Silent Hill f gets banned in Australia after receiving a “Refused Classification" rating from the country’s classification board. Read on to learn more about the reason for Silent Hill f’s rating and Silent Hill 4 receiving optimization updates.
UPDATE: Silent Hill f Not Banned In Australia Following Classification Confusion
Silent Hill f Rating in Australia Still Up For Review
Following the reports surrounding Silent Hill f getting a "Refused Classification" (RC) from the Australian Classification Board, the organization has clarified that the game has yet to be rated and will publish its classification ahead of its release.
Australian video games news outlet Stevivor inquired the Australian Classification Board on March 24 regarding this and stated, "Silent Hill f is not currently classified as ‘Refused Classification’ in Australia." They added, "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."
Many sources speculated that the confusion came from a self-report made by the Australian Classification Board's automated system. The tool is a classification system that is used for mobile and digital games, which is supervised by the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC). The IARC tool is a simple questionnaire where participants answer questions regarding the game’s content and based on their answers, would produce an automated rating for that game.
The published RC rating has since been taken down and Silent Hill f remains to await its rating from the Australian Classification Board.
Silent Hill Latest Updates
Silent Hill f Gets Banned in Australia
Silent Hill will not be released in Australia due to the game's rating by the country’s classification board. The Australian Classification Board gave Silent Hill f a "Refused Classification" rating, essentially banning the game from the country.
Several outlets spotted the now-private publication post, which reportedly gave little to no detail on why the game received this rating. According to the Australian Classification Board website, "Refused Classification (RC) refers to films, computer games and publications that cannot be sold, hired, advertised or legally imported in Australia." These materials contain "content that is outside generally-accepted community standards and exceeds what can be included in the R 18+ and X 18+ ratings."
Meanwhile, ESRB gave Silent Hill f a "Mature 17+" rating, indicating that the game has blood and gore, intense violence, and partial nudity. In the website, ESRB provided a rating summary of the game which pointed out several reasons why the game received "M 17+". Based on the description, the frequent blood splatter, enemy attacks impaling the player, cutscenes that depict gore and more intense acts of violence, and concept art that depicts a nude mannequin are just some of the reasons why Silent Hill f received such rating.
The recent Silent Hill Transmission last March 13 gave fans an idea on what to expect with the game, and with the ratings Silent Hill f received, it seems that the franchise is gearing up towards one of its most goriest and bloodiest games to date. To stay up to date with the latest information about Silent Hill f, check out our article below!
Previously Banned Games in Australia
This isn’t the first time a Silent Hill game was banned in Australia. In 2008, Silent Hill: Homecoming received the same rating due to its extreme graphic violence. It is important to note though that the Australian Classification Board first introduced the R18+ rating in 2013 as before that, games that showed detailed body dismemberment were mostly unaccepted by the country and rating board.
Several other games in previous years have received an RC rating from Australia, such as Sludge Life in 2020 due to its depiction of drug use, Hotline Miami 2 in 2015 for its sexual violence, and more. However, some games adhered to the regulations of the rating board, altering the game for it to be accepted in the country. Games such as Wasteland 3 in 2020, Disco Elysium: Final Cut in 2019, South Park: The Stick Of Truth in 2014, and others made some adjustments to be able to be released in Australia.
Silent Hill 4 and Other Games Added in the GOG Preservation Program
In other Silent Hill related news, GOG.COM announced on Twitter (X) on March 21 that 27 games including Silent Hill 4: The Room are added in the GOG Preservation Program. Owned by CD Projekt Red, GOG.COM is a digital distribution platform for video games and films that focuses on DRM-free content which allows restriction-free gaming.
The GOG Preservation Program is an initiative to update classic games to make them more optimized and playable on modern platforms. As mentioned, Silent Hill 4, which was first released in 2004, is part of this program, and is now updated for improved compatibility for Windows 10 and 11 with full modern controller support. Another game included in the program is Tomb Raider Underworld, which was first released in 2008, now has enhanced DirectX compatibility with 60fps cap and cloud save support.
In December 2024, retro and classic game news site Time Extension spoke with GOG's Senior Business Development Manager Marcin Paczyński regarding the program. Paczyński stated that the company aims to preserve at least 500 games by the end of 2025, which will include "a few very iconic and long-requested games." With the new additions, there are now 141 Preservation Program titles on GOG.
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Silent Hill f Australian Classification Board Rating
Silent Hill f ESRB Rating
GOG Twitter (X) post on 27 Games Added in GOG Preservation Program
GOG Plans To Bring 500 Games to its Preservation Program
