After years of silence and mounting anticipation, Hollow Knight: Silksong will finally be playable to the public at Gamescom 2025. Xbox has officially confirmed that the long-awaited sequel from Australian developer Team Cherry will be featured at its expanded booth during the event, taking place August 20–24 in Cologne, Germany. Fans in attendance will be able to experience the game hands-on for the first time — across both PC and ASUS’s upgraded ROG Ally X handheld.
Located in Hall 7 of the Koelnmesse convention center, Xbox’s showcase will boast more than 120 demo stations and over 20 playable titles spanning first-party studios and third-party publishers, making it one of the company’s most extensive Gamescom showings to date. The Silksong demo marks a significant milestone, arriving nearly six years after its initial trailer debut in 2019 and offering long-waiting fans their first direct look at the gameplay.
Beyond Silksong, Xbox’s Gamescom 2025 lineup covers a broad mix of major franchises and genres. Attendees can get hands-on with first-look demos of Ninja Gaiden 4 and Grounded 2, while also experiencing new DLC content for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. They can also explore the latest updates from Age of Empires and Age of Mythology: Retold, and try out new content in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, which introduces a fresh city update, a newly revealed aircraft, and event-exclusive in-game challenges.
While not playable, The Outer Worlds 2 will receive a dedicated narrative showcase via an exclusive in-booth theatre experience. The presentation will spotlight the new “Tomb of the Matriarch” questline, offering the most in-depth look yet at Obsidian’s upcoming sequel and its evolving narrative direction.
In addition to its game lineup, Xbox is launching a new experience called the “Digital Passport Quest” — a booth-wide interactive activity that encourages attendees to engage with game stations and key features like Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Play Anywhere. Participants who complete the quest will be eligible for prize giveaways from event partners including Amazon, Meta, NVIDIA, LG, and HyperX.
On the hardware front, Gamescom 2025 will mark the first public hands-on opportunity with both the original ROG Xbox Ally and the newly upgraded Ally X handheld devices, created in collaboration with ASUS. These devices will run a selection of titles — including Sea of Thieves, Roblox, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4, and Hollow Knight: Silksong — with extended demos also available at a separate ASUS ROG booth nearby.
Xbox’s third-party and indie playable demo slate includes several new and unreleased titles, with the current confirmed lineup featuring:
- Hollow Knight: Silksong
- Grounded 2
- Ninja Gaiden 4
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
- The Outer Worlds 2 (theater preview only)
- Borderlands 4
- Onimusha: Way of the Sword
- Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
- EA Sports FC 26
- Aniimo
- There Are No Ghosts at the Grand
- PowerWash Simulator 2
- Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Invincible VS
- Super Meat Boy 3D
- Cronos: The New Dawn
- Mistfall Hunter
Additional surprise demos and unannounced titles from partner publishers have also been teased, with Xbox indicating that more reveals may unfold during the event.
For those unable to attend in person, Xbox will stream two official Xbox @ Gamescom 2025 broadcasts live from the show floor on August 20 and 21. The coverage will feature gameplay spotlights, developer interviews and new trailers for titles such as Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Keeper, Overwatch 2, and The Outer Worlds 2. Both streams will be available in multiple languages, with support for ASL and English audio descriptions, and will be broadcast across Xbox’s official YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook channels.
Gamescom 2025 opens to the public on August 21, with general show floor hours running 10:00–20:00 CEST on Thursday and Friday, and 09:00–20:00 CEST over the weekend. For full details on Xbox’s Gamescom 2025, including the complete demo lineup and broadcast schedule, visit Xbox website!
Words by Khushboo Malhotra
For more gaming updates from Gamescom 2025, follow @indie_pendent on X and visit The Indiependent for in-depth coverage, features, and latest news across the gaming world.
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