Hollow Knight: Silksong Has a Konami Code-Style Cheat to Unlock Steel Soul Mode Early

Undeterred by complaints about Normal mode in Team Cherry's latest? Want to suffer more? Here's how to unlock permadeath immediately.

Posted By | On 08th, Sep. 2025

hollow knight silksong

If you haven’t heard, Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight: Silksong is quite the challenging experience. Between regular enemies capable of dealing double damage and frenetic boss fights, there’s a lot to deal with. Of course, finishing the main story unlocks an even more challenging mode, Steel Soul, which adds permadeath to the equation.

But what if you want to unlock it early and suffer on the first playthrough? A Reddit user has discovered a Konami Code-style unlock that does just that. Simply press Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right in the Extras menu. When starting a new save, you can now opt between Normal Mode and Steel Soul.

It’s probably not the best idea for those experiencing Silksong, let alone the Hollow Knight series, for the first time. Nevertheless, it is the ultimate challenge and/or punishment.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2 for $19.99. You can also access it through Game Pass. Check out our review, where we awarded it a ten out of ten, or learn some tips and tricks to ensure a somewhat easier time.


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