Silent Hill f is finally here, and having witnessed Hinako’s adventure, we can say it’s every bit as unsettling as we imagined. NeoBard and Konami’s bold new direction for the franchise’s gameplay brings something genuinely fresh to the table, while Hinako’s personal struggles manifest themselves in inventive, often terrifying ways.
With the game now in players’ hands, it also feels like the right moment to take a trip down memory lane and reflect on how and why the Silent Hill franchise has long captivated players and how this latest entry both honors and redefines that legacy.
To that end, here are all of the mainline Silent Hill games ranked from worst to best. Know that we’re not counting the visual novels or mobile titles among them, although those are quite entertaining in their own right.
14. Silent Hill: Ascension
Konami’s combined effort with Genvid Entertainment to bring a creative new touch to the Silent Hill formula does deserve credit for adapting the franchise’s narrative for the Massive Interactive Live Event format. The story of two families on the cusp of discovering the very dark secrets that Silent Hill was hiding, with viewers deciding on the fate of its characters, was quite an innovative idea.
However, the execution of an ingenious idea failed the show/video game, leading to its failure to enthrall its audiences. While we do praise the effort, Ascension is certainly the weakest among its counterparts in the franchise and is thus at the bottom of our rankings.
13. Silent Hill: Book of Memories
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Wayforward Technologies’ spin-off based on the franchise was quite good as a dungeon crawler, and the fact that there were multiple endings made it quite a good idea for the PlayStation Vita, considering its replay value. It also brought a very Death Note-like vibe to its story, mixing in psychological elements with the franchise’s more traditional horror trappings to create a compelling story and gameplay loop.
However, it did ultimately prove a little too basic for everyone’s tastes, and many found that it failed to capture the essence of a Silent Hill game sufficiently enough to be considered a title that merited a place of reverence among its ranks. For our part, we still say it’s quite fun to play, but it loses out on a better spot thanks to other games doing everything it does, and better.
12. Silent Hill: The Short Message
There were quite a few things going in favor of this one. For starters, it was free. It was also a departure of sorts from Silent Hill (the location that is). However, its narrative was certainly right up there with some of the franchise’s best instalments. Anita’s attempts to piece together the fate of her friend Maya were an insightful trek through the pitfalls of bullying among teenagers and the adverse effects it could have on their psyches. It was the kind of introspective horror that put the franchise on the map in the first place!
But without a combat system and a largely predictable ending, this one falls short of true greatness in our book. And that’s a pity considering how it sells its material. It is what it is, though.
11. Silent Hill: Homecoming
It’s kind of surprising that Silent Hill f is drawing flak for its combat mechanics when Homecoming’s protagonist was literally a well-trained special forces soldier who brought over a few moves from Origins in his effort to find out what happened to his brother and his hometown.
Shepherd’s Glen was a gloomy and terrifying place, which was standard fare for a Silent Hill instalment. However, the story that it offered was a bit of a letdown, with a fight that was such a clear callback to Smeagol from The Lord of the Rings, it was almost laughable. His story didn’t feel in line with the kind of unique horror that the Silent Hill franchise had a reputation for at the time. Nevertheless, it does have its merits and nails the horror part quite well.
10. Silent Hill: Origins
As a return to the franchise’s literal roots, Travis Grady’s adventure was quite compelling and does a great job of weaving in the original game’s beginning into one of its endings. It stayed true to all of the elements that made the Silent Hill franchise as popular as it was while also allowing its gameplay loop to look and feel quite immersive and terrifying in equal measures.
However, a clunky combat system and a lack of innovation held it back from ranking higher among its counterparts. And that’s not counting its PS2 port, which did not manage to recapture the game’s essence well enough for it to be worth the effort. It’s a title that you kind of have to play for its lore, but it isn’t one you’re likely to revisit once you roll the credits on Grady’s adventure, irrespective of whether you achieve the canon ending or see him set off looking for his lost truck in a UFO.
9. Silent Hill: Downpour
Downpour certainly had a lot of what Silent Hill was known and loved for, returning the franchise to its survival horror formula, while its story was an inspired take on the mind of a convict whose actions could make him an anti-hero of sorts. The examination of his thoughts, presented through the franchise’s framework of psychological horror, was quite entertaining and is certainly worth a try.
