Silent Hill is one of the biggest—if not the biggest—survival horror franchises ever made. In 25 years, the franchise has spawned more than a dozen games, with nine main games (including the Silent Hill 2 remake) and several spin-offs.
Over the years, Silent Hill titles became very hit or miss as the franchise took a few diversions. Here are (objectively) the best Silent Hill games when taking into consideration the franchise as a whole.
10) Silent Hill: Homecoming
Alex Shepherd isn’t usually one of the series’ more beloved protagonists, but Silent Hill: Homecoming has one of the most engaging stories. Alex, a Special Forces soldier returning home from overseas, realizes his younger brother has gone missing. Homecoming has its flaws, and it’s one of the more polarizing Silent Hill games. It’s not inherently a bad game, but it is a bad Silent Hill game—by definition—because of all the changes it introduces to lore that was well established years prior.
Still, it deserves a spot above some others because if you switch off your brain for a while and coast through it, you might end up enjoying it more than you thought.
9) Silent Hill: The Short Message
As the prime example of a game that captured the vibe of the Silent Hill franchise, but still employed its own unique style and visuals, The Short Message essentially pivots from the classic formula to be psychologically gripping and thoroughly different from anything Silent Hill has produced before, which isn’t altogether a bad thing. Plus, the soundtrack was composed by Akira Yamaoka (who worked on the several other Silent Hill games) and it’s free for PS5 users, so it’s worth giving it a shot.
The Short Message got review-bombed because the suicide awareness theme is a little overbearing, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t make for a great, compelling story, especially for those who identify with the subject matter and can appreciate its complexity.
8) Silent Hill: Downpour
At the time of Silent Hill Downpour‘s release in 2012, the franchise had begun its natural progression into the “current gen” of games: Book of Memories, P.T., and The Short Message. Overall, Downpour is a really well-made game, even if it isn’t on par with the quadrilogy that started it all. There’s plenty to complain about as usual, but Downpour was a step in the right direction for what the future of Silent Hill could look like, even if the latter entries fumbled the ball a little.
Murphy is a likable protagonist, there’s plenty of interesting monster and level designs, and it boasts a really immersive atmosphere. And really, isn’t that all you can ask for from a Silent Hill game?
7) Silent Hill: Origins
On the surface, Travis isn’t much to look at as a Silent Hill protagonist, but he carries Origins well as a standalone game. It manages to make the puzzles challenging enough to warrant a few head scratches, but nothing too complex that you’ll be Googling the answer and taking yourself out of the atmosphere. The Butcher is certainly a highlight of Origins, even if it could be argued that he’s a Pyramid Head rip-off.
If you can overlook a few shortcomings, Origins has plenty to offer in terms of a captivating story, an intriguing main character, and the mirror world system is both a creative and fascinating mechanic that feels right at home in the Silent Hill universe.
6) Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
For a Silent Hill title, Shattered Memories isn’t very scary, so there’s not much to expect there. However, the writing is phenomenal and the gameplay is innovative and experimental for its time, which was refreshing to see and very endearing. There’s even a few gameplay aspects Shattered Memories refined—such as less focus on combat and more on puzzle solving—that other survival horror games like Amnesia: Dark Descent copied and perfected.
If you load it up on the Wii and make use of the motion controls and speaker, Shattered Memories really stands out in a league of its own, regardless of its less-redeeming qualities.
5) Silent Hill 4: The Room
Now we’re breaking the top five, it’s smooth sailing from here on out. Any one of these Silent Hill titles could soar to the top spot depending on your individual taste. There’s quite a few misconceptions that Silent Hill 4 isn’t worth playing because it deviates from the norm, but that’s precisely what makes it a must-play. It doesn’t conform to Silent Hill standards or borrow any of the tropes, but it stands on its own two feet as one of the creepiest and most atmospheric of the whole franchise.
It essentially had a lot of good ideas that were undercut by some poor design choices, but go in with low expectations and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
4) Silent Hill 3
Silent Hill 3 is a superior title as far as sound and art design go; the monsters you hear before you even see are horrific and visceral. In essence, Silent Hill 3 is a love letter to fans of the original Silent Hill (which we’ll get to, don’t worry), even if it’s very different tonally. Silent Hill 3 isn’t as structured a Silent Hill or Silent Hill 2, but that’s exactly how it manages to fit in so well while still boasting a uniqueness that’s lost on some of the later installments.
It’s easily one of the scariest entries in the series, which sets it apart from the tamer stories like Homecoming and Downpour. Plus, Heather is a really great protagonist, which seals the deal for a lot of people.
3) P.T.
Although Silent Hills never saw the light of day, the community still got a taste of the P.T. demo, which you’ll forever regret not giving a try. Unless you have a PS4 with the game already installed, there’s no way to play P.T. anymore, so if you didn’t get the chance to try it, the FOMO is understandable. If P.T. is a glimpse into what Silent Hills could have been, then perhaps there’s our best Silent Hill game right there—the one that never made it.
The pacing is perfect, Lisa is nightmare fuel incarnate, and the visuals are some of the most unnerving of any horror game ever made. That’s why P.T. will forever be immortalized, even if it didn’t really get a fair shot. But that’s the thing—it didn’t need one.
2) Silent Hill
As the old saying goes: Nothing beats the classics. As a title from 1999, Silent Hill has some horrendous graphics, but that’s completely excusable. In fact, the bad graphics only make it scarier, so there’s your silver lining. Team Silent hadn’t yet perfected the Silent Hill format and the original served as a prototype for future entries, but what a charming prototype it is. The controls are incredibly clunky and the camera angles are questionable, but therein lies the charm that Silent Hill fans just can’t resist. Silent Hill‘s graphics shouldn’t keep you from experiencing a late-90s masterpiece that breathed new life into the survival horror genre.
It’s just as formidable as Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3, and you have to have respect for the humble beginnings to truly appreciate the course of the franchise going froward.
The best Silent Hill game of all time: Silent Hill 2
Regarded by many as the peak of the Silent Hill franchise, it isn’t surprising that Silent Hill 2 is getting a remake out of every sequel. Just like the original, nostalgia plays a big part in Silent Hill 2‘s appeal, but newcomers will find plenty to admire as well. The game has well-defined characters, an amazing score, and a great variety of puzzles, items, and areas of exploration. Silent Hill 2 has good replay value, which is why it’s withstood the test of time. It also tells a more personal story in James’ pursuit of his deceased wife compared to the occult themes in Silent Hill, Silent Hill 3, and even Silent Hill 4.
It has the most tragically poetic narrative that really sticks with you thanks to some clever environmental storytelling, and that’s the first thing Silent Hill fans will cling to—the gripping story and the way it’s told above all else.
