalent substitute.
- Closest 2D structure: Ender Lilies, Momodora, and Grime.
- Exploration without combat being the whole point: Animal Well and Lunacid.
- Movement and platforming: Lone Fungus.
- Compact or classic action design: Cave Story.
- First-person atmosphere: Vomitoreum.
- Abstract or non-Metroidvania alternatives: Worldless and Hyper Light Drifter.
Start with the category that matches what you miss most, not with the assumption that the next game must look identical to Silksong. A deliberate change in viewpoint, combat emphasis, or map structure is often what makes the follow-up feel fresh.
What should you play first?
If you want the safest continuation, begin with Ender Lilies. Choose Animal Well for secrets, Lone Fungus for platforming, Momodora for bosses, or Lunacid for a first-person mystery. The remaining games are purposeful departures: they preserve one or two elements of Silksong while giving you a different way to explore, fight, or interpret a game world.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do any of these games continue Silksong’s story?
No. These are independent recommendations, not narrative sequels or officially connected stories. Choose them for shared design qualities such as exploration, combat, atmosphere, or discovery rather than continuity.
Which recommendation is the least like a Metroidvania?
Hyper Light Drifter is the clearest structural departure because it is an action-adventure game rather than a conventional Metroidvania. Vomitoreum and Lunacid also change the format substantially by using first-person exploration.
Where can I verify Animal Well’s current release information?
The official Steam listing identifies Billy Basso as developer, Bigmode as publisher, and May 9, 2024 as the release date. Store availability, editions, and regional pricing can change, so check that listing before purchasing.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Is Ender Magnolia the same game as Ender Lilies?
No. Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is a separate follow-up-style release in the broader Ender universe. Steam lists Adglobe and Live Wire as developers, Binary Haze Interactive as publisher, and January 22, 2025 as its release date.