However, it failed to capitalize on its strengths, with its combat system leaving a lot to be desired and technical issues at launch, which proved to be quite divisive. Although it shines brightly in short bursts, those aren’t enough to earn it a higher spot on our rankings, considering the other titles that we’re yet to discuss.
8. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
As a sort of parallel universe version of the original game, Shattered Memories’ premise is definitely among the franchise’s more inspired ideas. Its visual, gameplay loop, enemy designs, and story were all solid, as was the voice acting on offer. So why doesn’t it rank higher on this list?
For starters, its short runtime meant that there simply wasn’t enough of it to go around. Secondly, it was let down by a few odd design choices that held it back from achieving the dizzying heights that the titles we’re yet to discuss managed to achieve. Once again, it was a very bold idea that could have been more, but sadly couldn’t live up to what it wanted to be.
7. Silent Hill 4: The Room
A protagonist trapped in his own apartment with an undead serial killer? Sign us up!
Pair that up with a companion who is susceptible to being possessed by the game’s threats, and you’ve got a very potent recipe for a strong Silent Hill game, albeit one that doesn’t take place in the titular town. It was a plot that drew a lot of praise from critics and gamers alike, although its gameplay did not receive the unanimous praise that Team Silent had hoped for.
Nevertheless, it deserves a place of honor among the franchise’s best titles, albeit one that’s not as high as the best of the best.
6. Silent Hill
The game that started it all is obviously going to be among the franchise’s best titles. Its story, setting, gameplay, and protagonist were all show-stoppers at the time of its release, as was its basis in psychological horror. It has certainly earned its place among modern gaming’s greatest hits, and with good reason.
While its voice acting could have been better, and a few annoyances with regard to controlling your character did mar its gameplay a little bit, it still deserves recognition as a game that we’d revisit the minute The Bloober Team’s remake of it hits the shelves.
5. Silent Hill 2 Remake
We’re not going to lie, we absolutely had a blast playing The Bloober Team’s remake of Silent Hill 2. It was a perfect recreation of the original title, with a healthy dose of current-gen goodness thrown in to make it a very appealing repackaging of a title that was already excellent to begin with.
As you may have guessed, we’re going to be talking about everything that was good about Silent Hill 2 in just a moment, but we’d be remiss not to give the Polish studio its due and comment on just how well it managed to modernize a title that remains among gaming’s greats.
4. P.T.
We’re still not over the cancellation of this one. Bringing Hideo Kojima into the Silent Hill fold should have been a shot in the arm for the franchise, a catapult to true greatness considering the legendary storyteller’s work with the Metal Gear franchise. Kojima’s penchant for introspective examinations of his thematic inspirations was the perfect vehicle for the franchise’s unique brand of horror.
However, it wasn’t meant to be, and the project was cancelled, and Norman Reedus’ take on a Silent Hill protagonist never saw the light of day. More’s the pity considering his work with Death Stranding.
3. Silent Hill 3
Atmospheric, suffocating, deliciously introspective, and absolutely terrifying, this was the Silent Hill franchise at its finest. Heather’s tryst with Silent Hill’s resident cult is a tale for the ages, bringing examinations of complex themes to a story that was riveting from start to finish.
It was sadly limited by a clunky control system but considering how well it presented everything that we know and love about Silent Hill games, this one deserves its place on our rankings.
2. SILENT HILL f
Silent Hill f marks the series’ first major entry in thirteen long years, and what an amazing return it is. Set in the remote Japanese town of Ebisugaoka during the 1960s, players step into the shoes of Hinako Shimizu, a high school student trapped amidst vicious monsters. With exceptional audio design, striking visuals powered by Unreal Engine 5, and engaging level design, Silent Hill f comes remarkably close to topping our list for this feature.
1. Silent Hill 2 (2001)
Silent Hill 2 is the undisputed champion of the franchise. There’s a reason that Konami and The Bloober Team selected it as the vehicle to bring the franchise into the current generation of gaming hardware and gamers, after all.
Its story and characters were unforgettable, and some of them haunt us even today. Its gameplay fired on all cylinders while exploring Silent Hill as James and searching for his lost wife was seriously unsettling. This was one of our favorite games on the PS2 and we would love to forget it just so we could experience it all over again for the first time, even without the modernized touches of the recent remake.
And there you have it! That’s all of the mainline Silent Hill games ranked. Do you agree with us on their places among the franchise’s many installments? Was there one you think deserves more?
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