Will Hollow Knight: Silksong run on the Steam Machine? (verdict & FPS)

Short answer: yes. Hollow Knight: Silksong (released 2025) shows green at Low, Medium and High on the Steam Machine, backed by a Platinum ProtonDB score from 339 reports. Our verdict is derived from Valve's compatibility data and our spec model, not a measured frame rate — we hold no benchmarked Steam Machine FPS for this title.

Our Steam Machine verdict is derived from Valve's compatibility data plus our spec model — not a measured frame rate. We hold no benchmarked Steam Machine FPS for this title; if that changes, we'll swap in measured results. For how we test and score every game, see our methodology.

Why this is barely a question

Silksong is out now — our catalogue records a 2025 release — and the independent evidence backs up the intuition: it holds a Platinum rating on ProtonDB from 339 community reports, ProtonDB's top tier, meaning it runs flawlessly out of the box under Proton, the compatibility layer every SteamOS device (Steam Machine included) runs on. It also carries full Steam-declared controller support. Steam's own recommended spec sheet asks for just 8 GB of system RAM — half of the Steam Machine's 16 GB, so this is a title with real headroom to spare, not one pushed up against the hardware.

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.

Low / Medium / High verdict (1080p)

Our derived verdict for Silksong on the Steam Machine is green across the board at 1080p. The FPS figures below are estimates from our spec model, not measured benchmarks — 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.

These are the tiers our published verdict actually covers — 1080p, per our spec model. Silksong's light 2D engine makes 1440p or 4K a reasonable expectation too, but we don't hold a published verdict at those resolutions, so treat that as an expectation, not a checked result.

The takeaway: there is no "bad" tier. Our verdict is green at Low, Medium and High, and a 2D game this light leaves real headroom even if you push resolution beyond 1080p. Expect a smooth, stable experience — derived from Valve's compatibility data and our spec model, not a measured benchmark, since we hold no measured Steam Machine FPS for this title.

A handheld & VR note

If you also own a Steam Deck: Silksong carries Valve's Deck Verified badge, and our derived Deck verdict is green at 800p. 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, our verdict here is derived, not measured — we hold no benchmarked Steam Machine FPS for Silksong. If we run it on real hardware, we'll swap these figures for measured results. Until then, check out its game page, browse the rest of our verdicts on the games hub, or read more about the Steam Machine itself.