Hollow Knight: Silksong

Hollow Knight: Silksong is a free browser action platformer that runs right in a tab with no download. You play as Hornet, a small bug warrior with a needle, hopping through dark ruined tunnels, cutting down the creatures inside, and digging deeper for upgrades and a boss fight. HTML5 does the heavy lifting.

Hollow Knight: Silksong, Fan Made and Playable in a Tab

The official Hollow Knight: Silksong is Team Cherry’s sequel, and it landed on 4 September 2025 as a full commercial release for PC and consoles. What runs in your browser is a different beast. It is a fan adaptation rebuilt for the web, and the itch page is upfront about that: the maker copied the mechanics, then wrote their own maps, tools and story. Treat it as a homage rather than a port. It sits at v0.1.5, the creator has stepped away from it, and the page holds an 8.3 out of 10 from 18 votes. What you get is a compact slice of the real thing: one boss, three tools, two secret health upgrades and a small cast of enemies.

Hornet Handles Like a Tiny Duelist

Movement is where this demo earns its keep. Hornet feels quick and light, so the map is built from narrow ledges, crumbling platforms and caves that punish lazy jumps. Her needle swings in a short arc and each hit lands with weight, which makes clearing a room of crawling bugs feel deliberate instead of spammy. There is a parry for the brave and a dash for the impatient, and both can get you out of trouble when a fight turns ugly. Die and you restart from your last save, so the challenge stays honest.

Tools are a small system of their own, with three to find and an inventory screen to manage them. A journal logs the creatures you meet, and a map fills in as you explore. That is a surprising amount of structure for a fan project, and it keeps the whole thing from feeling like a throwaway sketch.

Exploring, Dying and Finding the Hidden Bits

Rooms loop back on each other in a loose metroidvania way, and the map is generous about showing where you have been. That matters, because two health upgrades are tucked into optional corners, and they make the boss room a fairer fight. The save system holds your spot, so you can close the tab mid run and come back later without losing your progress, map or journal. Tutorial prompts show up early if a mechanic is not obvious, and they stay out of the way once you are moving.

Controls on Keyboard and Gamepad

Keyboard is the default input, and the keys are simple once your fingers learn them. Here is the full list:

X jumps
C swings the needle attack
Q triggers the silk skill
F parries incoming hits
Z dashes
V uses the equipped tool
I opens the inventory

An Xbox pad maps the same moves to A for jumping, X for attacking, B for the silk skill and Y for the parry, while RT dashes and LB uses tools. PlayStation controllers work as well. The game also shows its own control hints during the tutorial, so nobody has to guess their way through the first cave.