The Complete Ranking of Silent Hill Games from Worst to Best

The fog is rolling in again as we shine a light on the best and worst of the iconic horror franchise Silent Hill. With horror games on everyone’s mind and the new SILENT HILL: Ascension series/game coming on October 30th, there’s no better time to revisit these landmark survival horror games. Konami is embracing the season as well, with a full-fledged remake of Silent Hill 2 in the works with The Bloober Team at the helm, along with rumblings of new Silent Hill games on the horizon. After years of neglect, the publisher is finally giving fans hope of a return to form for the series that redefined psychological horror in video games.

Our comprehensive rankings include mainline entries developed by the original Team Silent, along with later games that took the franchise in new directions to varying degrees of success. We replayed every release to evaluate their contributions to the series and their impact on gaming. Which games still hold up today, and which are best left in the foggy streets of the past? From the nightmarish monsters to the disturbing stories that stick with you, we break down what made these games so terrifying and which delivered the most memorable horror experiences.

There is no better time to take a trip back to the haunted town. As we wait for SILENT HILL: Ascension, ready your flashlight and steel your nerves as we break down our rankings of the Silent Hill franchise, from all-time classics to misguided missteps. The sirens are sounding, beckoning you back once more…

12) Silent Hill: Book Of Memories

Released in 2012 for the PS Vita and coming in last place on our rankings, Silent Hill: Book of Memories took the iconic survival horror series in an unexpected new direction as an isometric dungeon crawler. While many appreciated the nods to franchise history, the shift to hack-and-slash RPG gameplay was controversial among longtime fans who felt it lacked the psychological horror the series was known for.

Book of Memories had players creating a customizable character who receives a strange book that can rewrite their past if they alter its contents. This premise throws them into a dream world full of monsters to fight and puzzles to solve as they explore procedural dungeons. The combat retained the clumsy, awkward feeling of the original games but with repetitive hack-and-slash mechanics. The small dungeons made it commute-friendly, but many questioned the need to attach the Silent Hill name to what felt like a generic dungeon crawler.

While it expanded the gameplay of the franchise, Book of Memories failed to deliver the scares and narrative depth that defined the main series. The tenuous connections to Silent Hill lore left many wishing those resources had gone towards a more traditional survival horror entry in the franchise. As the first Silent Hill game built for a handheld system, it was an interesting experiment, but for most, the gameplay could not compete with its console counterparts.

11) Silent Hill: Downpour

Silent Hill: Downpour ranks second to last on our list of Silent Hill games, beating out only the abysmal Silent Hill: Book of Memories. Developed by Vatra Games, Downpour fails to capture the disturbing psychological horror that defined the iconic franchise. Instead, it offers a disjointed experience filled with technical issues.

The most glaring flaws of Downpour are its frequent frame rate drops, texture popping, and various glitches that detract from immersion. The monster designs are also remarkably uninspired, with generic enemies that feel more bothersome than actually scary. Additionally, Downpour suffers from major pacing problems due to its disjointed structure. The game awkwardly jumps between open-world exploration in the town of Silent Hill and on-rail linear sections outside of it. This inconsistent flow disrupts the tension and atmosphere.

While Downpour does feature some redeeming qualities, like strong environmental design and side quests that encourage exploration, along with an interesting main character in Murphy Pendleton, these are not enough to make up for its shortcomings. The thematic elements fall flat compared to earlier games, failing to deliver a truly disturbing psychological experience. The otherworld transitions lack the disturbing industrial imagery the series is known for. The combat is functional but unremarkable, with interchangeable melee weapons and firearms. Ultimately, Downpour feels like a disjointed attempt to mimic fan favourite Silent Hill 2 without understanding what made that game so compelling.

Silent Hill: Downpour had the potential to revitalize the declining franchise after the disastrous Homecoming. Unfortunately, Downpour failed to live up to its predecessors or recapture the elements that defined the iconic series. Subpar enemy design, pacing issues, and technical problems prevent it from reaching the heights of Silent Hill 2 or 3. While not an irredeemable failure, Downpour is emblematic of the franchise’s downward spiral into mediocrity after leaving Team Silent’s hands.

