The newest entry in the Silent Hill series, Silent Hill: Townfall, launches on 24 September 2026 for PS5 and PC. It is immediately set apart from the rest of the series as the first full-length Silent Hill played entirely in first person, set on the island of St. Amelia in Scotland, 1996.
To run it you need a minimum of an RTX 2060 Super or RX 6600, 16GB of RAM and Windows 11 for 1080p at 30fps on Low. The recommended RTX 3080 or RX 7800 XT with 32GB targets 4K at 30fps on High with upscaling enabled.
What is Silent Hill: Townfall?
Silent Hill: Townfall is a standalone psychological horror developed by Glasgow’s Screen Burn Interactive, formerly known as No Code, the team behind Stories Untold and Observation, which won Best British Game at the 2020 BAFTA Game Awards. It is co-published by Konami and Annapurna Interactive, directed and written by Jon McKellan, and built in Unreal Engine 5. Because it is self-contained, there is no requirement to have played any other Silent Hill game to follow the story.
The Silent Hill games typically revolve around a mysterious American town that traps people and physically manifests their deepest traumas, guilt and fears. Townfall breaks that mold. In 1996, Simon Ordell awakened on St. Amelia, a small, fog-bound island off the coast of Scotland, with few answers, an IV bag and a medical wristband bearing his name. Summoned back to “put things right”, he must piece together his connection to the town and the residents of St. Amelia.
The English cast is a notable one. Jovan Adepo, of The Odyssey, IT: Welcome to Derry and 3 Body Problem, plays Simon Ordell, with Emmy winner Terry O’Quinn as Richard, the enigmatic man who summons Simon back to St. Amelia, and Kezia Burrows as Zoe, a nurse whose voice reaches Simon through static on the CRTV.
A brief history of Silent Hill
The first game, Silent Hill, arrived in 1999 and followed writer Harry Mason as he searched for his missing adopted daughter Cheryl in a foggy American resort town. As Harry explored, the environment flickered between two realities, the Fogworld and the blood-soaked Otherworld, with an evil religious cult behind the town’s mysterious condition.
Silent Hill 2 (2001) followed James Sunderland into the same town, and established the series’ defining idea that Silent Hill manifests repressed guilt and trauma. Silent Hill 3 (2003) returned to the characters of the first game, and Silent Hill 4: The Room (2004) took a different approach again, trapping Henry Townshend in his apartment and sending him through to other worlds.
A run of Western-developed entries followed with Origins, Homecoming, Shattered Memories and Downpour, before the playable teaser P.T. appeared in 2014 and the cancellation of Silent Hills in 2015 left the series dormant for the better part of a decade.
The revival began in 2024 with The Short Message, followed by Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 remake later that year and NeoBards’ Silent Hill f in 2025. Konami’s approach has been to hand the series to several external studios, each with their own distinct creative identities rather than centralise development, and Townfall is the newest result of that strategy.
Story, setting and characters
Simon Ordell is summoned back to St. Amelia to put things right, and finds a town lying quiet beneath heavy fog, seemingly abandoned but not at rest. Exploring further, he begins uncovering fragments of a past rising to the surface.
The 1996 Scottish setting creates the perfect eerie horror atmosphere, with fog-soaked streets, abandoned communities and forgotten corners telling their story through atmosphere and history, with reality and delusion subtly mixing. More than a horror game, Screen Burn describes Silent Hill: Townfall as a tale of introspection, loss and consequence, where fear grows from small, building details and quiet moments rather than shocks and repetitive jumpscares. Silent Hill 2’s themes of guilt and acceptance were a major influence on the narrative.
Gameplay: stealth, combat and the CRTV
The CRTV is the newest and most interesting addition to the items of the Silent Hill game series. The Silent Hill games typically have the iconic radio, however in Townfall, the radio is replaced with a pocket television, and tuning it picks up unstable analogue signals that reveal nearby threats, story fragments and clues. Narrative puzzles tie directly to those fragments, letting you relive past events and glimpse everyday life in the town.
Stealth is a genuine option rather than an afterthought. You can track enemy positions from cover, lure them away with distractions and slip past danger completely. Some enemies can even stalk you down if you are slowly drawing too much attention. Every action and detail matters.
Combat is hectic when it happens. You can swing and block with melee weapons or keep your distance with firearms, and the environment itself is part of how you handle each encounter.
How Does Silent Hill: Townfall differ from the rest of the games?
Silent Hill: Townfall is the first full-length Silent Hill in first person. While Silent Hill: The Arcade (2007) and The Short Message (2024) both used first person in parts, and Silent Hill 4 switched to it inside Henry’s apartment. Townfall is the first full-length entry to use it throughout the entire game. The result is limited visibility and a more claustrophobic sense of proximity to danger, which changes how stealth, combat and exploration feel.
The setting has moved to Scotland, swapping the American resort town for a cold, isolated island.
The soundtrack is fully dynamic. Pilotpriest’s score reacts to what you and the enemies are doing, building and releasing tension with the flow of action and stealth.
There are multiple endings, shaped by how you play. Screen Burn has said there are three main endings, all of which can be reached during a first playthrough depending on how you approach the game from beginning to end.
