The Silent Hill series is known for its atmospheric horror, intricate stories, and deep psychological themes. But the franchise can be complex to navigate. With nine main entries and a timeline that jumps around quite a bit, orienting oneself in the town’s macabre happenings can be a dizzying ordeal. While fans can initially look to release order, occurrences in Silent Hill don’t always follow a predictable pattern. There have been prequels and separate universes with Silent Hill, and sometimes games are released with decade-long gaps between chronology. And that’s before the debates between fans or even some of the series’ developers themselves.
Silent Hill has been a staple in gaming’s horror genre since its inception in 1999. Over the years, the series has expanded with several games, films, and other media, but it doesn’t follow a linear narrative. Just within the games themselves, there’s contention over the Silent HIll timeline and dates. While some entries connect, many Silent Hill games focus on one-off stories that incorporate the titular terror town as a setting. On top of this, most titles are intentionally vague about exactly when specific events are taking place. Because of that, it’s worth knowing a little about when each game was released and where it falls within the franchise’s timeline.
Silent Hill timeline in release order
Silent Hill (1999) – PlayStation
This is where the franchise started, introducing players to the mysterious town of Silent Hill and its fog-covered streets. The story revolves around Harry Mason, a father searching for his daughter after a mysterious car crash.
Silent Hill 2 (2001) – PlayStation 2
Although not a direct sequel in terms of story, Silent Hill 2 is one of the most critically acclaimed entries in the series. Players enter the shoes of James Sunderland, who visits the town after he receives a letter from his dead wife.
Silent Hill 3 (2003) – PlayStation 2
Silent Hill 3 is a direct sequel to the original Silent Hill, focusing on Harry Mason’s daughter, Heather. When odd occurrences and nightmares plague the young woman, she resolves to visit Silent Hill and learn more about her past.
Silent Hill 4: The Room (2004) – PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC
While this title takes place in Ashfield rather than Silent Hill, it retains the franchise’s horrific tone. Protagonist Henry Townshend finds himself trapped in his apartment, with mysterious portals leading to alternate realities and a lurking serial killer.
Silent Hill: The Arcade (2007) – Arcade cabinet
Silent Hill: The Arcade is an arcade rail shooter that never officially made its way to consoles or PC. While there are probably plenty of fans who missed the entry entirely, the plot revolves around a group of college students and Silent Hill’s popular Toluca Lake
Silent Hill: Origins (2007) – PSP, later on PlayStation 2
A prequel to the original game, Silent Hill: Origins explores the source of the town’s evil forces. Players control Travis Grady, a truck driver who becomes embroiled in Silent Hill’s darkest secret.
Silent Hill: Orphan (2007) – Mobile
An episodic mobile experience, Silent Hill: Orphan or Silent Hill: Mobile, puts players in control of three separate characters. Each finds themself exploring the abandoned Sheppard’s Orphanage, where they were the only survivors of a massacre that occurred three decades prior.
Silent Hill: The Escape (2007) – Mobile, later on iOS
This game doesn’t have much in the way of story, but it offers players another Silent Hill experience on the go. Players used gyroscopic and gesture controls to fight off horrors and escape each stage.
Silent Hill: Orphan 2 (2008) – Mobile
This sequel kept a lot from the original Orphan, again featuring multiple playable characters and continuing the narrative of Sheppard’s Orphanage.
Silent Hill: Homecoming (2008) – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
When soldier Alex Shepherd returns home to Shepherd’s Glen, he finds his town and family in chaos. He ventures to the nearby town of Silent Hill in search of his missing father and brother.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (2009) – Wii, later on PlayStation 2, PSP
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories reimagines the original Silent Hill with a complete overhaul of gameplay and story elements. Players once again control Harry Mason, who’s searching for his daughter.
Silent Hill: Orphan 3 (2010) – Mobile
The final installment in the mobile Orphan trilogy, this title concludes the lingering story while maintaining a similar experience as the previous two entries. Players discover the truth behind the orphanage’s mass murder.
