SILENT HILL 2

SILENT HILL 2 game image

Overwhelmingly Positive

Total: 27.6 ThousandPositive: 26.3 ThousandNegative: 1.29 Thousand
95%
5%
Steam review score: 9
AI Community game rating

88.7 %

SILENT HILL 2 is placed at number 4 under 17 analysed games!
AI Community toxicity rating

10.82 %

The Community toxicity rating was calculated by evaluating the most 685 impactful steam game reviews
Currently playing

provided by steam

AI Review

SILENT HILL 2 is a masterful remake of the iconic psychological horror game, blending action and adventure into a chilling narrative. Players step into the shoes of James Sunderland, who returns to the eerie town of Silent Hill after receiving a mysterious letter from his deceased wife. The game delivers a haunting atmosphere, enhanced by cutting-edge graphics, ray tracing, and immersive soundscapes. With an AI Community Rating of 89.24%, fans praise its gripping story, beautiful visuals, and classic horror gameplay. However, some players report performance issues like stuttering and crashes, particularly on PC. Despite these flaws, SILENT HILL 2 remains a must-play for horror enthusiasts, offering expanded environments, an over-the-shoulder camera, and evolved combat mechanics. Dive into this unforgettable journey of fear, mystery, and emotional depth.

History

14 events
11 NewsEvent1 GameSalesEvent1 SmallUpdateEvent1 GameReleaseEvent
  • April 19, 2025
    about 1 month since last event
    Today
  • March 13, 2025
    2 days after previous event
    March 13 - SILENT HILL Transmission
    Event
    NewsEvent
    Upvotes
    1189
    Downvotes
    37
    Voting score
    97%
    Toxicity before
    5.28 %
    Toxicity after
    9.35 %
  • March 11, 2025
    about 1 month after previous event
    March 13 - SILENT HILL Transmission
    Event
    NewsEvent
    Upvotes
    2596
    Downvotes
    29
    Voting score
    99%
    Toxicity before
    4.91 %
    Toxicity after
    8.9 %
  • January 30, 2025
    24 days after previous event
    Patch Notes for SILENT HILL 2 – Version 1.07
    Event
    NewsEvent
    Upvotes
    2597
    Downvotes
    133
    Voting score
    95%
    Toxicity before
    14.22 %
    Toxicity after
    15.38 %
  • January 06, 2025
    18 days after previous event
    SILENTHILL 2 won the Outstanding Visual Style category in The Steam Awards!
    Event
    NewsEvent
    Upvotes
    3394
    Downvotes
    80
    Voting score
    98%
    Toxicity before
    14.66 %
    Toxicity after
    13.82 %
  • December 19, 2024
    22 days after previous event
    Vote for SILENT HILL 2 in the Steam Awards!
    Event
    NewsEvent
    Upvotes
    2359
    Downvotes
    96
    Voting score
    96%
    Toxicity before
    14.09 %
    Toxicity after
    15.67 %
  • November 28, 2024
    about 9 hours after previous event
    SILENT HILL 2: 20% Off!
    Event
    GameSalesEvent
    Upvotes
    1420
    Downvotes
    48
    Voting score
    97%
    Toxicity before
    9.0 %
    Toxicity after
    13.52 %
  • November 27, 2024
    5 days after previous event
    Nominate SILENT HILL 2 for Game of the Year!
    Event
    NewsEvent
    Upvotes
    3718
    Downvotes
    95
    Voting score
    98%
    Toxicity before
    10.0 %
    Toxicity after
    12.46 %
  • November 22, 2024
    28 days after previous event
    Patch Notes for SILENT HILL 2 – Version 1.06
    Event
    NewsEvent
    Upvotes
    3613
    Downvotes
    121
    Voting score
    97%
    Toxicity before
    11.44 %
    Toxicity after
    10.34 %
  • October 25, 2024
    4 days after previous event
    Patch Notes for SILENT HILL 2 – Hotfix (Version 1.05)
    Event
    NewsEvent
    Upvotes
    4312
    Downvotes
    142
    Voting score
    97%
    Toxicity before
    12.92 %
    Toxicity after
    9.73 %
  • October 21, 2024
    13 days after previous event
    SILENT HILL 2 – Patch 1.04 is Available Now!
    Event
    SmallUpdateEvent
    Upvotes
    4291
    Downvotes
    136
    Voting score
    97%
    Toxicity before
    9.0 %
    Toxicity after
    12.2 %
  • October 08, 2024
    1 day after previous event
    SILENT HILL 2 OUT NOW
    Event
    GameReleaseEvent
    Upvotes
    3539
    Downvotes
    70
    Voting score
    98%
    Toxicity before
    8.89 %
    Toxicity after
    10.57 %
  • October 07, 2024
    4 months after previous event
    Game was released
  • May 31, 2024
    about 23 hours after previous event
    SILENT HILL 2 Pre-Order Now
    Event
    NewsEvent
    Upvotes
    2510
    Downvotes
    146
    Voting score
    95%
    Toxicity before
    N/A
    Toxicity after
    N/A
  • May 30, 2024
    2 days after previous event
    SILENT HILL Transmission
    Event
    NewsEvent
    Upvotes
    1019
    Downvotes
    49
    Voting score
    95%
    Toxicity before
    N/A
    Toxicity after
    N/A
  • May 27, 2024
    SILENT HILL Transmission
    Event
    NewsEvent
    Upvotes
    1212
    Downvotes
    43
    Voting score
    97%
    Toxicity before
    N/A
    Toxicity after
    N/A