Editions and pricing
The Standard Edition of the game at release is £44.98. Pre-ordering the game adds the Rusted CRTV cosmetic, which changes the device’s appearance.
Deluxe Edition, available for £49.99 at launch, includes the Rusted CRTV as well as 48-hour early access from 22 September, a new outfit for Simon, and a Bonus Application containing the digital artbook and soundtrack.
Both editions are digital, released on PS5, Steam and the Epic Games Store. No physical edition has been confirmed.
Early reviews
Reviews landed ahead of launch and the reception has been strong rather than universal. Metacritic’s PS5 score sits at 81 as of the 21st of September, built from roughly 78% positive and 22% mixed reviews.
Most of the praise is based on the created atmosphere and genuine fear over tacky jumpscares. GamesRadar’s review calls it unrelentingly dark and disturbing horror, with impeccable atmosphere and a distressing story of remorse and penance. Criticism has focused on the combat, the frequency of puzzles and weak in-game guidance, with several outlets noting the story and setting carry the game further than its mechanics do.
If atmosphere and narrative matter more to you than combat feel, the reviews suggest you will enjoy Silent Hill: Townfall.
Silent Hill: Townfall PC system requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |
| OS | Windows 11 64-bit | Windows 11 64-bit |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 3600 / Intel i7-8700K | AMD Ryzen 7 5700X / Intel i7-9700K |
| Memory | 16GB RAM | 32GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA RTX 2060 Super / AMD RX 6600 | NVIDIA RTX 3080 / AMD RX 7800 XT |
| DirectX | Version 12 | Version 12 |
| Storage | 75GB available space | 75GB available space |
| Target | 1080p Low, 30fps | 4K High, 30fps with upscaling on Balanced |
Console performance
Silent Hill: Townfall is a PS5 console exclusive at launch, with no Xbox version officially announced. There has been speculation about an Xbox release in 2027, but nothing has been announced by Konami or Screen Burn, so treat any date you may see as a rumour.
The best PCs for Silent Hill: Townfall
For a budget PC just over the minimum specification for the Silent Hill: Townfall, we offer RTX 3050 Gaming PCs, which should be capable of running the game on low settings. However, for a more enjoyable gaming experience, we have a wide range of systems available.
For 1080p: an RTX 5060 gaming PC or an AMD Radeon RX 9060 PC greatly clears the minimum requirement and gives headroom for higher settings than the 1080p Low target.
For 1440p and 60fps: an RTX 5070 gaming PC or Radeon RX 9070 sits above the recommended RTX 3080, which is the tier to aim for if you want to push past the developers’ 30fps target.
For 4K: an RTX 5080 gaming PC or higher gives the frame rate headroom that 4K with ray-traced lighting demands in a UE5 title.
Every system we assemble ships with Windows 11 and is rigorously tested before dispatch, so you can check the specification against the table above and know it will run. If you would rather choose the components yourself, our custom PCs can be configured around whichever resolution you prefer, or our prebuilt gaming PCs can ship the next working day if you want to be playing this week.
Best settings and tips
Use upscaling from the start: The developers’ own 4K target assumes DLSS, FSR or TSR running on Balanced, so this is expected rather than a compromise. On an RTX 40 or 50 series card, DLSS will give you the best image quality at a given frame rate.
Drop global illumination and shadows first: In Unreal Engine 5 games, these settings are almost always the heaviest. Given how much of Townfall’s atmosphere comes from fog and lighting, lowering shadow quality usually costs less visually rather than reducing volumetric effects.
Turn motion blur off: In first person with limited visibility, clarity matters more than cinematic smoothing, especially when you are tracking an enemy you can barely see.
Play with headphones, not speakers: Likewise with most horror games, audio design is central to both the fear, as well as the stealth, especially with this game, as enemy positions and CRTV signals are conveyed through sound. A decent headset is genuinely a performance upgrade in this game, and our Gear Store has headset options at every budget.
Consider frame generation if your card can support it: With both spec tiers targeting 30fps, frame generation on RTX 40 and 50 series cards could lift your gaming experience considerably. You can confirm this in the in-game menu at launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Silent Hill: Townfall come out?
Silent Hill: Townfall releases on 24 September 2026 on PS5 and PC (through Steam and the Epic Games Store). Deluxe Edition owners can play 48 hours early from 22 September.
Is Silent Hill: Townfall on Xbox?
No. At launch it is available on PS5 and PC only, and no Xbox version has been officially announced by Konami or Screen Burn.
Do I need to play the other Silent Hill games first?
No. Townfall is a full-length, self-contained story, including its own characters and setting, so no prior knowledge of the series is technically needed.
Can I run Silent Hill: Townfall on Windows 10?
No. Windows 11 64-bit is listed in both the minimum and recommended requirements, so a Windows 10 system would need upgrading.
Is Silent Hill: Townfall first person?
Silent Hill: Townfall is the first full-length Silent Hill game played entirely in first person, although The Arcade and The Short Message used first person perspective previously (in staggered sections) and Silent Hill 4 used it in Henry’s apartment sections.
How many endings does Silent Hill: Townfall have?
There are three main endings, shaped by how you approach the game. Screen Burn have said that all three endings can be reached during a first playthrough depending on your choices throughout.