Silent Hill: Downpour (2012) – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Murphy Pendleton, a convict, finds himself stranded in Silent Hill after his prison transport crashes. As Murphy heads deeper into town, his dodgy past is revealed to players.
Silent Hill: Book of Memories (2012) – PlayStation Vita
Silent Hill: Book of Memories is a top-down dungeon crawler in perhaps the most significant departure from franchise norms. Players control a created character and must navigate horrors after receiving a book that eerily details their lives.
Silent Hill timeline in chronological order
Silent Hill: Origins (1976)
As the title suggests, this prequel takes players back to the events preceding the original game. Players learn more about Silent Hill’s cult and its ghastly ritual, directly leading to the events in Silent Hill.
Silent Hill 2 (late 70s, early 80s, or 1993)
Depending on who you ask, Silent Hill 2 either occurs in the late ’70s, early ’80s, or 1993. While Silent Hill: Homecoming notes 1993 specifically for James’ ordeal, developers have since commented that the game was set sometime between the late 70s and before the 90s. That said, some fans have raised issue with the older date, as James’ use of certain technologies (like camcorders) imply the game occurs later than the devs have noted.
Silent Hill (1983)
Following Silent Hill: Origins’ botched ritual and Travis’ involvement in its aftermath, the town calls back Cheryl, Harry Mason’s adopted daughter, seven years later. His search for her canonically culminates with him escaping the town with another adopted daughter, Heather.
Silent Hill: The Arcade (1993)
Though this entry might reside in relative obscurity due to the fact that it was only ever officially released as an arcade experience, there is some canon lore within The Arcade. Namely, the plot focuses on the ever-popular Silent Hill locale, Toluca Lake.
Silent Hill 3 (2000)
Silent Hill 3 acts as a direct sequel to the original game, though it comes much later in the timeline. It focuses on Heather, who is revealed to be a reincarnation of Cheryl/Alessa, the focus of the original Silent Hill. This title effectively acts as a bookend for the franchise’s first major arc, revolving around Silent Hill’s cult trying to summon an evil entity into the physical world. Silent Hill: Homecoming posits that this title is set in 2000 on the franchise’s timeline.
Silent Hill 4: The Room (2001)
The events in Silent Hill 4: The Room occur shortly after Silent Hill 3 on the timeline, though unrelated in story content. Silent Hill: Homecoming pins the events as happening throughout 2001, which makes sense given the game’s more urban and modern aesthetic.
Silent Hill: Downpour (2004 or early 2000s)
Silent Hill: Downpour might be the most challenging title to fit into a franchise timeline, as it offers almost no clues to its chronology. Common speculation typically ties the title to 2004 or another date in the early 2000s. Fans have drawn these conclusions after studying calendars and other in-game materials.
Silent Hill: Homecoming (2007)
While not explicitly tied to events in previous titles, Homecoming is believed to have occurred sometime between 2007 and 2008 in the Silent HIll timeline. This date comes from Alex’s diary, which itself has proven a little controversial among the fanbase. Some see the lore and the dates it provides as a retcon to earlier info from the franchise. But, it’s some of the only dates the series offers fans to work with.
Silent Hill: Book of Memories (2010)
This title doesn’t necessarily fit into the chronological events of the series, serving more as a spin-off with its unique gameplay and story approach. That said, the game dates to 2010 via in-game notes and calendars.
Alternate timelines and one-offs
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (2008)
Although Shattered Memories is a reimagining of the original game, if one had to place it in the Silent HIll timeline, it would be entirely separate. The game exists in an alternate reality to the original, set much later in 2008, and changes key plot elements.
Silent Hill: Orphan 1-3 (?)
While on the surface, there may seem to be some connections to mainline Silent Hill games, the Orphan series is unrelated to the main canon. Despite characters named Alessa and an ominous orphanage as the backdrop, neither turns out to have any relation to previous or contemporary Silent Hill lore.
Silent Hill: The Escape (?)
Considering this title had next to no narrative and solely existed as a gameplay proof of concept, it’s nearly impossible to fit it into the traditional Silent Hill canon.
Published: Oct 8, 2023 01:30 pm