What the community wishes

Fix PC optimization and stuttering
The game suffers from severe optimization issues on PC, requiring high-end hardware to run smoothly. Frequent stuttering and crashes make the experience frustrating. Improvements in performance and stability are critical.
Improve shadow draw distance
The flashlight shadow draw distance is too short, breaking immersion. Adding a slider or separate option to increase shadow draw distance would enhance visual quality.
Add chromatic aberration toggle
The chromatic aberration effect is nauseating for some players. A native option to disable this effect in the menu would improve accessibility and comfort.
Unlock cutscene framerate
Cutscenes are locked to a low framerate, which feels jarring. Allowing players to unlock the framerate natively would improve visual fluidity.
Improve enemy framerate at distance
Enemies rendered at a distance appear at a low framerate (15 fps), which is visually jarring. Increasing this framerate would enhance consistency and immersion.
Fix menu input behavior
James stops moving when exiting menus, leading to unnecessary deaths. The game should remember input states when transitioning between menus and gameplay.
Add right mouse button back
The right mouse button should function as a back button in menus for better usability, especially for keyboard and mouse players.
Improve curtain animations
Curtains and similar objects are animated at a low framerate, which looks unnatural. Improving their motion would enhance visual fidelity.
Reduce enemy density in areas
Some areas feel overcrowded with enemies, which can be overwhelming. Reducing enemy density or adding more variety would improve pacing and balance.
Fix crashes on DirectX 12
The game crashes unless forced to use DirectX 11. This issue should be resolved to ensure smoother gameplay without requiring manual tweaks.
Improve Steam Deck compatibility
Despite being marked as 'Unsupported,' the game runs on Steam Deck with tweaks. Official support and optimization for Steam Deck would benefit players.
Add more enemy variety
The game lacks enemy variety, which can make encounters repetitive. Introducing more unique enemy types would enhance gameplay diversity.
Optimize outdoor area performance
Outdoor areas suffer from performance drops, especially on lower-end hardware. Optimizing these areas for smoother performance is essential.
Fix object interaction positioning
James should interact with drawers and similar objects based on his position rather than the camera's center. This would make interactions feel more natural.
Improve post-processing effects
Post-processing effects, such as ghosting, are overly aggressive on low settings. Refining these effects would improve visual clarity and performance.
Add more lore consistency
Some lore elements were lost or altered in the remake. Ensuring consistency with the original game's lore would satisfy long-time fans.
Expand character development
Certain characters, like Angela Orosco, were misinterpreted or underdeveloped. Expanding their roles and depth would enhance the narrative.
Improve controller support
Controller support has minor issues, such as input inconsistencies. Refining controller functionality would improve the experience for console players.
Add more environmental storytelling
While the environment is detailed, more subtle storytelling through environmental cues would deepen immersion and narrative engagement.
Optimize for mid-range PCs
The game struggles on mid-range PCs, even when meeting minimum requirements. Better optimization for mid-tier hardware would broaden accessibility.