10) Silent Hill HD Collection

The Silent Hill HD Collection represents a disappointing remaster that fails to live up to the legacy of the original PS2 titles. Ranking 10th on our Silent Hill list, the HD Collection exemplifies the downward spiral of the series that has been emblematic of recent Silent Hill games. The most glaring flaws stem from the incomplete source code used for the ports. This resulted in numerous performance issues, glitches, and game-breaking bugs not present in the PS2 versions. There are also missing backgrounds, fog effects, sound effects, and music cues.

Additionally, the HD Collection has an incomplete selection of games, lacking Silent Hill and Silent Hill 4: The Room. The included Silent Hill 2 and 3 have poorly redone voice work that doesn’t sync with the character models. Silent Hill 3 is missing the original voice tracks completely, while Silent Hill 2 allows switching between original and new tracks, both still with sync issues.

The shoddy ports fail to take advantage of the newer hardware. In some cases, the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions actually perform worse than the PS2 originals. There are no post-release patches for the Xbox 360 version either.

The Silent Hill HD Collection is a compromised package that fails to preserve these landmark horror titles. It is largely inferior to playing the games natively on PS2 due to the lack of care in remastering. The failure to properly port some of survival horror’s most acclaimed entries to modern platforms symbolizes the decline of the series after leaving Team Silent’s hands. Most fans are better off revisiting the PS2 originals instead of this disappointing remaster.

9) Silent Hill: Homecoming

Silent Hill: Homecoming, the sixth mainline entry in the iconic horror series, attempted to revitalize the franchise after the poorly received Origins. Players take control of Alex Shepherd, a recently discharged soldier who returns home to Shepherd’s Glen only to find the town in disarray and his family missing. Alex must unravel the dark history of his hometown and its connections to Silent Hill as he searches for his brother Joshua.

While Homecoming sought to incorporate more combat and action compared to previous entries, this came at the cost of the psychological horror elements that defined the series. The Otherworld transitions lack the disturbing industrial imagery of earlier games. Enemies feel more bothersome than actually scary. Additionally, the inclusion of the series icon Pyramid Head makes little narrative sense and damages the story.

Ultimately, Homecoming failed to capture the magic of the Team Silent games. Its increased focus on combat neglected the isolating atmosphere and disturbing symbolism that made classics like Silent Hill 2 so compelling. While not an irredeemable failure, Homecoming illustrated the difficulties of producing a worthy sequel after the departure of the original creative leads. It ranks 9th on our list due to its disjointed gameplay and failure to deliver a truly frightening psychological experience. Fans were left longing for the disturbing existential horror of the first four Silent Hill games.

8) Silent Hill 4: The Room

Silent Hill 4: The Room, the eighth entry in our ranking, marked the end of an era as the final Silent Hill game developed by the original Team Silent. It took the series in a new direction by having players control Henry Townshend, a man trapped in his apartment as bizarre events unfold in the neighbouring town of Ashfield.

The Room departed from previous games by taking place largely outside of Silent Hill itself. Playing as Henry Townsend, you explore haunted worlds linked to his apartment by portals, including a foreboding subway, a pitch-black forest and a deadly water prison. This emphasized action-oriented combat over psychological horror. The increased focus on fighting monsters with golf clubs, knives and pipes was a point of contention for some fans.

The Room received a mixed response upon release. While it retained the disturbing creature designs the series was known for, the unconventional structure and shift away from Silent Hill’s iconic foggy streets were divisive. However, The Room has garnered more appreciation over time as the last Team Silent entry before new developers took the reins. It showed the original creators taking risks and expanding the gameplay formula.

The Room makes for an uneven but memorable sendoff for Team Silent. It laid the groundwork for future departures from the town of Silent Hill, for better or worse. While not reaching the heights of the first three games, The Room remains an eerie, experimental coda for the team that defined survival horror.

7) Silent Hill: Origins

Silent Hill: Origins serves as a prequel to the first Silent Hill game, exploring the events leading up to Harry Mason’s arrival in the foggy town. Players control truck driver Travis Grady as he becomes trapped in Silent Hill after rescuing a young girl from a burning house. Travis suffers from disturbing visions and nightmares related to his troubled past throughout his journey.

The gameplay and combat follow the familiar Silent Hill formula, with players exploring the creepy streets and buildings of the town, solving puzzles, and fending off twisted monsters. Travis encounters iconic characters like Dahlia Gillespie along the way, uncovering more of Silent Hill‘s dark history. The disturbing Otherworld transitions remain intact, transporting Travis to hellish industrial landscapes.

