Peaceful Hill f has been banned in Australia, and no one knows why

Silent Hill f has been denied classification in Australia.

The Classification Board of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts (IARC) has not specified the exact reasons why the horror title has been refused release, however it simply encourages individuals to reach out to the organization if they seek further information (so I personally – I will update as/when I receive details).

The Australian classification board is notoriously stringent – fighting game Hunter x Hunter Nen x Impact was banned back in December; later commentary revealed that this was due to implied sexual violence influencing minors – and this is not even the first Silent Hill game to face a ban, as Homecoming’s graphic “high impact” torture scene similarly led to its classification refusal in 2008. A censored edition was subsequently released.

Hotline Miami 2, South Park: The Stick of Truth, and Saints Row 4 are among numerous games that have been denied an Australian release, many of which are believed to have been banned due to sexual violence, drug use, or “sexual acts involving a person who is, or appears to be, a minor under 18”.

Silent Hill f was announced as part of Konami’s four-game franchise revival back in 2022, but it wasn’t until mid-March 2025 that an update emerged. Now that Bloober Team’s critically acclaimed Silent Hill 2 Remake is behind us, the publisher is shifting its focus to its enigmatic sequel, a new mainline installment set in 1960s Japan.

Silent Hill f is being created by Neobards Entertainment (which has previously worked as a support studio for Capcom’s Resident Evil games), with creature and character design by Kera, and a script penned by When They Cry author Ryukishi07.

As Matt recently summarized, Silent Hill f’s narrative transpires in the quaint town of Ebisugaoka – inspired by Kanayama, Gero, in the Gifu Prefecture – where our main character Shimizu Hinako, an “ordinary teenager”, discovers her home enveloped in fog and altered in “terrifying” ways. As Silent Hill f unfolds, she will explore the town.