Reviews

Toxicity trend

N-Grams

best entry pointpeak character designgame looks fantasticgame is amazingmost unique storiesfar more horrifyingemotional journey leaveshorror masterpiece everyonemust play forlasting questions andstrange yet fascinatingstory still hauntseerie atmosphere engagingterrible optimization andmodern games don'tgame is brokengame is fantastictrue to theprofoundly layered andmonumental remake worthy

Keywords

What the community loves
atmosphere
54
masterpiece
48
story
46
great
44
amazing
39
graphics
26
recommend
25
fun
22
good
21
best
20
faithful
19
love
17
experience
17
remake
17
fantastic
16
Where the community is undecided
remake
82
horror
56
original
28
combat
26
settings
24
patch
22
game
19
fix
19
psychological
17
Silent Hill
16
graphics
16
gameplay
16
atmosphere
14
modern
13
puzzles
12
What the community dislikes
performance
49
stuttering
42
stutters
32
optimization
32
crashes
29
issues
24
stutter
21
unplayable
19
repetitive
14
boring
14
crashing
13
combat
12
optimized
12
recommend
12
bad
11

Whats the data quality we are looking at

Persons who wrote a SILENT HILL 2 review on Steam have:

written on average 22.68 gaming reviews in total
own an average of 174.94 steam games
have an average playtime of 18.87 hours on submitting the review

While looking at 648 reviews we have sorted them into following categories:

466x
Gameplay & Mechanics Feedback
  • Praise for core mechanics, combat, movement, level design, controls.
  • Criticism of mechanics, AI, movement, balance, or game feel.
  • Complaints or praise about difficulty, lack of challenge, or poor scaling.
  • Game is too short, too long, repetitive, or lacks replayability.
  • Feedback on slow or rushed pacing.
  • Praise or criticism of tutorial or onboarding.
275x
Performance & Technical Issues
  • FPS drops, lag, stuttering, long load times.
  • Crashes, corrupted saves, softlocks, major blockers.
  • Small bugs (visual glitches, physics issues, pop-ins).
  • Online or matchmaking issues, disconnections.
  • Poor performance despite good hardware.
  • Not working on specific GPUs, CPUs, or OS versions.
26x
User Experience, UI, and Accessibility
  • Praise or complaints about responsiveness, keybinding, controller support.
  • Menus, HUD, inventory management, readability.
  • Colorblind modes, subtitle issues, difficulty options.
  • Poor translations, missing subtitles, regional content.
404x
Story & Narrative
  • Praise for writing, dialogue, characters, world-building.
  • Criticism of pacing, writing, characters.
  • Contains major plot spoilers.
2x
Multiplayer & Community Feedback
  • Co-op, PvP, social features, matchmaking quality.
  • Cheating, griefing, harassment, toxic behavior.
119x
Monetization & Business Model
  • Microtransactions, loot boxes, paywalls.
  • Praise or criticism of expansions or season passes.
  • Is the game worth the price? Good/bad value.
25x
Feature Requests & Suggestions
  • Suggestions for new modes, characters, weapons, maps.
  • Suggestions for UI improvements, better customization, settings tweaks.
95x
Developer Engagement & Support
  • Praise or criticism of dev responsiveness, patches, communication.
  • Feedback on progress, roadmap, or missing features in early access.
49x
Trash Reviews
  • Random, spam-like, or nonsensical; no meaningful feedback.
  • Not related to the game.
  • Pure jokes, memes, or ASCII art with no substantive feedback.
  • Hateful, harassing, or explicit language.

In-depth analysis of most impactful community reviews

Positive

Was apprehensive about this from the trailers, but I was pleasantly shocked. It's so much better than I thought it would be. It's not perfect, but it's enough to make an OG SH fan like me very happy. Enemies look awesome (I'm looking at you, Abstract Daddy), and the atmosphere is great Harry Mason, when?? we need more remakes like this. Kudos, Bloober

  • Sentiments

    • I was apprehensive about the game based on the trailers, but I was pleasantly shocked by how good it turned out to be.
    • The game is so much better than I thought it would be, exceeding my expectations.
    • While the game is not perfect, it is enough to make an OG Silent Hill fan like me very happy.
    • The enemies in the game look awesome, with a special mention to the Abstract Daddy.
    • The atmosphere of the game is great, adding to the overall experience.
    • I am eagerly anticipating the return of Harry Mason and hope to see more remakes like this in the future.
    • Kudos to Bloober for delivering a remake that has impressed me as a fan.

Positive

As a big fan of the original games, this remake stays true to the original while introducing updated graphics and mechanics. Stunning visuals and top notch sound design. While the gameplay isn't anything mind-blowing, it feels refreshing enough to keep you going An absolute masterpiece that does justice to a horror classic.

  • Sentiments

    • I feel that the remake stays true to the original games, which is a positive aspect for fans like me.
    • I appreciate the updated graphics, which are described as stunning and visually impressive.
    • I find the sound design to be top-notch, adding to the overall quality of the game.
    • I think the gameplay, while not groundbreaking, feels refreshing enough to maintain engagement.
    • I consider the game an absolute masterpiece, which is a strong positive sentiment.
    • I believe the remake does justice to the horror classic, which is a significant compliment.

