Hollow Knight: Silksong made a massive splash at launch, nearly crashing several storefronts and pulling in close to 500K concurrent players on Steam. Just like its predecessor, the PC version remains the best way to play thanks to its support for multiple controllers, high refresh rates, and ultrawide displays.
That said, some players have run into controller issues despite the game’s native support. If your controller isn’t working as expected, here’s how to fix it.
Fixing Controller Problems in Hollow Knight: Silksong
The developers included native profiles for both Xbox and PlayStation controllers. However, to take advantage of these profiles (and get the correct button prompts), you’ll need to disable Steam Input.
Follow these steps:
- Make sure Hollow Knight: Silksong is not running.
- Open Steam and go to your Library.
- Right-click Hollow Knight: Silksong and select Properties.
- In the Controller tab, choose Disable Steam Input under Override for Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Once done, launch the game with your controller plugged in. The game should now display the correct button prompts.
- Tested and working: Xbox Series controller, DualShock 4, and DualSense. All work smoothly once Steam Input is disabled.
Known Issue: PlayStation Controller Vibration
One current limitation: with Steam Input disabled, PlayStation controllers do not provide vibration feedback. Xbox controllers, however, vibrate as expected.
If vibration is essential for you, you’ll need to re-enable Steam Input, but that means the game will show Xbox button prompts even when using a PlayStation controller. Hopefully, the developers will patch this in the future.
Check if Steam Detects Your Controller
If your controller still isn’t working, confirm that Steam recognizes it:
- In the Steam client, go to Steam > Settings > Controller.
- Check the list of detected controllers.
If your device isn’t listed, Steam won’t pass inputs to the game.
Remove Conflicting Controllers
As a final step, make sure other peripherals aren’t causing conflicts. Devices like HOTAS setups, fight sticks, steering wheels, or other generic controllers can interfere with Silksong’s input handling. Disconnect them and test again.
Final Thoughts
Overall, controller support on PC is strong for Hollow Knight: Silksong. Both Xbox and PlayStation controllers work as expected once Steam Input is disabled. The only real drawback is the missing vibration for PlayStation controllers—but with a patch, this should hopefully be resolved soon.