Silent Hill has also seen a rise in sales, totalling up to 14 million units. This marks a growth in sales by a million, since Konami had previously confirmed 13 million units sold for the franchise back in October. These sales were likely helped by the critical acclaim seen by Silent Hill f, alongside anticipation for future games in the horror series.

Other console game franchises listed by Konami include Pawafuru Puroyakyu, which has sold 26.3 million, Yu-Gi-Oh!, which has sold 32.5 million, and Momotaru Dentetsu, which sits at 19.9 million. Free-to-play mobile games Jikkyu Pawafuru Puroyakyu and Professional Baseball Spirits A (Ace) have been downloaded 53 million and 66 million times, respectively. Titles available on consoles and mobiles have also been listed; eFootball sits at 950 million downloads, while Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has been downloaded 90 million times.

The latest entry in the Metal Gear franchise has been a remake – Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Having launched in August 2025 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, the title has seen critical acclaim by veterans of the series and a new generation of gamers. You can check out more details about it in our review.

In December, series producer Noriaki Okamura spoke about this being the ideal time to have remade the seminal Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and how much respect he and director Yuji Korekado have for the original creators.

“Because the series has been around for a long time, we have a wide variety of fans,” said Korekado. “And we are conscious of being respectful to the previous games in the series. With this remake, we thought about how it would be best to bring the game to modern players, while respecting the thoughts and concepts of the original creator. However, if you reproduce the original work exactly as it is, some aspects can be difficult to play [for today’s gamers], so we adapted them.”

As for Silent Hill, the title has seen continuous support through the release of free updates. One of these, released in November, brought with it a new difficulty mode and the ability to skip more things during a New Game+ run. Writer Ryukishi07 also spoke earlier this month about why it made sense to use the fictional town of Ebisugaoka as the main setting for the game rather than its traditional setting of the eponymous Silent Hill.

“I discussed a lot of things with series producer Okamoto in a meeting after I received the request [to write Silent Hill f]” said Ryukishi07. “Like ‘Why is it set in Japan?’ and ‘What exactly is Silent Hill?’ In the end, we came to the conclusion that Silent Hill is not just the name of a place; it is a phenomenon. Looking back, I think I was able to create a pretty satisfying base for the story and world from this.”

For more on Silent Hill f, check out our review. It is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

“I discussed a lot of things with series producer Okamoto in a meeting after I received the request [to write Silent Hill f,]” said Ryukishi07. “Like ‘Why is it set in Japan?’ and ‘What exactly is Silent Hill?’ In the end, we came to the conclusion that Silent Hill is not just the name of a place; it is a phenomenon. Looking back, I think I was able to create a pretty satisfying base for the story and world from this.”

It is worth noting that, while older Silent Hill games are largely supposed to be set in the same American town, there have been exceptions. Silent Hill 4: The Room, for instance, has players spend quite a bit of time in the titular room that isn’t in the town. Similarly, Silent Hill: Homecoming and Silent Hill: Downpour were both also set in separate locations that only had tenuous connections to the eponymous town.

Interestingly, among the more recent releases, Silent Hill: The Short Message is the first one to truly address the idea that, rather than the geographical location of the titular town, Silent Hill is instead more of a phenomenon. As you can check out in our review of the title, we discussed how it opens up the door to have games in the Silent Hill franchise that don’t really take place in the town, but instead focus more on the series’ overarching themes and style of horror.

The latest entry, Silent Hill f, takes place in the fictional Japanese town of Ebisugaoka, and revolves around the trials and tribulations of Shimizu Hinako. It is set in the 1960s and explores themes related to the expectations surrounding women in that era, especially regarding family members and friends.

Director Al Yang spoke about how the town was created thanks to discussions taking place between Konami and Ryukishi07, and how developer NeoBards Entertainment’s pitch to Konami included assurances that “the story would undoubtedly feel like a ‘Ryukishi07 work’”.

Lead level designer Kaiyu Chang also spoke about working on the script and how the story resonated strongly with her, thanks to its overarching themes. “I first read the initial draft of the script a few years ago,” she said. “At the time, I was pregnant, which made the story’s depiction of the expectations and constraints placed on women by traditional society resonate with me even more deeply. Many scenes struck a strong emotional chord.”

