Since its debut in 1999, Keiichiro Toyama’s chilling psychological horror series has captivated countless fans, cementing its place as one of gaming’s most significant franchises. While there have been other ventures like the mobile game The Short Message, the interactive TV show Ascension, and a remake of Silent Hill 2, a truly fresh, high-quality main series entry hadn’t been seen since 2012’s Downpour.
That all changed with Silent Hill f. This fully realized, mainline Silent Hill experience, however, ventures beyond the familiar settings of James Sunderland and Heather/Cheryl Mason. Instead, the oppressive psychological horrors manifest in 1960s Japan, where schoolgirl Hinako confronts her deepest fears. Critics widely regard Silent Hill f as one of the series’ finest, and we’ve gathered all the essential information and helpful guides right here.
Silent Hill f Guides
To assist you through this challenging and atmospheric puzzle-horror game, here are our detailed Silent Hill f guides:
- Discover all Omamori and their hidden locations.
- Unravel the solution to the mysterious Silent Hill f altar puzzle.
- Navigate the Shrine Path to find the correct Ema.
- Learn how to escape the eerie scarecrow field.
- Solve the intricate Silent Hill f puzzle box.
- Find all locker codes and combinations.
- Crack the Silent Hill f light puzzle.
- Strategies for defeating the Silent Hill f Rinko boss.
- Piece together the Silent Hill f mural puzzle solution.
- Achieve all possible Silent Hill f endings.
- Obtain and purify the Silent Hill f Sacred Sword.
- Find out how long Silent Hill f is.
- Learn about the Silent Hill f voice actors and full cast list.
A video showcasing gameplay and key moments from Silent Hill f.
Silent Hill f Release Date
Silent Hill f launched on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 9pm PDT, and September 25 at 12am EDT / 5am BST, following a 48-hour early access period for those who preordered.
The game is available on PC via Steam and Epic Games, as well as on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles.
The original Team Silent, responsible for the series’ first three games, disbanded in 2024, which explains the fluctuating quality of subsequent entries. Various studios, including Bloober Team, Double Helix, and Vatra Games, have developed Silent Hill titles since. Silent Hill f marks NeoBards Entertainment’s debut as a lead developer for an original Silent Hill game, though they previously contributed to titles like Resident Evil Re: Verse, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster.
Silent Hill f Reception
Breaking the trend for recent Silent Hill releases, Silent Hill f was met with an overwhelmingly positive reception. It garnered a critical score of 86 on Metacritic, impressively matching that of the Silent Hill 2 remake at the time of its release.
Many critics, including PCGamesN, lauded its poignant and moving narrative, which bravely tackles significant themes. While some players found the increased focus on combat a departure, the game was widely praised for NeoBards’ ability to both honor beloved series elements and introduce something entirely fresh and new.
Another video offering a deeper look into the world and gameplay of Silent Hill f.
Trailers
The first teaser trailer for Silent Hill f premiered during a Silent Hill Transmission event in 2022. It offered a brief introduction to the game’s protagonist and its Japanese roots, quickly becoming a trypophobe’s worst nightmare. Red weeds violently sprout from fleshy holes, blossoming into flora reminiscent of Japanese honeysuckle. This persistent red, floral imagery is a recurring motif across all Silent Hill f trailers and within the game itself, symbolizing a sick, suffocating growth. Rather than typical mold or disease, these flowers embody the concept of ‘beauty within terror,’ a classic theme in Japanese horror.
A particularly memorable moment from the teaser trailer occurs around the 30-second mark, where an injured Hinako struggles forward, dragging a steel pipe. The distinctive scraping sound it makes instantly evokes Pyramid Head’s knife, firmly establishing this new world within the established history of Silent Hill.
Almost three years later, a more extensive reveal trailer was showcased during another Transmission broadcast in March 2025. This video expanded on the floral infestation themes while delving deeper into Japanese history and culture, featuring shrines, kabuki paintings, and a garden bridge—often associated with the transition from life to death.
