Konami’s upcoming survival horror game, Silent Hill f, has received its official rating, hinting at the disturbing themes and graphic violence players can expect upon its release. The game, set to launch on September 25, 2025, has been rated M18 for its depictions of strong violence, gore, and unsettling imagery.
The story is set in the 1960s in the Japanese town of Ebisugaoka, where high school student Hinako Shimizu becomes trapped after a supernatural fog engulfs the area. Surrounded by monstrous beings, Hinako must solve the dark mysteries of the cursed town while fighting to survive. The third-person gameplay focuses on exploring decaying environments, solving puzzles, and engaging in combat with hostile enemies using weapons such as axes, knives, and metal pipes. Players can also use healing items like bandages and divine water to restore their health and sanity.
The game’s rating is largely due to its focus on disturbing visuals and scenes of intense violence. Players will encounter corpses, mutilated bodies, and bloody environments. During combat, enemies are shown being impaled, slashed, and dismembered, with blood staining the walls and floors. The game also includes more disturbing scenes of self-mutilation in a ritualistic context, such as characters severing their own limbs or showing grotesque facial wounds. These depictions, though not always fully explicit, contribute to the game’s oppressive horror atmosphere.
While the rating is primarily based on graphic content, it also mentions instances of mild sexual references. One example is a scene where a character pastes a classmate’s face over a swimsuit model in an adult magazine, a detail that further contributes to the narrative’s unsettling tone.
Silent Hill f is being developed by NeoBards Entertainment, with Konami’s goal being to return the series to its Japanese roots after years of Western-focused installments. To achieve this, the company brought in visual novel writer Ryukishi07 to craft the story and veteran composer Akira Yamaoka to create the game’s sound.
As a standalone spin-off, Silent Hill f seeks to reimagine the franchise with a distinctly Japanese identity, moving away from the familiar American town of Silent Hill. With its release scheduled for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S, players can expect a harrowing return to the series’ survival horror roots.