Silent Hill f is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Check out our review for more details.

While he didn’t go into too many details about what we can expect going forward, Okamoto noted that Konami wants to release a new game—both announced and unannounced—every year.

“Following the release of Silent Hill 2 in October 2024, we were able to deliver Silent Hill f ​​in September 2025, and the Silent Hill series is now back on track,” said Okamoto (via Google Translate). “We aim to release about one title per year, including both announced and unannounced titles. We’re not sure how far we can achieve this, but we’ll do our best as the producer of the Silent Hill series. Ideally, we’d like to keep the buzz around Silent Hill constant.”

Konami kickstarted this just a few years ago when it announced three new titles in the series—Silent Hill 2’s remake, Silent Hill f, and Silent Hill: Townfall. While the first two launched to wide critical acclaim, the third has received little by way of marketing so far. However, a recent leak had indicated that Silent Hill: Townfall will be coming out on March 26, 2026, which would further fall in line with Konami’s plans for a new Silent Hill game every year.

Back in October, Okamoto had noted that the three titles were announced at around the same time in 2022, so that Konami could affirm its commitment to bringing the classic horror franchise back. He said that the company wanted fans to “feel how serious we were about reviving the series.”

“Three years ago, in 2022, we announced three titles: Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill f, and Silent Hill: Townfall,” wrote Okamoto. “We didn’t want to just announce a single remake to ‘test the waters.’ We wanted people to feel how serious we were about reviving the series. Developing a remake and a new title simultaneously naturally involves risks, but we wanted to convey our commitment first and foremost.”

With Silent Hill: Townfall‘s rumoured release happening in just a few months, the future of the series is also being further expanded with developer Bloober Team once again taking on its past, this time around with a remake of the original Silent Hill. The studio, having previously worked on the Silent Hill 2 remake, confirmed that development on a remake of the original had begun all the way back in October.

In the meantime, check out our review of Silent Hill f. The title is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

As for the town itself, lead level designer Kaiyu Chang spoke about her experience with reading the initial draft of the game’s main script, and how the story at the time strongly resonated with her owing to the themes of constraints placed on women in society as well as the expectations that arise from this.

“I first read the initial draft of the script a few years ago,” she said. “At the time, I was pregnant, which made the story’s depiction of the expectations and constraints placed on women by traditional society resonate with me even more deeply. Many scenes struck a strong emotional chord.” While changes were eventually made to the story, “the core essence of the story never changed.” Rather, she noted that “we made a number of adjustments to its presentation.”

This is because “many of the locations in Silent Hill f did not exist initially and were carefully selected to enhance not only the script, but also the atmosphere and world of the game” Yang continued. “An example of this is the school, which was initially proposed by the team at NeoBards, and then discussed carefully with Konami and Ryukishi07.”

Even locations that would go on to be as important in the full game, like the house of protagonist Hinako, was originally envisioned as “simply a labyrinth with an otherworldly atmosphere,” according to Chang. The house would go on to become much vital to the story of Silent Hill f, being the location where Hinako would discover many secrets about her family.

“Later, we introduced the element of ‘memory,’ added multiple timelines, and allowed the space to shift depending on the route and ending,” she explained. “Throughout this process, Ryukishi07 continuously wrote new text and lore to support gameplay needs. After countless rounds of discussion and refinement, the in-game version you see today finally took shape.”

Since the release of Silent Hill f back in September, quite a few new details about the horror title have been released through interviews of the cast and crew that worked on it. Back in October, voice actor Konatsu Kato spoke about her experiences in portraying Hinako, and how she often felt like she was losing grip on her own sanity as part of this portrayal. This, she said, came down to the game having many story branches, which would then cause her to lose herself in her role. Things especially started feeling strange, she recounted, when Hinako started having conversations with herself.

Silent Hill f is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more details, check out our review.

The new difficulty added to Silent Hill f is Casual mode, which makes the survival horror title even easier than the Story mode available in the game before the update. Casual mode can be used to start a new playthrough, as well as in the midst of a playthrough if players are already on Story difficulty or higher through the Game Over screen.

