Silent Hill F Isn't Banned In Australia After All As Classification Board Issues Statement

Published Mar 24, 2025

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After much concern, it turns out Silent Hill f was seemingly banned in Australia without an official reason, it turns out this was a mistake.

The following article briefly mentions the following topics: child abuse, torture, and violence. This article includes some speculation that this may be aimed at the game's teenage protagonist.

Stevior shared a statement from the Australian Classification Board, which claimed that the game is not banned in Australia, saying, “Silent Hill f is not currently classified as ‘Refused Classification’ in Australia." The statement continues, saying: “The 14 March 2025 entry on the National Classification Database has been removed, and a classification decision will be published to the National Classification Database ahead of the game’s release."

This statement from the Australian Classification Board asserts that the game is not currently banned in Australia. The page for Silent Hill f on the Australian Classification Board's website has been removed.

The Confusing Status For Silent Hill F Might Be Due To Automation

The Former Banned Classification Is Speculated To Be Because of AI

Stevior and other sources are speculating the game's initial ban was a result of a self-report using the Australian Classification Board's automated system. As explained by IGN, the self-report tool is "a classification system designed for mobile and digitally delivered games" overseen by the International Age Rating Coalition. The IARC's classification system is a simple questionnaire where s can answer questions regarding the game's content, and then the product will get an automatic rating.

In Australia, this tool can only be used for digitally-released games and tends to skew higher than ratings completed by humans, according to IGN. In 2019, Kingdom Come: Deliverance was reported to have been banned because of this auto-system when it had, in fact, not been banned.

All physical releases in Australia are required to be rated by the Australian Classification Board itself, and the Classification Board can override any auto-rating that may be given.

Whatever The Case, Silent Hill F Will Be A Heavy Game

Silent Hill F May Not Be Out Of The Woods Just Yet

Silent Hill F Protagonist Looks On In Sadness and Fear

However, Silent Hill f 's final rating and fate in Australia is still questionable. While the game isn't currently banned, it appears a classification has not been made at all regarding the game, with a final rating to be determined, With Silent Hill f's story set to feature extreme violence, torture, and other heavy topics, its ultimate fate is a little ambiguous at the moment.

Shimizu Hinako standing with a pipe, surrounded by red fleshy vines in Silent Hill f

Silent Hill F's Release Date May Be Sooner Than Expected

As fans wait patiently for Silent Hill F, the highly-anticipated next entry in the legendary survival-horror franchise may be right around the corner.

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According to the game's another game banned in Australia due to similar reasons regarding minors, Silent Hill f may not be banned right now, but it could receive a ban or require censoring when a final rating classification is determined.

As far as we know right now, it may not be banned at all. Either way, Silent Hill f has the potential to be the heaviest entry in the franchise's history.

Source: Stevior, IGN, Steam