While Origins successfully nails the series’ ominous atmosphere, it offers little in terms of new ideas. The combat and puzzles feel largely recycled from previous entries. Additionally, Travis is a rather bland protagonist compared to James or Harry. His backstory of repressed trauma echoes elements of Silent Hill 2 as well. Still, Origins provides an atmospheric horror experience for fans, even if it retreads familiar ground. It ranks 7th on our list for competently executing the Silent Hill formula in a prequel setting but failing to innovate the gameplay or storytelling in compelling new ways.

6) Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories stands out as a unique entry in the iconic horror franchise, reinventing the gameplay and storytelling for the Nintendo Wii. Developed by Climax Studios and released in 2009, Shattered Memories reimagines the original Silent Hill, following Harry Mason’s search for his missing daughter Cheryl in the disturbing town. However, it introduces several bold new mechanics.

Most notably, Shattered Memories completely removes combat. Players cannot fight the twisted monsters, only evade and hide. This emphasizes tense chase sequences where you must run and use the environment to escape. The lack of weapons heightens vulnerability. Additionally, the game features periodic psychological profiling sessions that analyze your responses and alter in-game elements like character reactions and monster forms.

These sessions, along with creative motion control puzzles and expansive exploration focused on uncovering clues, demonstrate Shattered Memories‘ strong integration of the Wii’s unique capabilities. The disturbing atmosphere also remains intact through the haunting soundtrack and unsettling visuals. While divisive, these experimental features succeeded in bringing an immersive, cinematic horror experience to Nintendo’s casual-friendly platform.

Shattered Memories stands as an underrated reimagining that took risks in reinventing Team Silent’s formula. Its bold vision introduced innovative mechanics and storytelling to the franchise, even if it departed from tradition. While not surpassing the early Team Silent classics, Shattered Memories brought a fresh perspective while retaining the compelling psychological horror that defines Silent Hill.

5) Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams

Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams is an alternate version of the survival horror classic Silent Hill 2, developed specifically for the Xbox. While largely similar to the acclaimed PS2 release, Restless Dreams features some key differences, including exclusive content and graphical changes.

As James Sunderland, players explore the disturbing ghost town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his deceased wife, Mary. This psychological horror tale remains engaging despite some graphical downgrades on Xbox. The fog effects are noticeably thinner compared to PS2, diminishing Silent Hill’s trademark ominous atmosphere. The improved flashlight has a chunkier, less cinematic appearance[1].

However, the core story and horror remain compelling. Restless Dreams also adds the “Born From a Wish” sub-scenario, offering hours of new gameplay and story content. This Xbox-exclusive mission provides insight on the supporting character, Maria, expanding on the main game’s narrative.

The PC version of Silent Hill 2 shares the graphical issues of the Xbox port, but fan mods can restore the visuals closer to PS2 quality. The Xbox has no such option, being stuck with its underwhelming graphics.

Yet even with these drawbacks, Restless Dreams is better than the disastrous HD Collection, which had severe gameplay problems. At its core, Silent Hill 2 is a landmark of psychological horror, thanks to its disturbing story. Restless Dreams makes for an imperfect but still engaging way to experience this classic for Xbox owners.

4) P.T.

Hideo Kojima’s P.T. offered a uniquely terrifying and deeply memorable horror experience and was outdone only by the original trilogy. As a playable teaser for the cancelled Silent Hills, P.T. differed drastically from previous Silent Hill games. Rather than a full town to explore, P.T. trapped players in a single looping suburban hallway.

Yet despite its minimal scope, P.T. delivered psychological horror through its suffocating atmosphere and tense exploration. The player wakes up in an abandoned home, hearing unsettling noises and encountering horrifying visions. P.T. slowly builds tension as each loop reveals more unexplainable events. The player is constantly unsettled, never knowing what disturbing sight awaits around the next corner.

P.T. exemplified immersive horror through its intimate first-person perspective. Players feel trapped within the increasingly maddening halls, searching for answers. The detailed graphics and binaural 3D audio created an incredibly lifelike setting that heightened the terror. P.T. kept players in a constant state of dread and uncertainty.

While only a short demo, P.T. had an enormous influence on horror games. Its realism and intimate scares showed the power of grounded psychological horror over cheap jump scares. P.T. proved games could elicit visceral terror through atmosphere alone. Its legacy looms large despite its brief existence.

