Silent Hill was once the most terrifying horror franchise to grace gaming marketplaces. Its heyday has long since passed, but the greatest entries still hold up. Silent Hill 2, in particular , gets singled out as one of the greatest games ever made, regardless of genre.
To celebrate the series, and perhaps mourn a bit as well, the following list will rank all the games in the series based on their length as recorded by howlongtobeat.com. One thing to remember when going through this list - long length does not necessarily amount to a quality title. A short and sweet experience can be enjoyed dozens of times over, while a twenty-hour mediocre game is played once and immediately forgotten.
10 Best Silent Hill Monsters Ever, Ranked
The monsters in Silent Hill are terrifying, grotesque, and above all, intelligently designed in terms of what they symbolize.
Updated October 13, 2024, by Jason Wojnar: When this article was originally published, it felt like Silent Hill would never come back. The impossible has happened, and Silent Hill is once again in the gaming spotlight with a remake of Silent Hill 2. Other projects are also on the horizon, so here's hoping the Silent Hill renaissance continues. Because of the new games, it was only appropriate to return to this list and see where Silent Hill 2 sits. It is also important not to forget The Short Message, a free game that was shadowdropped earlier this year .
16 Silent Hill: The Arcade
One Hour
- Release: July 25, 2007
- Developer: Konami Digital Entertainment
- Platforms: Arcade
Being an on-rails shooter, one shouldn't expect this arcade spinoff to last longer than most others in the genre. While the style has its place in the arcades, reviews at the time weren't kind to it, calling it unnecessary and decrying how it feels nothing like a traditional Silent Hill. There are plenty of intense light-gun games themed around horror games to play instead, like Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles and House of the Dead.
15 P.T.
90 Minutes
P.T.
- Released
- August 12, 2014
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Publisher(s)
- Konami
- Platform(s)
- PS4
While not a full-length title, P.T. Was an interactive demo for the ultimately doomed Silent Hills from horror director Guillermo del Toro and Hideo Kojima. The enigmatic puzzles can be solved quickly if one knows what to do, but people are still unsure exactly how the final puzzle is solved. Despite it only being a demo, the playable teaser had a huge impact on the industry, and disappointment rippled through fans when the project was cancelled.
14 Silent Hill: The Short Message
Two Hours
Silent Hill: The Short Message
Everyone loves free stuff, so it was not hard to convince people to download and play through Silent Hill: The Short Message. This game was the first new Silent Hill content in a long time. The bite-sized experience felt like Konami was trying to tell gamers that it understands what Silent Hill is about. The game deals with psychological trauma and guilt, two major themes of most Silent Hill games. Even if one does not like the game, it only takes two hours to complete, so there's little harm in it.
The game comes with a content warning that it deals with self-harm and suicide.
13 Play Novel: Silent Hill
Two Hours
- Release: March 21, 2001
- Developer: Will Corporation
- Platforms: Game Boy Advance
This Game Boy Advance title is an adaptation of the first game's story in visual novel form. It only came out in Japan, though fan translations exist. The only real gameplay comes in the form of decision making, taking away the tension and fear added to the macabre story through combat. It is the perfect way to experience the game for those too scared to play the original PS1 classic. This is not a unique idea for Konami. After this game the Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel came out on PSP.
12 Silent Hill: Orphan 2
Two Hours
- Release: 2008
- Developer: Gamefederation Studio
- Platforms: Mobile
The series wasn't only available on consoles. Mobile platforms got in on the action too. Instead of being third-person survival horror titles, these games put players in a first-person perspective and employ point-and-click controls more manageable for cell phones. Oddly enough, the sequel comes in at only about half as long as the first entry. All the same, two hours is plenty for a mobile experience, especially one centered around narrative.
11 Silent Hill: Orphan
Four Hours
Silent Hill: Orphan
The first entry in the mobile series came out in 2007, long before gaming on phones was en vogue. Given the nature of the platform, the titles are nearly impossible to play these days. It is odd to think about games being inaccessible, but it isn't the only game with the same problem. P.T. Is also only available on the hard drives of people who never deleted it. While the full game never became a reality, its influence is felt in modern horror games.
10 Silent Hill 3
Six Hours
Silent Hill 3
The sequel to Silent Hill 2 is often overshadowed by its predecessor, but it is fantastic in its own right. Fans of the series will at least get a satisfactory experience even if it is not as intense or emotionally charged as the second game.
The combat makes several subtle improvements and the graphics were leaps and bounds ahead of its time. The facial animations are particularly gorgeous. Its story isn't the same personal gut-punch of the 2001 classic, though.
9 Silent Hill: Origins
Six Hours
Silent Hill: Origins
- Released
- November 6, 2007
- Publisher(s)
- Konami
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
The prequel to the first game came out on the PSP in 2007. Going back to the past and having a direct relation to the first entry was a neat idea, but development problems led to a less than stellar product.
Sony's first handheld console had numerous problems translating popular franchises to its format, and Silent Hill: Origins was yet another victim of the transition. The PSP maybe is not the ideal console for a horror game, but it is commendable to know one can take the frights on the go.
8 Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Seven Hours
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Shattered Memories takes enough liberties with the first game's story to feel more like a reimagining than a straightforward remake. The gameplay also puts an interesting twist on the formula, dividing the action with questions and tests in a doctor's office whose results impact the following chapter. The game takes advantage of the Wii's unique capabilities, but the PS2 version still provides the neccessary scares and tension.
7 Silent Hill
Seven Hours
Silent Hill
The one that started it all distinguished itself from other survival horror games by featuring full three-dimensional graphics and a moving camera. Doing this was an impressive feat on the humble PS1.
5 Best PS1 Horror Games That Never Came To America
Some PlayStation horror games were never released outside of Japan. Here are the best that never came to America.
The game stemmed from Konami's wish to craft a game with the potential to become a hit in the West. Knowing this makes it ironic to find out that the series' downward trajectory started when western developers took over the franchise.