Free Silent Hill: The Short Message gets $70 physical disc release

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PlayStation 5 exclusive Silent Hill: The Short Message is getting a physical disc release

It's only available as part of a pricey deluxe version with some bonus physical items

The game is available completely for free digitally

An incredibly short, free Silent Hill spinoff is inexplicably getting a pricey physical release in a new collaboration between publisher Konami and distributor Limited Run Games.

A listing for a physical PlayStation 5 version of Silent Hill: The Short Message has appeared on the Limited Run website , offering fans the chance to get their hands on a disc copy of the game for the very first time.

The PS5 exclusive title, which only takes about two hours to beat, was first released digitally back in 2024 and is completely free to own on the console. If you haven't got your hands on it yet, you can add it to your library in just a few clicks via the PlayStation Store .

Given the fact that anyone can claim the full game at no cost, you might assume that this upcoming physical version would be quite cheap, but that is not the case. It's priced at a full $69.99 (roughly £52 / AU$101), the same as recent major first-party PS5 releases like Ghost of Yotei or Astro Bot .

(Image credit: Limited Run Games / Konami) To be fair, it is only being sold as part of a special limited edition deluxe version that throws in some additional physical goodies (a collector's box, art poster, flower keychain, set of art cards, and certificate of authenticity), but this still seems like a pretty steep price for a title previously valued at, well, nothing.

Silent Hill: The Short Message is an entirely standalone experience set in a fictional German town. It follows a young girl who explores an abandoned apartment building while being pursued by an unsettling, cherry blossom-themed monster.

Despite being completely free, it didn't receive the best reviews when it launched with a Metacritic score of just 52 out of 100. Common complaints from critics were directed towards its clumsy handling of serious topics like suicide and self-harm.

If you are a massive Silent Hill collector and do really want to get your hands on the physical version, it will become available to pre-order on July 10, with shipping expected to begin early next year.