- Platforms
- PlayStation 2 and PC in 2003; PS3 and Xbox 360 in the 2012 Silent Hill HD Collection.
- Publisher
- Konami.
- Difficulty
- Two settings: Action Level (combat) and Riddle Level (puzzles), each Easy, Normal or Hard.
- Endings
- Three: Normal, Possessed and Revenge. Only Normal is possible on a first run.
- After the credits
- Extra New Game, the series' New Game Plus, carries your save forward.
What the game is
Silent Hill 3 is Konami's 2003 survival horror game and a direct sequel to the first Silent Hill (two guides). You play Heather, a teenage girl whose afternoon at a shopping mall turns into a nightmare that keeps pulling her into a rusted, blood-soaked version of the world around her. Combat is there, but ammunition and healing items are limited, and many monsters are better avoided than fought. Its story follows on from the first game; One guide adds that Silent Hill 2 tells an unrelated story, so playing it first is optional.
Versions and release dates
| Version | Platforms | First released |
|---|---|---|
| Original | PlayStation 2 | Silent Hill Memories and the Silent Hill Wiki on Fandom: Europe first, on 23 May 2003, then Japan on 3 July and North America on 5 August 2003. IGN gives 5 May 2003. |
| PC port | Windows | October 2003 (two sources). One guide gives 31 October 2003 for Europe and for the Asian release, and 21 November 2003 for North America. |
| Silent Hill HD Collection | PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, together with Silent Hill 2 | 20 March 2012 in North America. See the dates below for other regions. |
Release dates where the sources differ
- HD Collection outside North America: Konami's European product page and Silent Hill Memories give 30 March 2012 for Europe, and Silent Hill Memories gives 29 March 2012 for Japan. The Silent Hill Wiki on Fandom also gives 29 March for Japan, but 20 March 2012 for Europe. TheSixthAxis, a UK site, reported on 7 March 2012 that the collection would release on 29 March, without naming a region.
What changes between versions
- The HD Collection replaced the original voice acting with new recordings.
- Two guides add that the HD Collection runs at 720p. It also adds PlayStation 3 trophies.
- One guide notes a version difference in the final boss fight: the PC version has a safe spot beside the God's head that the PS2 version lacks (see Bosses).
Two difficulty settings
⚔️ Action Level
Easy, Normal or Hard. It controls how tough monsters are, how much damage Heather takes and how many supplies you find. On Easy you get plenty of ammunition and health; on Hard both are rare and even weak enemies hurt.
🧩 Riddle Level
Easy, Normal or Hard, chosen separately. It changes the puzzles: on Easy many of them nearly solve themselves and some steps are skipped; on Hard the clues are long, literary riddles. Several puzzles have a different answer on each level (see Puzzles).
🔥 Extreme levels
Clearing the game on Hard Action Level unlocks Extreme 1. Each Extreme clear unlocks the next, up to Extreme 10, written as Extreme X.
🌱 Beginner
One guide describes a hidden Beginner action level that the game offers after you die several times on Easy or Normal. Playing on it lowers your end-of-game ranking.
Tips for a first run
- Do not fight everything. Ammunition is limited, and melee weapons never run out, so save bullets for bosses and the tougher monsters.
- Healing comes in three sizes (two guides): Health Drinks for a little, First-Aid Kits for about half your health, and Ampoules for all of it. Keep the Ampoules for emergencies and the final boss.
- The Bulletproof Vest cuts the damage you take but slows Heather down. Take it off when you need to outrun something.
- Read every memo. Puzzle clues and hints about what to do next are written in the files you pick up.
- Hold L2 to swing the camera behind Heather or point it at the nearest threat (two guides).
- If your memory card holds a cleared Silent Hill 2 save, two guides say a few small jokes and references to that game appear in Silent Hill 3.
Cross-checked
Cross-checked on 24 October 2026 against Andrew Haffenden's (Conquerer) Silent Hill 3 pages as published on Silent Hill Memories (FAQ, versions, unlockables, bosses), IGN's Silent Hill 3 guide wiki (basics, secrets and game page), the Silent Hill Wiki on Fandom (game, HD Collection and secrets pages), Eurogamer's PS2 review by Kristan Reed and its ECTS 2003 report on the PC port, IGN's HD Collection review, Konami's European product page for the HD Collection, and TheSixthAxis's report of 7 March 2012. The Japanese and North American PS2 dates come from Silent Hill Memories and the Fandom wiki only; the PC month from Silent Hill Memories and Eurogamer; the 720p and trophy details from Silent Hill Memories and the Fandom wiki; the L2 camera from Silent Hill Memories and Eurogamer; Beginner and the PC safe spot from Silent Hill Memories alone. Not from a playthrough: nobody here has played it.