PS2

Silent Hill 2

PuzzleAdventure

Time to beat: about 8.8 hours
Plays offline: Yes

Overview

Silent Hill 2 is a 2001 survival horror video game developed by Konami's Team Silent and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. The second installment in the Silent Hill series, Silent Hill 2 centers on James Sunderland, a widower who journeys to the town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his dead wife. An extended version containing a bonus scenario, Born from a Wish, and other additions was published for Xbox in December of the same year. In 2002, it was ported to Windows and re-released for the PlayStation 2 as a Greatest Hits version, which includes all bonus content from the Xbox port. A remastered high-definition version was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012 as part of the Silent Hill HD Collection. A remake developed by Bloober Team was released on October 8, 2024, for the PlayStation 5 and Windows.

Development of Silent Hill 2 began in June 1999, soon after Silent Hill had been completed. Its narrative was inspired by the Russian novel Crime and Punishment (1866) by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and some of the influences on the game's artistic style include the works of film director David Lynch and paintings by Francis Bacon and Andrew Wyeth; cultural references to history, films and literature can be found in the game. In contrast with the previous title, whose narrative concerned cult activity, Silent Hill 2 focuses directly on the psychology of its characters.

In North America, Japan, and Europe, over 1.3 million copies of Silent Hill 2 were sold, with the greatest number of sales in North America. Critics praised its psychological horror story, use of symbolism and taboo topics, atmosphere, graphics, monster designs, soundtrack, sound design, and emotional depth. The most acclaimed entry in the Silent Hill franchise, it is generally regarded as one of the best video games of all time, and a key example of video games as an art form. The game was followed by Silent Hill 3 in 2003. Its plot was loosely adapted into the 2026 film Return to Silent Hill.

Official trailer

Trailer. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Puzzle, Adventure

Developer

Team Silent

Publisher

Konami

Series

Silent Hill

Platforms

PlayStation 2

Age rating

ESRB M

Modes

Single player: Yes
Local multiplayer: No
Online multiplayer: No
Co op: No

Age ratings

ESRB: M
PEGI: 16
ACB: MA 15+

Release dates

Platform	Region	Date
PlayStation 2	North America	2001-09-24
PlayStation 2	Japan	2001-09-27
PlayStation 2	Europe / PAL	2001-11-23

Editions

Standard Edition

Standard

Greatest Hits

Re-release

In the game

Born from a Wish scenario and other Xbox bonus content

Budget re-release with no subtitle on the box. A fan version guide says it carries the extra content from the Xbox version, including the Born from a Wish scenario.

Director's Cut

In the game

Born from a Wish scenario and other Xbox bonus content

European re-release with the expanded content of the Xbox version. Release year differs between sources.

Director's Cut Platinum

Complete

Budget re-release of the Director's Cut. Confirmed to exist only.

Collector's Edition

Collector's

Listed as a separate PAL release in the PriceCharting database. Contents not confirmed from a box or a publisher page.

Saigo no Uta

Japanese release of the expanded version, sold as Silent Hill 2: Saigo no Uta.

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Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

Single-player only, with no online features.

Question	Answer
Playable offline today: campaign	Yes
Playable offline today: local multiplayer	Does not exist

Online

Plays offlineYes

Credits

Publisher: Konami
Developer: Team Silent
Released: 2001-09-24
Age rating: ESRB M
Region: US
Time to beat: about 8.8 hours

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