The Silent Hill timeline series has one of the most confusing timelines. The stories move between different years, different characters, and different realities. Some games connect closely while others only share themes. A few entries belong to different universes. If you are new to the franchise, following the order can feel difficult.
This guide keeps everything simple. It follows a clear timeline based on in-game dates, developer comments, and common fan order. The final part lists the correct order of all Silent Hill movies.
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Silent Hill Timeline
Silent Hill began in 1999 on the PlayStation 1. Over the years, the series brought players into fog-covered streets, strange monsters, and personal stories about fear, guilt, and trauma. The timeline is not straightforward, but once you place everything in order, it becomes easier to understand how the stories connect.
The list below explains the complete chronological order of the Silent Hill universe, including the latest game, Silent Hill f, and the movie universe.
Prehistory: The Founding of Silent Hill
Before Silent Hill became popular as a place of horrors, the Native American tribes, mainly Toluca, were living in the area around Toluca Lake. This land was sacred. It was thought here that the veil between worlds was thin. Rituals and spiritual practices have happened for hundreds of years.
The town, which became Silent Hill, was established in the 17th century by European settlers. They expelled or murdered the natives. The Order, a secretive cult, started forming. They mixed native beliefs and occult practices. This set the stage for the town’s dark history.
Silent Hill f (1960s Japan)
Silent Hill f is set in the countryside of Japan in the 1960s. In the village of Ebisugaoka, where rumors of ritual sacrifice, possession, and curses, mostly of children, are frequent, a sequence of deaths occurs. Ghastly visions and bizarre mutations come into sight. It shows the same psychological horror the series is known for.
Although it is separate from the American storyline, the themes are familiar. Silent Hill f demonstrates the horror works of the series outside the original town.
Silent Hill: Origins (Year Zero - 1976)
Silent Hill: Origins is referred to as Year Zero. It is focused on Alessa Gillespie. Her mother, Dahlia, abuses her, who is a priestess of the Order. The cult intends to apply the abilities of Alessa to make a god that will purify the world.
Trucker Travis Grady finds himself in the aftermath. The soul of Alessa is bifurcated and forms Cheryl. This starts Silent Hill as a living nightmare.
Silent Hill 1 (7 Years After Origins - 1983)
Harry Mason already has a doppelganger of Alessa by the name of Cheryl, seven years later. When they return to Silent Hill, the town turns into a horrifying version of itself. The Order kidnaps Cheryl to finish their ritual and bring their god into the world.
Harry goes in search of the nightmarish town. The climax merges Alessa, Cheryl, and the monstrous god. The cult is defeated. Cheryl/Alessa is reborn to become Heather, who is brought to Harry. This marks a new beginning for one of the main characters in the series.
Silent Hill 3 (17 Years After SH1 - 2000)
Teen Heather Mason becomes the target of the remaining Order members. They want to bring back their failed god. After Harry dies, Heather goes back to Silent Hill to face the cult. With Vincent’s help, she uses Aglaophotis to remove the unborn god and destroy it.
Silent Hill 3 ends Alessa’s story. It focuses on trauma, personal choice, and facing inner demons. The town stays cursed, but the Order is gone. Heather gets a chance to live free.
Silent Hill 2 (1980s - James’ Story)
Silent Hill 2 happens around the 1980s. It overlaps with Walter Sullivan’s story from SH4. James Sunderland comes to the town after receiving a letter from his dead wife, Mary. What he thinks is her call is actually his guilt and grief.
The town reacts to James’ emotions. Monsters appear that match his fear and shame. Other characters like Angela, Eddie, and Maria also face their own pain. The cult is mostly gone. The town punishes those carrying regret or sorrow.
Silent Hill 4: The Room (Early 2000s)
The Order’s main branch is gone, but some followers remain. Walter Sullivan, raised by the Order’s Valtiel sect, tries to reunite with his “mother” Room, 302. He commits several ritual murders called the 21 Sacraments.
