Will Hollow Knight: Silksong run on the Steam Machine? (anticipated FPS)
Yes — Hollow Knight: Silksong runs flawlessly on the Steam Machine. Green at max settings with very high anticipated FPS, well beyond any TV's refresh.
Short answer (anticipated): yes — effortlessly. Hollow Knight: Silksong should run green at max settings on the Steam Machine, with frame rates so high they'll be capped by your TV's refresh rather than the hardware. This is the easiest "can it run?" question we've covered: a hand-drawn 2D metroidvania on PS5-class hardware is never going to break a sweat. The only honest caveat is that, until the game ships and we measure it, these numbers stay in the "anticipated" column.
These are pre-release estimates, not measured benchmarks. We'll replace them with a live, measured verdict the moment Silksong launches and we can run it on real Steam Machine silicon. For how we test and score every game, see our methodology.
Why this is barely a question
Team Cherry's Silksong is the sequel to Hollow Knight — a 2D, hand-drawn metroidvania built on a famously light engine. The original Hollow Knight runs flawlessly on practically anything, including handhelds, and is Steam Deck Verified. Silksong is built in the same spirit: gorgeous art, but almost no demand on a modern GPU.
Now look at what it's running on. The Steam Machine packs a semi-custom AMD RDNA 3 GPU in the class of a Radeon RX 7600 / RTX 4060, a 6-core/12-thread Zen 4 CPU, and 16 GB of DDR5. That's roughly PS5-class rasterization power — built for demanding 3D titles at 1080p native and 1440p with FSR. Pointing it at a 2D side-scroller is like using a freight truck to deliver an envelope. For the full hardware breakdown, see the specs.
The usual worry with this box — its 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM ceiling, which can bite heavy modern games at high resolutions — is completely irrelevant here. A 2D game like Silksong sips VRAM. You will never get close to that 8 GB wall, even at 4K.
Anticipated Low / Medium / High
All estimates, pre-release. In practice your frame rate will be capped by vsync and your display's refresh rate long before the Steam Machine runs out of headroom.
| Setting tier | Anticipated verdict | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Low (1080p) | 🟢 Effortless | ~240+ fps anticipated; vsync/refresh-capped in practice |
| Medium (1080p / 1440p) | 🟢 Effortless | ~200+ fps anticipated; no VRAM concern |
| High / Max (1440p) | 🟢 Effortless | ~165+ fps anticipated; smooth on high-refresh TVs/monitors |
| Max (4K) | 🟢 Trivially possible | 2D scales freely; 4K is a non-issue, frame rate stays well above 60 |
The takeaway: there is no "bad" tier. Crank everything to max, render at 4K if your TV supports it, and the Steam Machine still won't be the bottleneck. Expect a buttery, perfectly stable experience across the board — all anticipated until we measure it at launch.
A handheld & VR note
If you also own a Steam Deck: Silksong is about as safe a bet as exists. Hollow Knight is already Steam Deck Verified, and Silksong will almost certainly follow. Expect a locked frame rate, excellent battery life (a light 2D game is gentle on the Deck's power budget), and a perfect pick-up-and-play handheld fit.
On Steam Frame, Silksong is a flatscreen game — you'd play it on a large virtual screen in VR rather than as an immersive 3D world. It works fine that way, but the Frame isn't where this game shines; a TV or handheld is the natural home.
Should you buy a Steam Machine for Silksong?
Honestly? You don't need one for a game this light — Silksong runs beautifully on almost any PC, laptop, or handheld, so don't buy hardware on its account alone.
The Steam Machine makes sense for a different reason: it puts your entire Steam library on the living-room TV with console-like simplicity, and it has the muscle to handle the demanding 3D games that a phone or a basic laptop can't. Silksong is the effortless cherry on top, not the reason to buy in. If you're weighing the living-room value, it's worth comparing against a PS5 on price, library, and openness.
Either way, we'll publish measured fps figures the day Silksong launches and we can run it on real hardware. Until then, browse the rest of our verdicts on the games hub or read more about the Steam Machine itself.
FAQ
Will Hollow Knight: Silksong run on the Steam Machine?
Yes — effortlessly (anticipated). Silksong is a light 2D metroidvania, and the Steam Machine's RX 7600-class hardware is built for far heavier 3D games. Expect a green verdict at max settings. We'll confirm with measured results at launch.
What FPS will Silksong get on the Steam Machine?
Very high — anticipated well above any TV's refresh rate. Rough pre-release estimates land around 240+ fps on Low, 200+ on Medium, and 165+ on High/Max, all effectively capped by vsync and your display. Even at 4K it stays comfortably above 60.
Is Silksong Steam Deck Verified?
Not officially confirmed yet, but it's a near-certainty. The original Hollow Knight is Steam Deck Verified, and Silksong runs on the same light engine — expect a locked frame rate and great battery life on the Steam Deck.