• Home
  • Games
  • Guides
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Quests
  • Mystery Box
  • Buy Games
  • Lists
  • GAMES+
  • Deals & Discounts
  • Gaming Calendar (Unlock with GAMES+)
Silent Hill: Downpour review | GamesRadar+
4 sections0%
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Silent Hill: Downpour Goes From Free to $70 on PS5

Silent Hill: Downpour Goes From Free to $70 on PS5

Silent Hill: Downpour, widely considered the weakest entry in the franchise, is now a $70 paid release after years of being free on PS Plus. Here's what that means.

Eliza Crichton-Stuart

Eliza Crichton-Stuart

•

Updated Jul 9, 2026

Silent Hill: Downpour review | GamesRadar+

If you missed Silent Hill: Downpour during its PS Plus run, you'll now need to pay full price to experience it. Full price meaning $70, which is the same amount you'd spend on a brand-new AAA release in 2026.

The game is now available as a standalone purchase on PS5, marking a notable shift for a title that spent a long stretch accessible to subscribers at no extra cost. For a game that sits at the bottom of most Silent Hill franchise rankings, that $70 price tag is going to raise some eyebrows.

EXCLUSIVE OFFER

Use code TRYHARD33 at checkout to redeem this offer before code expires again.

Get 33% Off GAMES+ Subscription

Redeem Offer

From free to full price: what actually happened

Silent Hill: Downpour originally launched in 2012 on PS3 and Xbox 360. Developed by Vatra Games, it was the last mainline Silent Hill title before Konami effectively shelved the franchise for years. The game has since been playable through PS Plus, giving subscribers access without an additional purchase. That free window has now closed, and Downpour has been repriced at $70 for its PS5 version.

The key here is context: this isn't a remaster or a rebuilt experience. Downpour is being sold at the same price point as Silent Hill f, a brand-new entry in the franchise developed from the ground up. Paying the same amount for a 2012 game that most fans consider the franchise low point is a tough sell.

Why Downpour carries that reputation

To be fair to the game, Downpour isn't unplayable. It has a few genuinely interesting ideas, including a more open-world structure than previous entries and a protagonist with a more grounded backstory. The rain mechanic, where rainfall directly influences enemy spawns, was a creative design choice.

Here's the thing: the execution never matched the ambition. Combat felt clunky, the open world felt empty, and the psychological horror that defines the best Silent Hill games barely showed up. Compared to Silent Hill 2 or Silent Hill 3, Downpour reads like a game that understood the formula on paper but couldn't quite translate it in practice.

That's the version now priced at $70.

The $70 standard is doing a lot of heavy lifting here

The $70 price point has become the industry standard for major releases, but it was always justified by the scale and polish of new titles. Applying that same number to a 14-year-old game with a divisive reputation is a different proposition entirely.

What most players miss is that the original PS3 version of Downpour still exists. If you have access to backward compatibility or an older console, the game doesn't disappear. The PS5 version likely includes some performance improvements, but Konami hasn't detailed a significant technical overhaul that would justify the premium pricing.

For comparison, the Silent Hill 2 remake launched with clear communication about what was rebuilt and why. Downpour's PS5 release hasn't received that same treatment.

Where this fits in the broader Silent Hill revival

Konami has been aggressively rebuilding the Silent Hill brand over the past few years. The Silent Hill 2 remake from Bloober Team landed well with fans and critics. Silent Hill f is generating real excitement as a full new entry set in 1960s Japan. There's a genuine momentum behind the franchise right now.

Pricing Downpour at $70 feels like it's riding that momentum rather than earning its place in it. New players drawn to the series by the remake or by Silent Hill f deserve to know upfront that Downpour represents a specific, contested chapter in the franchise's history, not a representative sample of what Silent Hill is.

important
If you're new to Silent Hill and considering Downpour as an entry point, the Silent Hill 2 remake is a far better introduction to what makes the franchise worth caring about.

For anyone planning to jump into the current wave of Silent Hill content, the Silent Hill f ultimate beginner's guide is worth bookmarking before you start. And if you want a deeper breakdown of the new game's systems before committing $70 to anything, the full Silent Hill f guide collection covers everything from combat to the sanity mechanics that define the experience.

Eliza Crichton-Stuart author avatar

Eliza Crichton-Stuart

Head of Operations

Announcements

updated

July 9th 2026

posted

July 9th 2026

Related News

View All
All Active Tap Incremental Codes for July 2026 image
2 months ago•3 mins read

All Active Tap Incremental Codes for July 2026

Tap Incremental players can grab free boosts and in-game rewards right now. Here are all the working codes for July 2026 and how to use them.

Game Updates
PS3 and PS Vita Stores Are Closing: Grab These Games Before They're Gone image
2 months ago•5 mins read

PS3 and PS Vita Stores Are Closing: Grab These Games Before They're Gone

Sony is shutting down the PS Store for PS3 and PS Vita, and dozens of digital-only games will vanish permanently. Here's what's worth grabbing before the deadline.

Announcements
Flexispot XL6 Air Power Lift Recliner and Massage Chair Is 50% Off image
2 months ago•3 mins read

Flexispot XL6 Air Power Lift Recliner and Massage Chair Is 50% Off

The Flexispot XL6 Air Power Lift Recliner and Massage Chair is down to $294.99 with free shipping using coupon code XL6AIR, cutting the original $599.99 price in half.

Announcements
+1
Blood of Dawnwalker 60 FPS Performance Mode Confirmed for Launch
7 hours ago•3 mins read

Blood of Dawnwalker 60 FPS Performance Mode Confirmed for Launch

Rebel Wolves reversed course on console frame rates after fan backlash, confirming a 60 FPS Performance mode will be available when Blood of Dawnwalker launches September 3.

Announcements
The Witcher 4 will be a great starting point for new players, CD Projekt  Red say | AltChar
7 hours ago•3 mins read

CD Projekt Red Confirms The Witcher 4 Is Coming in 2028

CD Projekt Red's joint CEO Michał Nowakowski has officially confirmed The Witcher 4 is targeting a 2028 release, while the game won't appear at Gamescom 2026.

Announcements
Fable praised as 'healing' as female character 'redesign' panders to gamers
7 hours ago•3 mins read

Fable Female Character Gets Major Redesign Before Gamescom

Xbox dropped a brief Fable teaser ahead of Gamescom and players immediately spotted a completely redesigned female character with softer features and a new look.

Announcements