Henry Townshend moves into the apartment and finds it turns into a portal to Silent Hill’s Otherworld. The game focuses on urban horror and expands the series’s story. It still connects to earlier events.
Silent Hill: Homecoming (2007)
Silent Hill’s curse spreads beyond the town. Shepherd’s Glen was founded by four families. They made a pact with the Order. In exchange for peace, they had to make sacrifices. Years later, Alex Shepherd comes home to find his brother missing and the town in chaos.
Homecoming looks at how people continue dark traditions. The town punishes those who ignore the sacrifices or fail to act. It mixes personal horror with the consequences of old secret pacts.
Silent Hill: Downpour (2011)
Prisoner Murphy Pendleton’s transport crashes near Silent Hill. He gets a chance to escape. Like James Sunderland before him, he faces a psychological journey. The town mirrors his guilt and moral conflicts.
Downpour adds new lore. The Otherworld Corrections Officer punishes the guilty. The cult is gone. Silent Hill itself punishes, traps, or redeems those who enter. Murphy’s fate, like everyone else, remains uncertain.
Silent Hill: The Short Message (2024)
Teen Anita goes to a condemned apartment after receiving a strange text. The story brings Silent Hill into the digital age with phones and social media as part of the horror.
It explores isolation and surveillance while keeping the series’ traditional fear and tension. This story is separate from the main timeline, but it keeps the Silent Hill feel.
Silent Hill Movies Timeline in Chronological Order
The movies follow a separate timeline from the games.
Silent Hill (2006)
This film adapts parts of Silent Hill 1. Rose and her daughter Sharon visit the fog-covered town and encounter a version of Alessa and a reworked cult. The film uses locations from the game but builds its own plot.
Silent Hill Revelation (2012)
This sequel adapts elements from Silent Hill 3. Heather lives under a false identity and becomes the target of the cult. It continues the story introduced in the first movie.
Return to Silent Hill (2026)
This upcoming film adapts Silent Hill 2. It focuses on James Sunderland and aims to return to a darker and more emotional tone.
How to Make a Similar Timeline?
A timeline helps you organize events in a clear and simple order. Here’s how to create one effectively:
- Decide the purpose: Define what your timeline should explain and which events are important.
- Collect accurate information: Write down key dates and facts, and double-check them using reliable sources.
- Arrange events chronologically: Place everything from earliest to latest so the order is easy to follow.
- Choose a layout: Select a horizontal, vertical, or creative style that suits your topic.
- Add details: Include short notes explaining why each event matters.
- Use a tool: Choose an online timeline tool like EdrawMind to create a professional timeline.
Steps to Make the Silent Hill Timeline
Now that you have all the information, the next step is to create a clean timeline. I would suggest starting from a ready-made timeline template. I have used EdrawMind because of its various templates and easy interface. Here are the steps”
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Step 1 Create a New File & Add the Title
- Open Wondershare EdrawMind and start a fresh file.
- Type a clear heading at the top, such as “Silent Hill Game Timeline.”
Step 2 Insert a Timeline Layout
- Add a timeline layout from the library.
- Resize and position the layout so you have enough space for all game entries.
Step 3 Add Each Silent Hill Entry
- Start placing the events in order.
- Use short labels so everything stays clear and readable.
Step 4 Customize the Look
- Adjust colors, shapes, and fonts to match the dark Silent Hill theme if you like.
- Make key entries stand out using bold or color accents.
Step 5 Save & Export Your Timeline
- Save your project so you can edit it later.
- Export the completed timeline as a PNG, PDF, or another file format for printing or sharing.
Final Thoughts
Silent Hill’s timeline covers many years of mystery, fear, and haunting stories. Starting from Origins helps players follow the town, the cult, and the strange events more clearly. This order also makes it easier to understand repeating characters, symbols, and themes.
If you want to make a similar timeline, try EdrawMind. It has ready-made templates and editing tools to help you build a custom timeline with just a few clicks.
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