Players on a New Game+ run will now have the option to skip sections of the title after solving the mural puzzle and completing the “Go through the door” objective. The option presents itself at that point, and picking it allows players to skip directly to the part of Silent Hill f where protagonist Hinako wakes up at the corridor of the Dark Shrine for the second time. It is worth noting that skipping the interim gameplay section also means that players won’t get items that they would have picked up in the part. Achievements/Trophies like “Thankful to Be Here”, “Grateful for a Worthy Foe” and “Clear Skies” also can’t be earned.

Silent Hill f is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more details, check out our review. Also check out the full patch notes below.

Silent Hill f patch notes:

New Features

Added Action Difficulty: Casual

• The Casual action difficulty will be playable when starting a game from “New Game” on the main menu or from a New Game+ save file.
• For players on the Story action difficulty or higher, the Casual action difficulty will be selectable upon reaching the Game Over screen multiple times.

Added Optional Skip Feature for Select Sections of New Game+

• Upon completing the “Go through the door” objective after solving the mural puzzle on New Game+, the game will display the option to skip. The game will resume at the scene where Hinako awakens at the corridor of the Dark Shrine for the second time with the “Proceed” objective if skipped.
• Items from the skipped sections will not be collected.
• “Thankful to Be Here,” “Grateful for a Worthy Foe,” and “Clear Skies” do not unlock on a playthrough that uses the skip feature.
• The skip feature does not impact branching paths or endings.

Added Motion Blur option to the Graphics menu (Console)

System Changes

• Hinako’s stamina replenishes slightly faster
• Unskippable combat encounters are reduced across multiple sections
• Fewer enemies are placed across multiple sections
• Hinako’s line when an enemy is defeated plays at a slightly later time
• Hinako takes slightly less damage on the Hard action difficulty

Bug Fixes

• Fixed bug where Shu duplicates in the cutscene that plays when heading from Sennensugi Shrine to Rinko’s house during the “Head to Rinko’s house” objective
• Fixed bug where interaction icons do not display on the hall leading to the room with the naginata during the “Enter the inner room” objective
• Fixed bug where the Sakuko-like entity stops moving in combat during the “Defeat the Sakuko-like entity” objective
• Fixed bug where the Fog Monster stops moving and halts progress during the “Chase after the Fog Monster” objective
• Fixed bugs across multiple levels where events do not progress despite meeting the required conditions
• Fixed bugs across multiple levels where specific enemies remain outside of the combat area and cannot be defeated
• Fixed bugs across multiple levels where clumps of flesh do not spawn
• Fixed bug where some notes from “Sakuko’s Diary” could not be obtained on New Game+
• Fixed bug where Hinako may become unresponsive to player input after dodging
• Fixed bug where Hinako dies upon loading an autosave file if Hinako died during an autosave
• Fixed bug where the “View Endings” option does not display on the title screen after finishing the first playthrough (may require loading New Game+ data to fix)
• Fixed bug where Indirect Lighting and Reflections revert to On during cutscenes even when set to Off in the Graphics menu
• Fixed bug where the cursor moves without player input when playing on the controller
• Various other minor bugs have been fixed, including bugs related to audio, hitboxes, text errors, loading, and graphics.

The Silent Hill franchise has similarly seen a rise in sales, coming in at 13 million copies sold since the franchise first made its debut back in March 1999. This marks a 1.3 million rise in sales since the end of June. The sales of both Metal Gear and Silent Hill franchises were likely buoyed by the release of newer titles in their respective series – Silent Hill 2’s remake, Silent Hill f and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.

Interestingly, the largest spike in the update figures comes from digital trading card game Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, which now sits at 80 million – 10 million higher in cumulative sales and downloads when compared to March 2025.

Aside from Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel and the eFootball series – currently at 900 million in cumulative sales and downloads – Metal Gear is currently the best-selling franchise for the company. Konami has also noted earlier this month that it remains committed to the Silent Hill franchise as well.

