The Hollow Knight Save File That Shouldn't Exist

Something strange happened on Reddit last week, and if it’s a hoax, it’s a really good one. A now-deleted user posted to r/GamingMysteries about a save file in Hollow Knight—a fourth one, even though the game only allows three. What made it unsettling wasn't just that the file existed. It was what happened when they opened it.

According to the post, the user had launched the game as usual and noticed a fourth save slot titled simply: "He Waits." The file had a timestamp from just minutes before they booted up the game. They were home alone. No one else could have created it.

They clicked it anyway. What loaded was a glitched-out, decaying version of Dirtmouth. The town was empty, shrouded in red light, with music playing in reverse. The signs were illegible, written in a language that didn’t exist. After wandering through the ghost town, they reached a bench.

When they tried to sit down, the screen went black. For fifteen full seconds, nothing happened. Then the screen faded back in.

Their character was now standing in front of a mirror. But the reflection wasn’t the Knight—it was them. Their own face, rendered somehow in-game. No webcam was connected.

The user freaked out and deleted the save file, thinking maybe it was some weird leftover from a mod. But the next morning, the file had reappeared. This time the name had changed to: "Closer."

They wiped their system, logged into a new Steam account, even tested it on another machine. Still the save file kept coming back. Always at 3:13 AM.

Other Reddit users began chiming in. A few claimed the same thing had happened to them—but only after viewing the original post. One said they heard their Reddit username whispered while on the Hollow Knight title screen. Another found a fourth save file titled: "Found You."

A chilling edit was added to the original post shortly before it vanished: "He’s Here." Then the account was gone. No trace of the user, no cached version of the thread. It was like the story never existed.

The wildest part? Some are now saying that if you play Hollow Knight at 3:13 AM and stare at the bench in Dirtmouth long enough, the game softlocks. But when you reboot, you might just see a new save file waiting for you.

Its name?

"Yours."

If stories like this send a shiver down your spine, don’t miss our deep dive into the psychological shadows of Elden Ring: Nightreign in our Nightreign Preview, or check out our impressions of Path of Exile 2's haunting new direction in the Dawn of the Hunt Review.

And if you’ve ever seen something in a game you can’t explain—let us know. Because if this isn’t a hoax, then maybe some games are watching us back.