Hollow Knight Silksong is a popular action-adventure game, but some players can’t play it because of startup technical issues. This is what a player said about Silksong not launching: “Hi, I just bought Silksong, and it doesn’t open, it pops up this thing just to disappear seconds after, what can I do?” Numerous troubleshooting methods might kick-start Hollow Knight Silksong. This is how you can fix Hollow Knight Silksong not launching on Windows PCs.
Select to Repair/Verify the Game Files
Both the Xbox app and Steam include troubleshooting options for fixing games that don’t start. So, try selecting those Verify options to fix Hollow Knight Silksong not launching. This Bethesda support page includes instructions for selecting the Verify and repair option in the Xbox app. If you’re a Steam user, select Verify for Hollow Knight Silksong as outlined on this Steam page.
The Verify integrity of game files
Add Hollow Knight to Exclusion Lists for Antivirus Shields
Players have discovered that antivirus tools can cause Hollow Knight Silksong startup issues. So, try adding the Hollow Knight EXE game file or installation folder to Windows Security’s exclusion list. The Exclusions section of this Microsoft page provides instructions for adding programs to Windows Security’s exclusion list. If you have an alternative third-party security app, then add Hollow Knight to its exclusion list instead.
The Add an exclusion button
Disable Overlays
Many third-party software packages include overlay features that can conflict with games when enabled. For example, Steam, Discord, OBS, GeForce Experience, and Overwolf all incorporate overlay features. If you have any of those software packages installed, disable their overlay features in their settings.
The Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game option
Uninstall Citrix Workspace
Citrix Workspace is widely known to conflict with Hollow Knight games. Is Citrix Workspace installed on your Windows PC? If so, try uninstalling that software to fix Hollow Knight Silksong not launching as instructed on this Citrix help center page.
The Uninstall option
Install Missing Visual C++ Runtime Libraries
Installing Visual C++ runtime libraries, which might be corrupted or missing, is another potential way to fix Hollow Knight Silksong not launching. Microsoft has a page where you can download installers for Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables. You can install (or update) missing C++ libraries like this:
- Go to this Microsoft Visual C++ page within your browsing software.
- Click the X86 and X64 download links for the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable v14 packages.
The Microsoft Visual C++ download page
- Go into File Explorer to navigate to the directory that includes your downloaded C++ packages.
- Next, run the VC_redist _x64.exe by double-clicking it.
- Select I agree and click on the Install (or Repair) button.
The Visual C++ installer
- Repeat the previous couple of steps for the x86 Visual C++ file.
- Restart Windows and try playing the game again.
Reinstall Hollow Knight
Finally, try reinstalling the game to fix Hollow Knight Silksong not launching. Some players also confirm they’ve fixed Silksong not starting by reinstalling the game on alternative drives. So, try doing that if you have an alternative drive available. This is how you can reinstall Hollow Knight Silksong via Steam:
- Run the Steam gaming client and click Library.
- Right-click Hollow Knight Silksong in the sidebar to select Manage > Uninstall (twice).
The Uninstall option in Steam
- To reinstall, click on Silksong’s Install button.
- Choose an alternative drive if you can.
- Then, click on Install to proceed.
Other Possible Ways to Fix Hollow Knight Silksong Not Launching
The potential fixes above are recommended troubleshooting methods, but not necessarily the only ways to fix Hollow Knight Silksong not launching. These extra potential fixes might also kick-start Silksong for some players:
- Apply a clean boot (explained on this Microsoft page) to disable superfluous third-party apps.
- Set Hollow Knight Silksong to run with administrator rights.
- Try starting the game directly from its installation directory.
- If you’ve installed the game with the Xbox app, select to run the Gaming Services Repair tool. To do so, click the profile icon in the Xbox app and select Support > Gaming Services Repair Tool.
- Perform a graphics card driver update using a method in this KeenGamer article.
Try applying the potential ways to fix Hollow Knight Silksong not launching above before contacting the game’s support service. If there aren’t enough, you can send a message to the Silksong support service from this contact form page. Alternatively, send an email to the li**********@***il.com address.