Positive

First impressions are awesome. Run -dx11 in the launch options for an immense fps boost and graphic fixes. Went from 50-60fps 1440p DLSSQ to 60-75fps 1440p native EDIT for the ppl that have reached out to me: the blackscreen is normal when you swap to -dx11, it took a while on my system as well, no idea why, I'd assume shader-compilation takes longer in dx11? And my specs are: 7800X3D 3070 OC 32GB DDR5 5600Mhz M.2 SSD

  • Sentiments

    • First impressions of the game are awesome, indicating a strong positive initial experience.
    • Using -dx11 in the launch options provided an immense fps boost and graphic fixes, which significantly improved performance.
    • The fps increased from 50-60fps at 1440p DLSSQ to 60-75fps at 1440p native, showing a noticeable improvement in performance.
    • The black screen issue when swapping to -dx11 is normal and took a while on my system, which might be due to longer shader-compilation times in dx11.
    • My system specifications are high-end, including a 7800X3D, 3070 OC, 32GB DDR5 5600Mhz, and an M.2 SSD, which likely contribute to the positive experience.

Positive

OG SH2 is one of my favorite games of all time and I must say Bloober knocked it out of the park with this remake. OGSH2 was stressful because of the atmosphere of dread and the idea that something terrible could happen at any moment, but the actual gameplay was on the easy side. This remake not only recaptures everything great about the OG in terms of its art direction, sound design, voice acting etc., but it actually makes SH2 scary again for those of us who already know what's going to happen. The combat is really good and tense and it keeps you on your toes even on standard difficulty. Last night I got out of the hospital and managed to get to the wrench and honestly that journey really took something out of me. I was left feeling exhausted and slightly traumatized in the best possible way. Congrats to Bloober for having recaptured lightning in a bottle in a way that is at once respectful of the past while also reinvigorating. I am so looking forward to SH3 remake.

  • Sentiments

    • I feel that Bloober did an exceptional job with the remake, capturing everything great about the original game, including its art direction, sound design, and voice acting.
    • The remake has made Silent Hill 2 scary again, even for those who already know the story, which I find incredibly impressive.
    • The combat in the remake is described as really good and tense, keeping players on their toes even on standard difficulty, which I appreciate.
    • I experienced a sense of exhaustion and slight trauma after playing through a particularly intense section, which I consider a positive aspect of the game's immersive design.
    • I believe Bloober has successfully recaptured the magic of the original game while also reinvigorating it, which I find commendable.
    • I am genuinely excited and looking forward to the Silent Hill 3 remake, which shows my high level of satisfaction with this remake.
    • The original Silent Hill 2 was stressful due to its atmosphere of dread, but I found the gameplay to be on the easier side, which is a neutral observation.
    • The journey through the hospital section left me feeling emotionally drained, which I consider a testament to the game's powerful storytelling and atmosphere.
    • I feel that the remake respects the legacy of the original game while adding new elements that enhance the experience, which I highly value.
    • The remake has managed to make the game scary again, which I find to be a significant achievement given my familiarity with the original.

Positive

The atmosphere and sound design is the best I've ever seen. The game becomes so tense in some areas i feel i have to take break or my heart will stop! my personal GOTY 2024.

  • Sentiments

    • The atmosphere of the game is the best I've ever seen, creating an immersive and captivating experience.
    • The sound design is exceptional, adding depth and intensity to the gameplay.
    • The game becomes so tense in some areas that I feel the need to take breaks to avoid overwhelming stress.
    • The tension in certain areas is so intense that it feels like my heart might stop, which is both thrilling and exhausting.
    • This game is my personal Game of the Year (GOTY) for 2024, highlighting its exceptional quality and impact on me.

Negative

The Silent Hill 2 remake is fantastic, but its optimization is a disaster. All the hype about Unreal Engine 5 and Lumen is overshadowed by the game's poor performance. Even my NVIDIA RTX 3060 PC struggles to run the game smoothly, and it looks worse than Resident Evil 7 from 2017, which my GTX 1050 laptop ran without issues at 1080p 60 fps. Negative review until performance is fixed. Edit: For me, forcing dx11 seems to fix performance issues to a degree but still has dips time to time and overall performance is still underwhelming.

