The Most Dope Games We've Played During Gamescom 2025

Gamescom 2025 has begun, and I'm on site in Cologne, Germany, checking out more than two dozen new and upcoming games, ranging from Hollow Knight: Silksong to The Outer Worlds 2 to 007 First Light and beyond! I'll be doing individual write-ups for a lot of these games, but I'll also be writing condensed quick-hit thoughts on the coolest games I've played so far, and you can read them right here (so bookmark this page, folks!). 

The Most Dope Games We've Played During Gamescom 2025

Below, you'll find a running list of the games I've played during Gamescom 2025. They'll be listed in reverse-chronological order, so the latest game I've played will be at the top and the first game I played will be at the very bottom!

Hollow Knight: Silksong

It's real, y'all. Hollow Knight: Silksong exists and is playable, and I checked out the game's very first level, Moss Grotto. After a brief cutscene that shows Hornet trapped in a Cinderella-like carriage (that she then breaks out of), I take control. Immediately, Hornet is much faster than the first game's protagonist, both as she platforms around and with her attacks. She has a new ability called Bind (used by pressing B on an Xbox controller) that heals her. However, you can't spam this ability as it requires using a bar on screen that must be full. 

It recharges over time and by defeating enemies, and I found it pretty easy to get it full for another Bind. Platforming around Moss Grotto feels a lot like 2017's Hollow Knight, though Hornet is more nimble and can mantle up cliffs and platforms. The enemies here are easy to defeat, and it's not until I fight the demo's boss, Moss Mother, that I'm challenged. It's a fun fight, but still mostly easy. 

With the demo and my hands-on time with Silksong behind me, I'm excited to see what else awaits me in the full game. If this first level is any indication, it's going to be a great Metroidvania, much like the first game. That said, I'm not convinced it's going to break through the hype and make a mark on the genre like the first game did. I'm also not convinced it needs to, though. 

For more, read my full Hollow Knight: Silksong hands-on thoughts here.