A Smart Way to Pick Games Like Hollow Knight After Quitting
Games like Hollow Knight, by weeks not hours: at five hours a week, our math has Ori at 2.4 weeks and Hollow Knight at 5.4. Pick by why you quit.
Table of Contents
🎟️ How we got it: We did not receive review copies and did not play these games for this article. Picks come from sourced data, not hands-on review.
Games like Hollow Knight: pick by why you quit it
⚖️ The Verdict: Start with Ori and the Will of the Wisps: about 12 hours for the main story, per community data. Take Nine Sols only if bosses were not what stopped you. Skip Silksong as the fix; it follows the first game’s core design.
If you get three to five hours a week, Ori takes about two and a half to four weeks. Which pick fits depends on why you quit, so the next section sorts the reasons.
Why people quit Hollow Knight
Players report four main reasons, none of them a skill verdict.
Getting lost and backtracking
Steam discussion threads often describe unclear paths and areas you cannot reach yet.
Losing progress after a death
One streamer who stopped after 27 hours blamed long run-backs after dying.
Boss walls
Steam’s user tags list Hollow Knight as “Difficult” and “Souls-like.”
The hours it asks for
The main story runs about 27 hours, per community data. These are reported reasons, not our experience; if you are weighing a stop, try a simple test for when to quit a game.
If you got lost: Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a hand-drawn metroidvania from Moon Studios, released in March 2020.
What it keeps
A vast hand-drawn world, new skills to learn and a shard system for customizing abilities, per its store description.
What it changes
It is shorter than Hollow Knight. We have not played it and cannot say how its map or checkpoints compare, so check the store page first.
Hours and platforms
Community data lists about 12 hours for the main story, 15.5 with extras and about 18 completionist. It runs on PC, Xbox and Switch and is rated Everyone (Steam listing).
If you want fewer hours, same mood: Nine Sols
Nine Sols is a hand-drawn 2D action-platformer from Red Candle Games, released in May 2024.
Why it fits
It offers hand-drawn art and exploration at about 21 hours for the main story against Hollow Knight’s 27, per community data.
Where it can stop you
⚠️ Watch Out: Nine Sols is not a gentler Hollow Knight. Its store description calls the combat Sekiro-inspired, Steam tags it “Difficult” and “Souls-like,” and neither store page lists difficulty settings. One reviewer reported burning out at the first boss.
Hours and ratings
Community data lists about 21 hours main, 27 with extras and about 32 completionist. It is rated Teen (Steam listing).
How long each takes at 3, 5 or 8 hours a week
Main story
⏱️ Time Check: Community completion data puts the Hollow Knight main story near 27 hours. Treat that as a midpoint; averages mix first runs and replays.
| Game | Hours | 3 h/wk | 5 h/wk | 8 h/wk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ori | ~12 | 4.0 weeks | 2.4 | 1.5 |
| Nine Sols | ~21 | 7.0 | 4.2 | 2.6 |
| Hollow Knight | ~27 | 9.0 | 5.4 | 3.4 |
Hours: HowLongToBeat community averages, as listed on Deku Deals. Weeks: our arithmetic, assuming steady play.
Completionist
Hollow Knight completionist runs about 64.5 hours, or roughly 12.9 weeks at five hours a week.
Reading the table
See how it holds up at five hours a week and the full list of games sorted by hours to finish.
Buy, wait or subscribe: where to get them
Cost per hour at list price
đź’° Value Math: Hollow Knight costs about $0.56 per main-story hour ($14.99 on Steam over about 27 hours), Nine Sols about $1.43 ($29.99 over about 21), and Ori about $2.50 ($29.99 over about 12).
What to wait on
Wait for a sale on the two $29.99 games. Steam recently marked Ori down to $2.99, about $0.25 per hour; compare what each hour costs.
Game Pass check
All three were listed as included with Game Pass Premium, PC and Ultimate on Xbox’s store pages, such as Hollow Knight’s. If you subscribe, play them there.
🔄 Last Verified: October 12, 2026. Prices and Game Pass lists change often; check the storefront before you buy.
Is Silksong the fix? Where it sits in your backlog
Why Silksong isn’t the fix
Silksong released September 4, 2025, at $19.99 on Steam. Beebom’s length guide describes it as following the first game’s core mechanic, and we found no reliable evidence it is gentler.
As of October 12, 2026, Team Cherry has announced a free expansion, Sea of Sorrow, for 2026; we found no release date.
A simple order
âś… Do This: Play Ori first, then Nine Sols if bosses were not your wall. Want another hard pick that fits a busy month? Try hard games that fit a busy month.
Games like Hollow Knight: quick answers
1. What is the closest of the games like Hollow Knight if I quit it?
Ori and the Will of the Wisps, about 12 hours for the main story per HowLongToBeat community data.
2. Is Ori shorter than Hollow Knight?
Yes: about 12 hours against about 27 for the main story, according to HowLongToBeat community averages.
3. Is Nine Sols like Hollow Knight?
It is a hand-drawn 2D action-platformer with exploration, but its deflection-based combat is a challenge of its own.
4. How long does Hollow Knight take to beat?
About 27 hours for the main story and about 64.5 for completionists, per HowLongToBeat community data.
5. Is Hollow Knight too hard for newcomers?
Steam’s user tags call it “Difficult” and “Souls-like,” and players report map and boss friction.
6. Why do people quit Hollow Knight?
Players report getting lost, losing progress after deaths, boss walls and the roughly 27 hours it asks for.
7. Which of these are on Game Pass?
All three were listed as included with Premium, PC and Ultimate on October 12, 2026; check before you plan around it.
8. Is Hollow Knight worth buying on sale?
Its $14.99 Steam list price works out to about $0.56 per main-story hour, our arithmetic; a sale only lowers that.
9. Should I play Silksong if I quit Hollow Knight?
Not as the fix: it follows the first game’s core design, so start with Ori.
10. How many weeks to finish Ori at 5 hours a week?
At five hours a week, Ori’s main story takes about 2.4 weeks, our arithmetic from the roughly 12-hour community average.
Pick one and set your hours
Start with Ori, add Nine Sols if bosses were not your wall, and leave Silksong for later. Choose one, set a weekly hour budget from the table, and you will know in a few weeks.