The final release date trailer, which can be viewed at the top of the page, debuted during a PlayStation State of Play on June 4, 2025. This trailer provided the most substantial look at gameplay yet, revealing several disturbingly creepy monsters and further exploring the theme of death. It’s notably symbolic that Hinako appears to be killed by a monster at the trailer’s midpoint, followed by an abrupt transition showing her waking up in a different scene.
Silent Hill f Story and Setting
Spoiler alert – only read on if you want to know details about the Silent Hill f story. You have been warned.
The intricate psychology of Silent Hill often centers around a character’s dark past, particularly repressed or unknowingly hidden trauma. Across the Silent Hill f trailers, a recurring theme of friendship emerged, with the second trailer featuring a voice-over asking, “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.” Hinako initially appears to be part of a four-person friendship group, and the release date trailer introduces Sakuko, one of these friends. In one scene, as Hinako walks away, she hears a whispered “you traitor” in Sakuko’s voice.
However, this was a subtle misdirection. The core theme of Silent Hill f ultimately revolves around Hinako’s deep-seated fear of marriage and the oppression of women. Having spent years witnessing her father’s abuse of her timid mother, the strong-willed and independent Hinako resists marriage. Yet, in 1960s Japan, she is eventually married off. The game’s events depict Hinako regressing to a point before her marriage, before she lost her friends, family, and independence to married life.
An image depicts a young girl covered in vibrant, unsettling flowers, embodying the ‘beauty within terror’ theme of Silent Hill f.
What is the f in Silent Hill f?
The exact meaning behind the ‘f’ in Silent Hill f remains a subject of theory, with the most probable explanation rooted in the botanical term ‘forme,’ represented by a lowercase ‘f.’
In botany, ‘forme’ denotes a mutation of a floral variety. Given the prominent floral imagery throughout Silent Hill f and the grotesque transformation of the fog world into the ‘Otherworld’ or ‘Dark Shrine,’ this botanical meaning appears to be the most fitting interpretation.
Additionally, there’s a musical interpretation of the letter ‘f.’ Displayed in a lowercase style similar to the game’s artwork, ‘f’ in music stands for ‘forte,’ meaning loud. This directly contrasts with ‘silent,’ mirroring many of the game’s opposing themes: life and death, the real world and the Otherworld, silence and noise. The sound effects in Silent Hill f’s two distinct worlds ingeniously reflect this duality.
A third, more abstract theory connects ‘f’ to flora’s association with disaster and mutation in Japan. Historical studies indicate that some Japanese plant life mutated due to radiation following the Nagasaki bombings in the 1940s, and deformed daisies in Fukushima were, for a period, attributed to the 2011 nuclear disaster.
Silent Hill f Soundtrack
While legendary monster designer Masahiro Ito did not return to the franchise, composer and sound designer Akira Yamaoka lent his talents to Silent Hill f, crafting the atmospheric sounds and music for the fog world. Kensuke Inage, on the other hand, composed the chilling soundscape for the Otherworld, known in Silent Hill f as ‘The Dark Shrine.’
As Inage’s first contribution to a Silent Hill game, coupled with the new Japanese setting, the soundtrack offers a distinct flavor this time around. This creates an incredible and jarring juxtaposition between Yamaoka’s classic Silent Hill audio design and the fresh, unsettling sounds of the Dark Shrine.
An image featuring a shadowy figure, reminiscent of Masahiro Ito’s ‘Sakura Head’ character, lurking in the darkness of Silent Hill f.
Is Masahiro Ito involved in Silent Hill f?
Sadly, Masahiro Ito himself confirmed his lack of involvement in Silent Hill f. In a social media post in March 2025, the renowned character designer stated, “I don’t know anything about Silent Hill f because I didn’t work on it.”
A fan later inquired whether his ‘Sakura Head’ character from The Short Message would appear, given its thematic fit. Ito’s simple reply was, “I don’t know.” This came as a significant surprise, considering Ito’s extensive work on the series since the very first game, including his creation of the iconic Pyramid Head.
Despite this, there appears to be no ill will between Ito and the franchise, as he later reposted the game’s release date announcement on social media. The character designer for Silent Hill f is credited simply as Kera, whose art, often centered on young girls and beautiful women, perfectly captures the game’s recurring theme of ‘beauty within terror.’