When is the Silent Hill f release date? Fans have eagerly awaited a true return to form for the Silent Hill series, a groundbreaking psychological horror franchise that captivated legions of players since its 1999 debut. After a long hiatus and several less-than-stellar offerings, the wait is almost over.
Silent Hill f promises to be a fully-fledged, mainline installment, offering a fresh yet familiar take on the iconic horror. This new narrative detaches from the established tales of characters like James Sunderland and Heather/Cheryl Mason, transporting players to 1960s Japan. Here, schoolgirl Hinako confronts her personal demons within a psychological prison that mirrors the unsettling nature of Silent Hill itself. As discussed in our comprehensive Silent Hill f review, we consider it among the series’ best, so if you’re ready to dive into the dread, we’ve gathered all the latest news on the Silent Hill f release times for you.
Silent Hill f release date and time
The Silent Hill f release date is Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 9 PM PDT, and September 25 at 12 AM EDT / 5 AM BST. A visual guide depicting global launch times is included above.
The horror game is available on PC via Steam and Epic Games, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Launch times vary on console, releasing at midnight local time.
A video trailer for Silent Hill f focusing on its atmosphere and early reveals is available.
Trailers
So far, three chilling trailers have offered glimpses into Silent Hill f. The initial teaser, unveiled in 2022, introduced the protagonist and the game’s distinct Japanese setting. It was a visual assault for those with trypophobia, showcasing grotesque red weeds emerging from flesh-like orifices, blossoming into unsettling, honeysuckle-like formations. This recurring floral motif, present in every trailer, redefines horror by finding ‘beauty within terror’ – a classic Japanese horror theme.
A standout moment in this first teaser occurs around the 30-second mark: an injured Hinako drags a steel pipe, its metallic scrape eerily reminiscent of Pyramid Head’s signature sound, immediately connecting this new world to the franchise’s dark legacy.
Another trailer video for Silent Hill f, revealing more of its eerie atmosphere and narrative, showcases further visual themes.
Nearly three years later, a more extensive reveal trailer in March 2025 expanded on these themes. It deepened the exploration of Japanese history and culture amidst an overwhelming floral infestation, featuring shrines, kabuki paintings, and a garden bridge—symbols often associated with the transition from life to death.
The most recent release date trailer, debuted during PlayStation State of Play in June 2025, provides our most substantial look at gameplay yet. It showcases some truly devastating and creepy monsters, further deepening the theme of mortality. A particularly striking sequence sees Hinako seemingly killed by a monster mid-trailer, only to abruptly awaken in a different, equally disturbing scene.
Gameplay
The trailers have offered a substantial peek into Silent Hill f’s gameplay, ranging from Hinako’s exploration of her hometown to intense, brutal encounters with enemies. The combat, in particular, feels authentically Silent Hill. Hinako, armed with a pipe, engages in clumsy yet desperate close-quarters battles against unpredictable, fast-moving adversaries. These foes, reminiscent of posable figures, clearly draw inspiration from the iconic mannequins of previous Silent Hill titles.
From the same trailer, we also caught a glimpse of item interaction, which appears more streamlined and direct, echoing the style seen in Bloober Team’s 2024 Silent Hill 2 remake. For instance, players can easily spot and retrieve an item cleverly hidden beneath a frozen, disjointed schoolgirl’s arm, a stark contrast to the more subtle, ‘head-tilt’ cues of earlier games.
Silent Hill f story and setting
The profound psychological horror of Silent Hill traditionally explores characters grappling with their dark or repressed pasts. Silent Hill f continues this tradition, with a prominent theme of friendships woven throughout its trailers. A haunting voiceover in the second trailer asks, “Do you want to stay with your friends forever? Friends don’t last forever. They will betray you, eventually. Just as they say you betrayed them.” Our protagonist, Hinako, is seemingly part of a quartet of friends. The most recent trailer introduces us to Sakuko, one of these companions, and depicts a scene where Hinako hears a chilling ‘you traitor’ whispered in Sakuko’s voice as she departs.
Hinako’s actions, or perceived betrayals, remain shrouded in mystery but likely form the terrifying catalyst for her descent into the game’s nightmarish fog. Sakuko appears to be a pivotal character, narrating trailers and even appearing as a boss in the latest footage. The game’s setting transports players to Japan’s Showa era (1926-1989), specifically the 1960s. Scriptwriter Ryukishi explained the deliberate choice during Konami Press Start, noting that this era feels ‘like a different world’ – one that, despite its connection to the present, ‘preserves customs and superstitious long forgotten in modern life.’
What is the f in Silent Hill f
The enigmatic ‘f’ in Silent Hill f has sparked several compelling theories. The most widely accepted interpretation points to the botanical term ‘forme’ (represented by a lowercase ‘f’), which denotes a mutation within a floral variety. This aligns perfectly with the game’s pervasive floral imagery and the horrifying transformation of its fog-shrouded world into the grotesque ‘Otherworld’ or ‘Dark Shrine.’
Another intriguing theory connects to music: the lowercase ‘f’ often signifies ‘forte,’ meaning loud. This creates a powerful contrast with ‘Silent,’ highlighting the game’s themes of duality – life and death, reality and the Otherworld, silence and sound. The distinct soundscapes composed for these two worlds further emphasize this opposition.
A third, more speculative theory links the floral theme to Japan’s history of disaster and mutation. It references studies on Japanese plant mutations after the 1940s Nagasaki bombings and deformed daisies observed after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, suggesting a deeper, more unsettling context for the game’s unsettling flora.
Silent Hill f soundtrack
While Masahiro Ito, the renowned monster designer, will not be returning to the franchise, fans will be thrilled to know that legendary composer and sound designer Akira Yamaoka is indeed contributing to Silent Hill f. Yamaoka is crafting the iconic sounds and songs for the game’s ‘fog world,’ while Kensuke Inage is composing the unsettling soundscape for the ‘Otherworld,’ or ‘Dark Shrine.’
This marks Inage’s debut on a Silent Hill project, and combined with the unique Japanese setting, promises a distinct and fresh auditory experience. Expect a striking and potentially jarring contrast between Yamaoka’s classic Silent Hill audio and Inage’s new Dark Shrine compositions. Early trailers already hint at this, replacing familiar scratching and squelching with the unnerving tones of a Japanese nohkan flute or similar high-pitched instruments.
Is Masahiro Ito involved in Silent Hill f?
Regrettably, Masahiro Ito himself has confirmed he is not involved in Silent Hill f. In a social media post in March 2025, the influential character designer stated, “I don’t know anything about Silent Hill f because I didn’t work on it.”
When questioned by a fan about the potential inclusion of his ‘Sakura Head’ character (from ‘The Short Message’) given its thematic fit, Ito simply responded, “I don’t know.” His absence is quite surprising, considering his extensive history with the franchise, dating back to the very first game, and his creation of the legendary Pyramid Head. Despite this, Ito appears to hold no ill will towards the series, as he notably reposted the game’s release date announcement on social media.
The character design for Silent Hill f is instead credited to Kera, an artist celebrated for her depictions of young girls and beautiful women. Her unique style is ideally suited to encapsulate the game’s core theme of ‘beauty within terror.’ A Konami Press Start broadcast in June 2025 offered a glimpse at Kera’s creations, including a striking multi-headed creature that seems to draw inspiration from another titan of Japanese horror, Junji Ito.
If you’re as eager as we are for the Silent Hill f release, there are many other incredible upcoming games to keep you busy until then. Don’t forget to check the Silent Hill f system requirements to ensure your rig is ready for this chilling new PC title!