Hollow Knight Silksong Anti Cheat Error on ROG Ally X Fix

Quick Answer

An anti-cheat error in Hollow Knight Silksong on a ROG Ally X is almost always a software handshake problem, not a faulty card. The fix is a clean reinstall of the anti-cheat service, an up-to-date GPU driver, and a verified game file pass — it rarely costs anything and takes about 15 minutes.

Why the error shows up on a ROG Ally X

On a ROG Ally X the anti-cheat layer can trip when the handheld firmware and the game's protection service fall out of sync after an update. The ROG Ally X hardware itself is fine — the service simply needs reinstalling and the system needs a clean restart. A z1 extreme handheld; the 30w tdp and your tdp slider decide everything.

The fix, in order

Work through these in sequence and stop when the error clears. First, fully close Hollow Knight Silksong and the launcher, then run the anti-cheat installer found in the game's install folder and choose Repair or Reinstall. Second, verify the game files through your launcher so any corrupted protection file is re-downloaded. Third, update the ROG Ally X driver to the current release and do a clean install with the previous driver removed. Fourth, reboot — not just the game, the whole machine — so the freshly installed service registers properly. If it persists, temporarily pause third-party antivirus, which frequently quarantines the anti-cheat driver.

When it is actually a hardware or storage issue

In rare cases the error masks a failing drive or unstable overclock. If verifying files repeatedly finds new corrupt data, test the SSD's health — a failing NVMe drive is a common culprit and a fresh 1TB or 2TB SSD (stocked at Evetech) is a cheap fix. Reset any GPU overclock to stock; an unstable ROG Ally X clock can corrupt the anti-cheat handshake even when games otherwise run. Keep the system on stable power so writes never interrupt.

FAQ

Will reinstalling the anti-cheat delete my Hollow Knight Silksong save?

No — the anti-cheat service is separate from your save data, which lives in your profile or cloud sync. Repairing or reinstalling the protection service and verifying files leaves your progress untouched.

Do I need a new ROG Ally X or driver to fix this?

You do not need new hardware — the ROG Ally X is not the cause. You do want the current driver, since a clean, up-to-date install resolves most anti-cheat handshake failures on its own.

Why does the error come back after an update to Hollow Knight Silksong?

Updates sometimes ship a new anti-cheat version that the old installed service rejects. Re-running the in-folder anti-cheat installer after each major patch keeps the handshake current and stops the error returning.