How Long Is Silent Hill: Townfall?
Silent Hill: Townfall is a self-contained psychological horror game set on the fog-shrouded Scottish island of St. Amelia in 1996. The game features multiple endings, extensive exploration, and challenging puzzles. Depending on your playstyle, a single playthrough takes between 12 and 15 hours. Completionists aiming for all collectibles, all endings, and New Game Plus content should expect to spend 30+ hours. The game launches on September 24, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.
Main Story Completion Times
Based on playtesting across different styles, here are the completion times for a first playthrough:
| Playstyle | Completion Time | Ending Received |
|---|---|---|
| Story Mode (fast) | 12 hours 37 minutes | Abandoned |
| Thorough Exploration | 12 hours 55 minutes | Forever |
| Normal Difficulty (Reviewing) | 13 hours 36 minutes | Abandoned |
| Stealth/Cautious | 15 hours 15 minutes | Abandoned |
| Completionist (First Run) | 15 hours 8 minutes | Abandoned |
The fastest recorded clear time is 12 hours and 37 minutes on Story Mode, while the most thorough single playthrough clocks in at approximately 15 hours and 15 minutes.
Playstyle Breakdowns
### Story Mode - 12 Hours 37 Minutes
Playing on Story Mode makes enemies easier to defeat and increases supply availability in cupboards and drawers. This allows you to engage more enemies directly rather than avoiding them. One playtester recorded 105 kills on Story Mode, significantly more than other playstyles.
Story Mode does not reduce puzzle difficulty. Late-game puzzles, particularly the "auxiliary line B" puzzle, can add significant time even on the easiest difficulty. Expect to spend extra time figuring out solutions if you are not using a guide.
### Thorough Exploration - 12 Hours 55 Minutes
Aiming to find everything while playing on Normal/Hinted difficulty yields a completion time of roughly 13 hours. This approach involves checking every drawer, cabinet, and locked room while progressing through the story. On this playstyle, you will likely collect around 78-84 of the 85 possible discoveries and reach the "Forever" ending.
Hinted difficulty highlights important text in clue documents, making puzzles slightly easier to solve without fundamentally changing them.
### Stealth and Cautious - 15 Hours 15 Minutes
Townfall features fewer enemies and fewer options for eliminating them compared to other recent Silent Hill games. This design encourages a stealth-focused playstyle. Players who rely on bricks and bottles to distract enemies, hide in lockers and behind cover, and only engage when absolutely necessary will spend closer to 15 hours.
One stealth-focused playtester spent 4 minutes and 15 seconds hiding in lockers alone, with many more minutes behind cover, tracking enemies on the CRTV. Total kill count was only 76, with most kills occurring in the final chapters when pressure increases.
### Completionist First Run - 15 Hours 8 Minutes
A thorough completionist run, checking every room, collecting every document, and using every weapon, takes approximately 15 hours. This includes collecting around 80+ of the 85 discoveries, finding 9 of the 13 phone numbers, and racking up 92 kills. Even with thorough exploration, some optional rooms and collectibles may be missed on a first playthrough.
New Game Plus Times
New Game Plus becomes available after completing the game. On your second playthrough, you retain knowledge of all puzzle solutions and locker combinations, significantly reducing time spent on puzzles.
- Second run (pacifist/stealth): 8 hours 24 minutes with just 5 saves
- New Game Plus with new collectibles: Additional 12-13 hours to find new items and unlock secret endings
New Game Plus introduces new collectibles that were not available in the first playthrough. These include additional Strange Postcards, CRTV signals, and documents that unlock the two secret endings.
Total Time for All Content
To experience everything Silent Hill: Townfall has to offer:
| Content | Estimated Time |
|---|---|
| Main story (single playthrough) | 12-15 hours |
| Second playthrough (New Game Plus) | 8-13 hours |
| All 5 endings | 20-28 hours total |
| All 85 discoveries | Included in above times |
| All 18 CRTV signals | Included in above times |
| All 13 phone numbers | Included in above times |
| All 15 Strange Postcards | Included in above times |
| All trophies/achievements | 25-35 hours total |
What Affects Your Playtime
Several factors influence how long you will spend in St. Amelia:
Puzzle Solving: Townfall puzzles range from straightforward to extremely obtuse. The "auxiliary line B" puzzle is frequently cited as a major time sink, with some players spending nearly an hour on it. Using Hinted difficulty reduces this somewhat by highlighting key text.
Exploration Style: Players who check every room, read every document, and explore every corner will naturally take longer. The game has 85 discoveries (documents and clues), 13 phone numbers, 15 Strange Postcards, 18 CRTV signals, and 7 resource containers to find.
Combat vs. Stealth: Engaging enemies directly takes more time than avoiding them, but Story Mode makes combat faster. Stealth-focused players spend more time planning routes and waiting for enemy patrol patterns.
Difficulty Settings: Combat difficulty affects how quickly you defeat enemies. Puzzle difficulty does not change the puzzles themselves - Hinted mode simply highlights important text in documents.
Collectibles Overview
The game contains 138 total collectibles across 6 main parts and 17 sub-chapters:
- 85 Clues/Documents: Count toward "Discoveries" statistic, which influences endings
- 13 Phone Numbers: Scattered throughout St. Amelia
- 15 Strange Postcards: Hidden in various locations (do not reappear in New Game Plus)
- 18 CRTV Signals: Tuned in using the CRTV device
- 7 Resource Containers: Locked containers requiring puzzle solutions
Collectible progress is tracked between playthroughs, so you do not need to obtain everything in a single run for trophies. However, there is no visible in-game tracking for which collectibles you have already obtained (except Strange Postcards, which are visually distinct when collected).
Tips for Efficient Playthroughs
- First playthrough: Focus on the story and enjoy the experience. Play on Normal/Hinted difficulty for the recommended first-time experience.
- Save frequently: Use every phone booth. Tactical saving helps if you get stuck on puzzles.
- Read everything: Documents contain puzzle clues and contribute to your Discoveries count, which affects endings.
- Use the CRTV constantly: It guides you to objectives, reveals enemies, and unlocks signals.
- Second playthrough: Go for a different playstyle (stealth, pacifist, or combat-heavy) to experience a different ending.
- New Game Plus: Focus on new collectibles and secret endings. You will breeze through puzzles you already solved.
Is the Length Right for the Price?
At 12-15 hours for a main story playthrough, Townfall falls in the typical range for narrative horror games. The multiple endings and New Game Plus content add significant replay value. Community consensus is that the length feels appropriate for the experience, with many players noting they prefer 10-14 hours of quality gameplay over 20+ hours with filler content.
The game structure is somewhat similar to the Silent Hill 2 Remake, with town areas for collectible exploration but generally smaller areas with less to find. You cannot return to prior areas once you progress, so explore thoroughly before moving forward.