UPDATE – March 25, 2025: The decision to ban Silent Hill f in Australia has now been retracted. This could have been due to an automated flag by the systems at the Australian Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication, and the Arts Classification Board.
As reported by PC Gamer, the board’s statement reads: “Silent Hill f is not currently classified as ‘Refused Classification’ in Australia. The 14 March 2025 entry on the National Classification Database has been removed. A classification decision will be published to the National Classification Database ahead of the game’s release.”
As much as video games are made for everyone, there are still rules and regulations that come into effect to protect more vulnerable populations from more questionable content. There have already been some high-profile cases in recent years, and we can now add Silent Hill f to the list.
The Konami horror title has failed to obtain an age classification from the Australian Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication, and the Arts Classification Board (IARC). What could be so scary that it warrants such a move? At the time of writing, the board has not provided a clear explanation as to why Silent Hill f was denied classification.
This is not the first time a Silent Hill game has faced such issues in Australia. In the past, Silent Hill: Homecoming also failed to receive classification due to its depiction of torture, which the government deemed unsuitable for players. The game was only approved after the controversial content was censored.
Interestingly, Silent Hill f is also the first entry in the franchise to receive Japan’s strictest rating—CERO: Z (18+). Set in 1960s Japan, the game takes place in the fictional town of Ebisugaoka. Players will take on the role of a teenage girl named Shimizu Hinako, who must survive against the horrors that lurk within the iconic fog.
Konami has already issued a disclaimer stating that the game will contain sensitive themes, including gender discrimination, child abuse, bullying, drug-induced hallucinations, and explicit violence. Any of these could easily fall foul of the authorities, and it appears, at this time, that is the case for Australia, stopping fans from potentially enjoying the game when it launches.
For now, Silent Hill f does not yet have an official release date, but it has been confirmed for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