The statement came from series producer Motoi Okamoto, who revealed that Konami announced three projects simultaneously – Silent Hill 2 remake, Silent Hill f and Silent Hill: Townfall – to show how committed it was to bringing the franchise back into the mainstream.

“Three years ago, in 2022, we announced three titles: Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill f, and Silent Hill: Townfall,” wrote Okamoto on social media. “We didn’t want to just announce a single remake to ‘test the waters.’ We wanted people to feel how serious we were about reviving the series. Developing a remake and a new title simultaneously naturally involves risks, but we wanted to convey our commitment first and foremost.”

“Only when a new game is announced can the future of a series be seen,” he continued. “Users won’t feel motivated to engage with an IP unless they can sense it has a future. If the company takes a wait-and-see approach, so will the players. The company needs to show how serious it is so that users can get genuinely excited. I think that’s only fair.”

Silent Hill f is the most recent title to have been published by Konami. Developed by NeoBards and featuring writing by Ryukishi07, the title has seen an incredibly positive response from fans of the Silent Hill franchise as well as fans of the overall horror genre.

Konami had also confirmed that last year’s Silent Hill 2 remake had sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide, helping the franchise cross the 10 million units milestone. This indicates that Silent Hill f has likely sold somewhere around 2 million copies since its release earlier this month. For more details, check out our review of Silent Hill f.

Developed by NeoBards Entertainment with a story by Ryukishi07 and creature designs by kera, the story is set in Ebisugaoka, a fictitious Japanese province in the 1960s. Players control Shimizu Hinako, a high school student who’s dragged into the Otherworld by the series’ traditional fog, and finds herself caught up in supernatural circumstances.

Without delving into too many spoilers, Silent Hill f pushes the envelope with regards to brutal subject matter (which you can learn more about here). However, the survival horror has received praise for its storytelling, exploration, and characters. Check out our review for more details and why you should commit to a few New Game Plus playthroughs for the full story.

He noted that, while Konami could have simply gone with an approach that would allow it to “test the waters” for Silent Hill returning with a single release or remake, this wasn’t what the company wanted to do. Rather, Konami has been quite serious about reviving the franchise, which in turn would involve both a remake as well as a new entry in the series.

“Three years ago, in 2022, we announced three titles: Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill f, and Silent Hill: Townfall,” wrote Okamoto. “We didn’t want to just announce a single remake to ‘test the waters.’ We wanted people to feel how serious we were about reviving the series. Developing a remake and a new title simultaneously naturally involves risks, but we wanted to convey our commitment first and foremost.”

The risky move has quite clearly paid off for Konami, with both Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 remake, as well as NeoBards’ Silent Hill f seeing quite a bit of critical and commercial success. He noted that players not already familiar with the series wouldn’t have engaged with a new entry as deeply if they didn’t think that there was a future for the series.

“Only when a new game is announced can the future of a series be seen,” he wrote. “Users won’t feel motivated to engage with an IP unless they can sense it has a future. If the company takes a wait-and-see approach, so will the players. The company needs to show how serious it is so that users can get genuinely excited. I think that’s only fair.”

Konami recently announced that the Silent Hill 2 remake from last year had sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide. This, in turn, has helped the overall Silent Hill series hit a new sales milestone of over 10 million units. The most recent entry in the franchise was Silent Hill f which came out just last month. Developed by NeoBards and featuring writing by Ryukishi07, the title has been described quite positively by fans of the horror genre.

Earlier this month, voice actor Konatsu Kato – who plays Silent Hill f protagonist Hinako Shimizu – spoke about her time in the recording booth, as well as how she was emotionally affected by the writing and performance. While noting that the recording started off “smoothly,” Kato then revealed that she started asking herself questions, especially when it came time to having recording with her own character.

“Since I was playing Hinako, and the other actor was also playing Hinako, I’d get confused about who I was—both in the role and in reality,” she explained. “There were times back then when tears would just come out even though I wasn’t thinking about anything. The confusion grew in proportion to the “time spent facing each other,” so I remember having days when I felt like I might lose my mind.”

