Hollow Knight: Silksong Has Officially Been Beaten by 5…

Perhaps the only anticipation comparable to the release of Hollow Knight: Silksong is the upcoming release of GTA 6, with the former being completely surrounded by hype in the short lead-up to its release. Many fans no doubt remember the Silksong clown memes that cropped up with every release, but those days are now behind them. However, there's still a serious question of how Hollow Knight: Silksong holds up to that anticipation. As such, the best answer may not be critic reviews, even if most reviews of Hollow Knight: Silksong are glowing. It's user scores.

A new Hollow Knight: Silksong mod can make the game even harder

While user scores have been used in the past to misguide Metacritic readers via review bombing campaigns, most games are not influenced by this controversy. With that in mind, it seems there are five games released in 2025 that have landed with their audience more than Hollow Knight: Silksong. Based on user scores, that is namely Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Digimon Story: Time Stranger, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, and Donkey Kong Bananza.

It's worth noting that both Clair Obscur and Donkey Kong: Bananza released much sooner than Silksong, but user scores do not end at a review embargo. Both Clair Obscur and Donkey Kong are still receiving reviews as of October 15. This, if anything, makes the ultimate user scores a little more reliable, as it reflects the ongoing fan temperature around these titles. Of course, it's a close game, with Hollow Knight: Silksong's 9.0/10 user score nothing to scoff at. As it stands, Clair Obscur holds a strong presence among gamers at a 9.6. Digimon Story reviews follow with a 9.2, while Sonic Racing, Trails in the Sky, and Donkey Kong have 9.1s.

Hollow Knight: Silksong User Reviews Vs. Other 2025 Games

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - 9.6
Digimon Story: Time Stranger - 9.2
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds - 9.1
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter - 9.1
Donkey Kong: Bananza - 9.1
Hollow Knight: Silksong - 9.0

Which Game Will Win Game of the Year 2025?

Looking at these user scores, it's interesting to see how everything shakes out. Clair Obscur and Hollow Knight are the only indie games of the bunch, both of which will also likely take home several awards at The Game Awards 2025. Many consider Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 a shoo-in for Game of the Year award, and that's certainly reasonable. However, several other popular GOTY contenders are not on this list. Of course, there's Expedition 33 and Silksong, but Hades 2, Death Stranding 2, and Split Fiction are missing from this list.

Hades 2 - 8.6
Death Stranding 2 - 8.8
Split Fiction - 8.7

Maelle in black and white in Clair Obscur Expedition 33

What wins GOTY doesn't always hold up to user scores, of course, but it's interesting to see how all of these games coalesce within their communities and MetaCritic rankings. The beauty of user scores, as aforementioned, is how they can come in at any time. As such, any fan of Silksong may consider leaving their honest review on MetaCritic to raise these numbers, but a little over a month after release, it still holds a strong place in gamers' hearts. With a 9.0 score after nearly 1500 reviews, that much is clear.

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