How to download Silent Hill: The Short Message for free

PS5 owners rejoice! A free Silent Hill game is up for grabs.

PlayStation's State Of Play announcements showcased a lot of updates on games people were expecting, while also showing some new material for things like Death Stranding 2 (finally a new strand-type game!) and Judas, a new IP by Ken Levine, one of the most important names behind BioShock. One of the most exciting things was the reveal of a free Silent Hill PS5 game, subtitled "The Short Message."

In Silent Hill: The Short Message, you play as Anita, a victim of cyber-bullying who's going through a lot of harassment during her school years. According to the trailer, the main character decides to take her own life by jumping from the school's roof. This is the decision that transports her to the Silent Hill zone (just the thing she needed, right?).

Moments before meeting the faceless nurses (Screenshot by esports.gg)
Moments before meeting the faceless nurses (Screenshot by esports.gg)

After that, the story develops in what appears to be the inside of her school, but in the other world. There, the main character is armed with nothing more than the tool that took her life away: her phone. You are forced to take instructions from "Maya," a friend of hers. We will stop here for you to play the game, this is a spoiler free zone.

Careful, Pyramid head. We have a phone. (Screenshot by esports.gg)
Careful, Pyramid head. We have a phone. (Screenshot by esports.gg)
Maya is your best friend, don't let her down. (Screenshot by esports.gg)
Maya is your best friend, don't let her down. (Screenshot by esports.gg)
They made it clear, huh. (Screenshot by esports.gg)
They made it clear, huh. (Screenshot by esports.gg)

How do I get The Short Message for free?

If you want to download Silent Hill: The Short Message, it will be as simple as searching for the game in the PlayStation Store. Here's a direct link to the game's site that you can use right now. After that, all you need to do is add the game to your library and your PS5 will download it automatically.

PlayStation Store page for the game (Screenshot by esports.gg)
PlayStation Store page for the game (Screenshot by esports.gg)

The game is available for download starting today. It already has an astonishing amount of 4.7/5 stars, based on the community's rating. The game is meant to be free forever, and you should be able to reinstall it whenever you want. Still, after the P.T. (Silent Hills) canonical event, you may want to leave this one resting in your hard drive for some time.

Is Silent Hill: The Short Message a prequel or sequel of another game?

Coincidentally enough, 25 years ago today (Jan. 31), the first Silent Hill was launched. However, no link to the original titles was made with this new free Silent Hill PS5 game. What we know for sure is that this game is meant to warm up another launch, Silent Hill 2: PS5 remake.

During the State of Play livestream, the audience took a closer look at how the combat mechanics will look for Silent Hill 2, with a showcase of weapons, enemies, and some gameplay.

Silent Hill 2 is available for pre-purchase at $69.99 USD, with the item listed for release on Dec. 31, 2025. You can buy it today on Amazon.com, but beware: "almost" 2026 is really far from today. We'll update you if the game receives a closer release date.

Amazon.com price and details for Silent Hill 2 (Screenshot by esports.gg)
Amazon.com price and details for Silent Hill 2 (Screenshot by esports.gg)

A new edition of State of Play is scheduled for Feb. 6. Be sure to check esports.gg for more information on upcoming game releases!