For more details about the recent entries in the Silent Hill franchise, check out our reviews of Silent Hill 2’s remake and Silent Hill f. In the meantime, Bloober Team has confirmed that it has begun working on a remake of the original Silent Hill.

After describing her initial recording as going quite “smoothly”, Kato noted that the role starting being more psychologically demanding as the story went on. Since she also had to record a few scenes various times with different tones and emotions, Kato also started asking more questions.

“But as recording progressed, the story branches gradually increased,” she said (translation via DeepL) “While recording various developments, I’d think, “This is a similar scene to before, but the words and emotions are different… ‘Huh… where am I? What is Hinako doing right now?’”

This also came to a head when she had to record lines where Hinako was having a conversation with another version of Hinako.

“Since I was playing Hinako, and the other actor was also playing Hinako, I’d get confused about who I was—both in the role and in reality,” she explained. “There were times back then when tears would just come out even though I wasn’t thinking about anything. The confusion grew in proportion to the “time spent facing each other,” so I remember having days when I felt like I might lose my mind.”

Kato has also admitted in the interview that she hadn’t really played any Silent Hill games before, and that she isn’t generally “good with horror”, since she believes in ghosts. “First, I thought, ‘Why me…?’” she said about when she was cast in the role of Hinako. “Then, ‘I’m going to be plunged into a terrifying world…’ This might sound negative when I say it, but please take it positively? …It weighed heavily on me.”

The whole experience ultimately led to Kato not really remembering how much she was truly involved with the story of Silent Hill f. The psychological toll of playing Hinako led Kato to suppress quite a few of her memories of having worked on the horror game, with her stating that “I can only recall fragmented parts, like the voice recording sessions. Even what I’ve talked about today is something I’ve squeezed out of those memory fragments.”

Silent Hill f has proven to be quite successful for publisher Konami and developer Neobards Entertainment. The positive critical reception of the horror game led to series producer Motoi Okamoto celebrating the game’s reception, as well as the involvement of writer Ryukishi07 in the narrative of the title.

“I’m thrilled that [Silent Hill f] received a Metascore of 86, tying with the Silent Hill 2 remake,” wrote Okamoto on X (translated via Grok). “With Japan as the setting, Mr. Ryukishi07 handling the scenario, and a combat-focused game design, I had a feeling it might divide opinions given all the challenging elements, but I’m truly grateful for such high praise.”

Silent Hill f is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For more details, check out our review. And check out our thoughts on why New Game+ and further runs through the campaign are important.

When you consider that the publisher’s other big release of the year, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, sold over one million units in its first day, the true significance of Silent Hill f’s success becomes clearer. After all, Delta: Snake Eater was handled mostly by Konami (with assistance from Virtuos) and not only had the benefit of years of rumors and hype, but also being based on one of the greatest games of all time.

By comparison, Silent Hill f is a lot more experimental. It bears the Silent Hill name like an omen, but this is an original story with no direct connections to previous titles. The fictional setting of Ebisugaoka is rooted in 1960s Japan, marking the first time that a mainline Silent Hill has really transitioned away from the legendary town.

Then you have the developer, NeoBards Entertainment. You know, the studio behind such quote-unquote multiplayer hits as Resident Evil Re:Verse and Resident Evil Resistance, both panned and shut down relatively quickly. Trying to create a rudimentary multiplayer mode that isn’t Outbreak for Resident Evil of all things is no easy task, and they did work on the much better-received Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, so credit where it’s due.

The point is that they were relatively untested in leading such a project. Even Bloober Team had some experience in the horror genre, quality of output notwithstanding. Then it was revealed that there would be – gasp – Soulslike elements such as a stamina bar, melee combat, and stat upgrades. Unforgivable, truly, even when the developer came out and clarified that these aren’t exclusively Soulslike elements.

Then the reviews started trickling in, and a large number of critics actually praised it. An 86 on Metacritic, based on 84 reviews at this time, is pretty good. On SteamDB, it peaked at 22,621 concurrent players shortly after launch, which is all the more impressive considering Silent Hill 2 remake hit 23,676 in its lifetime. Naturally, there are the qualms against performance, resulting in a “Mostly Positive” rating (though it’s currently not overwhelming), and the combat isn’t for everyone (which even applies to the critics).