P.T. stands out as an experience unlike anything else in the acclaimed Silent Hill series. Its focus on building suspense through repetition in a confined space intensified its horror. P.T. exemplified how much fear can be evoked from so little. Its chilling atmosphere and emotional distress left an indelible mark on the horror genre. Though cancelled, P.T. showed the immense potential of Silent Hills and the terror Hideo Kojima could unleash.

3) Silent Hill 3

Silent Hill 3 serves as a direct sequel to the original Silent Hill, with players controlling Heather Mason, the adopted daughter of Harry Mason from the first game. This connection is clear through Silent Hill 3‘s themes of childbirth and fertility, embodied in its grotesque imagery and bosses.

Heather makes for a weak protagonist compared to James Sunderland or Harry Mason, coming across as whiny and abrasive. But the game still succeeds in building tension through disturbing environments like the bloody, rusty amusement park. The Otherworld transitions are some of the most terrifying in the series.

Silent Hill 3 features memorable set pieces involving gore and body horror that stick with players. The Glutton boss, who vomits acidic bile, is a gruesome highlight that is hard to forget, even in the pantheon of Silent Hill creatures and bosses. These moments complement the game’s focus on pregnancy and motherhood that run through the experience.

Silent Hill 3 also introduced the unsettling mascot character Robbie the Rabbit. His twisted smile and blood-spattered appearance encapsulate the game’s blend of cute and disturbing. Robbie would become a recurring presence in later Silent Hill media.

While not as groundbreaking as earlier entries, Silent Hill 3 provides closure to the story of the first game and Alessa. It retains the compelling horror and psychological themes the series is known for. The repulsive imagery sticks in players’ minds even years later. Silent Hill 3 stands as one of the scariest and most impactful sequels in survival horror history.

2) Silent Hill

as any horror fan will know, the original Silent Hill, released in 1999 for PlayStation, was a landmark title that redefined genre in video games. Developed by Team Silent, Silent Hill immersed players in an unsettling small town shrouded in fog, creating an instantly iconic atmosphere that instilled a creeping sense of dread.

The limited draw distances caused by PS1 hardware limitations were embraced by the developers, who used fog to obscure threats and stimulate players’ imaginations about what horrors could lurk just out of sight. This made the disturbing environments like the blood-stained Alchemilla Hospital and dark elementary school even more terrifying.

Silent Hill also stood out through its complex, flawed characters like widower Harry Mason searching for his lost daughter. Their emotional depth and moral ambiguity were rare for video games at the time. Players experienced Harry’s desperation and confusion first-hand through the gameplay and story.

Even today, the original Silent Hill sets a high bar for psychological horror through its use of atmosphere, unnerving audio design, and mature themes. It cemented survival horror as a compelling genre for console gaming while delivering a truly frightening, emotionally impactful experience that stuck with players long after. Silent Hill’s shadow looms large over horror games to this day.

1) Silent Hill 2

Silent Hill 2 stands above its peers and even the original game as the pinnacle of psychological horror in video games and one of the best survival horror games of all time. Released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2, Silent Hill 2 masterfully blends disturbing imagery, mature themes, and compelling characters to create an experience that sticks with players long after the credits roll.

At the heart of Silent Hill 2 is its complex protagonist, James Sunderland, who journeys to the foggy ghost town after receiving a letter from his dead wife. His search for answers leads players through environments ripped from a nightmare, like the bloodstained Brookhaven Hospital and the rusted halls of the Historical Society. The disturbing creature designs perfectly complement the game’s pervasive sense of dread and despair.

Silent Hill 2 was groundbreaking for the survival horror genre, with multiple endings based on player actions and an adaptive game world. The mature storytelling and themes of grief, guilt and inner turmoil were exceptionally bold for video games at the time. These elements combine to create an unforgettable descent into darkness that is terrifying on a psychological and emotional level.

While later Silent Hill games brought fresh ideas to the table, none matched the complete package delivered by Silent Hill 2. Its masterful use of atmosphere, story, and symbolism make it the standard-bearer for intelligent horror in gaming. Two decades later, Silent Hill 2 remains the apex of the iconic franchise, a true work of video game art capable of chilling players to their core. It is survival horror at its finest.

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