The update comes right before the game's ninth anniversary.
After years of silence, a small but meaningful patch gives players a better way to return to Hallownest. Team Cherry have rolled out a long-awaited update for the original Hollow Knight, delivering native ultrawide and Steam Deck display support just weeks before the game’s ninth anniversary. Released on 5 February on the game's Steam community hub, the patch marks the first update for the 2017 hit since 2022, bringing a mix of visual upgrades, quality-of-life tweaks, and long-standing fixes.
The timing puts the update ahead of Hollow Knight’s ninth birthday on 24 February, offering players a refreshed way to experience Hallownest. While the patch includes a broad set of improvements, display support stands out as the most significant change.
Ultrawide compatibility was first announced in December, when Team Cherry pushed the feature to Hollow Knight’s beta branch.
Ultrawide and Steam Deck support headline Hollow Knight’s latest patch
The update introduces native 21:9 and 16:10 resolution support, allowing ultrawide monitors and the Steam Deck’s screen to properly display the game without black bars or external mods. Ultrawide compatibility was first announced in December, when the feature appeared on the game’s beta branch, and its full release now brings official support to all players.
Alongside the resolution upgrades, Team Cherry has moved the game over to Unity’s newer input system, expanding controller compatibility across a wider range of devices. Players can still revert to the original input setup via advanced settings if preferred. Inventory menus now pause the game, map panning has been smoothed, and performance has been improved across the board.
Several gameplay tweaks and bug fixes also arrive with the patch, including adjustments to Grey Prince Zote’s stagger behaviour, fixes for a softlock in the City of Tears Grub room, and visual improvements to Sly’s Great Slash hitbox. A new dithering option has also been added to help reduce colour banding.
Here are the full patch notes, published on the game’s Steam community page:
- Added support for 21:9 and 16:10 resolutions
- Game now pauses while in inventory menus
- Upgraded to Unity Input System for broader controller support (original input system remains available)
- Added dithering effect and options to reduce colour banding
- Fixed a softlock in the City of Tears Grub room
- Reduced Grey Prince Zote’s stagger bounce height
- Updated Sly’s Great Slash collider to better match visuals
- Salubra’s Blessing now deactivates after reaching maximum Soul
- Smoother map panning
- Various performance improvements
- Various smaller fixes and tweaks
This marks Hollow Knight’s first update in more than two years, making the release notable for long-time players. With native ultrawide and Steam Deck support now in place, the patch removes long-standing display limitations and modernises the game’s technical setup, ensuring smoother play across current PC and handheld hardware.