And yet, Silent Hill f has made a pretty impressive impact, becoming one of the higher-rated titles in the franchise and standing out in a year that’s full of incredible releases. The real question is: Why?

Even if it didn’t receive the same level of marketing as Silent Hill 2 remake or Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, it still benefited from the positive momentum of the former. You could call it a testament to the popularity of the Silent Hill franchise, despite years of dormancy, but newcomers can dive into the remake without much knowledge of the franchise. The fact that NeoBards opted for a brand new story made its title even more compelling for new players, especially those who enjoyed the remake.

As for the hardcore, Silent Hill f showcases that Konami is willing to go outside of its comfort zone and explore new horror-filled horizons. I’m not referring simply to the combat, but more so to bringing in the likes of Ryukishi07 to pen the narrative and kera to create the monsters. And though Akira Yamaoka is on board as composer, there are several other lesser-known names to the franchise, like Kensuke Inage, dai and xaki (though the latter two have worked with Ryukishi07 on Higurashi and Umineko).

The result is a Silent Hill that looks and sounds so unique while still channeling everything that makes the franchise so unnerving. The monstrosities contained within Ebisugaoka and the Otherworld are unlike anything seen in horror in general. One of many reasons why kera’s work is so well-regarded is that it dances between grotesque, beautiful, and downright ambiguous. You can’t help but admire the stellar designs while trying to keep your mind from wandering into their deeper, more disturbing nuances.

Ryukishi07 also has more than his fair share of fans – Higurashi no Noko Koro Ni, both the visual novel and anime, are pretty well known worldwide, and Umineko is considered one of his finest works. Perhaps the most hyped part about Silent Hill f’s announcement is confirmation of his involvement. I wouldn’t be surprised if curiosity played a huge part in the interest, if only to see what messed-up new tale he has to offer (and it is indeed quite messed up).

I’ve spoken about how the overwhelming theme of powerlessness and rebellion contributes to the survival horror, especially given protagonist Hinako’s situation. That oppressive feeling never really goes away, whether it’s because of the music or the overall direction of the narrative. There’s also a distinct fear of the unknown, and that even when we learn more about what’s really going on – Ebisugaoka’s secrets, Fox Mask’s role, and so on – it only drags us deeper into the abyss. The tagline “beauty in terror, terror from beauty” applies perfectly, considering what Hinako goes through, and it’s something that the writing, art direction, and music reinforce throughout.

I’m also a big fan of how the gore is handled in some scenes. Silent Hill f could very well show everything – and there’s still quite a bit of disturbing material to witness first-hand – but many places show surprising restraint. Instead, you hear it; you see Hinako’s body language. The implication of what’s really happening creates a much more terrifying picture in your mind – an old trick, but one that still works.

When you look back on the history of big-name Japanese psychological horror franchises, the number of games with follow-ups is surprisingly low. Siren remains dormant, with Sony renewing the IP every so often to celebrate its anniversary. Fatal Frame has received remasters, and will finally delve into remake territory with next year’s Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly. While Resident Evil continues to see success, its latest offerings have been more action-focused (though Village packed more than a few psychological frights).

It’s rather telling that some of the more recently notable psychological horror games out of Japan have been Chilla’s Art titles (The Bathhouse and The Closing Shift) and Kotake Create’s Exit 8 and Platform 8. Japanese horror is a genre which has been rather hit or miss since its boom period, defined by the likes of Ringu and Ju-on. Nevertheless, the fascination with Japanese folklore and spirits alongside the utter helplessness in the face of overwhelming supernatural elements that are never fully understood is one that’s as relevant as ever. Maybe not on the same level of popularity as the good old days, but still.

Silent Hill f feels like a throwback to the heyday of Japanese horror – of delving into that unknown, downright terrified but unable to look away – even if its gameplay is more contemporary by comparison. As much as Konami wants to experiment with the franchise in other new ways with future titles, what it and NeoBards have created is something that we desperately need more of in the triple-A space. If nothing else, this reinforces that the publisher should never have left it to begin.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.