  • Sentiments

    • I think the Silent Hill 2 remake is fantastic, as it captures the essence of the original game well.
    • I am disappointed with the game's optimization, as it performs poorly even on high-end hardware like my NVIDIA RTX 3060.
    • I feel the hype around Unreal Engine 5 and Lumen is overshadowed by the game's poor performance.
    • I find it frustrating that the game looks worse than Resident Evil 7 from 2017, which ran smoothly on my older GTX 1050 laptop.
    • I am giving a negative review until the performance issues are fixed, as they significantly impact my experience.
    • I discovered that forcing dx11 improves performance to some extent, but the game still has frequent dips and overall underwhelming performance.

Negative

Fantastic game, however the stuttering needs to be fixed. Even on a higher end PC and lowest settings it's very noticeable. Edit: To add, the game also crashes a lot at launch with the following Unreal Engine error: Unhandled Exception: EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION reading address 0x0000000000000020

  • Sentiments

    • I find the game to be fantastic, which indicates a strong positive sentiment towards the overall experience.
    • I am frustrated by the stuttering issues, which are very noticeable even on a high-end PC with the lowest settings.
    • I am disappointed that the game crashes frequently at launch, which significantly impacts the experience.
    • I encountered an Unreal Engine error (Unhandled Exception: EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION), which adds to the technical issues.

Negative

the game is great, but POORLY optimized. rarely above 60 fps, the game stutters everywhere with these settings, which must be more than enough i7-12700 RTX 4070 24gb ram NVME

  • Sentiments

    • I think the game is great, which indicates a positive sentiment about the overall quality of the game.
    • I feel the game is poorly optimized, which is a negative sentiment about its performance.
    • I rarely see the game running above 60 fps, which is a negative sentiment about its frame rate performance.
    • I experience stutters everywhere in the game, which is a negative sentiment about its smoothness and stability.
    • I believe my settings should be more than enough for smooth gameplay, which is a neutral sentiment about expectations versus reality.
    • I have an i7-12700 processor, which is a neutral sentiment about the hardware being used.
    • I have an RTX 4070 graphics card, which is a neutral sentiment about the hardware being used.
    • I have 24GB of RAM, which is a neutral sentiment about the hardware being used.
    • I use an NVME drive, which is a neutral sentiment about the hardware being used.

Negative

It's still poorly optimized after 5 months, my frames will frequently drop, even with mod fixes and I've had to look up some bug fixes. I'd wait until another sale after they fix some of their issues before buying. Other than those few gripes the game is very fun and reminiscent of the old silent hill that I grew up on.

  • Sentiments

    • I feel frustrated that the game is still poorly optimized after 5 months, leading to frequent frame drops.
    • I am disappointed that I had to rely on mod fixes to improve performance, which didn't fully resolve the issues.
    • I found it inconvenient to look up bug fixes myself to address problems in the game.
    • I would recommend waiting for another sale after the developers fix some of the game's issues before purchasing.
    • Despite the issues, I find the game very fun and enjoyable to play.
    • I appreciate that the game feels reminiscent of the old Silent Hill games I grew up playing.

Negative

Unfortunately, I can't recommend this remake in its current state because of the immersion-breaking stuttering and hitching during traversal, and the usual lack of optimization in most recent UE5 games. I'd suggest developers not rush the game's release and consider hiring a team of C++ experts to customize and optimize the Unreal Engine's source code, specifically the streaming and garbage collector components, to suit the needs of their project. Also, a comprehensive shader pre-compilation stage is a must-have. I will change the sense of my review once they resolve the ongoing traversal stuttering/hitching problem. [b]UPDATE (As of 12/03/24):[/b] Patch 1.06 didn't resolve the traversal stuttering/hitching issue. The game's asset streaming and garbage collector components are still flawed and unoptimized. Also, the added shader compilation stage on the game launch is minimal and incomplete.

  • Sentiments

    • I cannot recommend this remake in its current state due to immersion-breaking stuttering and hitching during traversal.
    • The game suffers from a lack of optimization, which is a common issue in most recent UE5 games.
    • I suggest developers not rush the game's release and instead focus on optimizing the Unreal Engine's source code.
    • I recommend hiring a team of C++ experts to customize and optimize the streaming and garbage collector components.
    • A comprehensive shader pre-compilation stage is essential for improving the game's performance.
    • I will change my review once the traversal stuttering and hitching issues are resolved.
    • Patch 1.06 did not resolve the traversal stuttering and hitching issues, which is disappointing.
    • The game's asset streaming and garbage collector components are still flawed and unoptimized.
    • The added shader compilation stage on game launch is minimal and incomplete, which is insufficient.

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