Konami's upcoming game, Silent Hill f, has been refused classification in Australia, which currently prevents its sale in the country. However, this RC rating was issued by an automated rating system rather than the Australian Classification Board directly. Based on past cases, it is unlikely this decision will stand as the final ruling.
Konami does not handle its own game distribution in Australia, but IGN has reached out to its local distribution partner for a statement.
The exact reason for the RC rating has not yet been disclosed. Since the introduction of the R18+ category for video games in Australia in 2013, games are typically refused classification only if they include sexual content involving underage characters, depictions of sexual violence, or incentives linked to drug use. Back in 2008, Silent Hill: Homecoming was initially banned due to an intense torture scene—this happened before the R18+ rating existed. That title was later approved for release with an MA15+ rating after certain camera angles were adjusted.
What we do know is that the RC rating for Silent Hill f was assigned via an online tool managed by the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC). This platform is designed to help rate mobile and digital-only games. Developers fill out a questionnaire about the game’s content, and the tool automatically assigns age ratings based on the standards of each participating country. For Australia, the result is then uploaded directly to the National Classification Database.
In Australia, the automated IARC system is only used for digitally distributed titles. It was adopted in 2014 to handle the high volume of game releases—while the Classification Board was processing around 755 games per year, tens of thousands were appearing on platforms like the iOS App Store. There have been multiple cases where IARC-assigned ratings were stricter than those later given by human classifiers. For instance, in 2019, both Kingdom Come: Deliverance and We Happy Few were incorrectly reported as banned in Australia due to automatic IARC ratings.
The IARC tool is free, making it especially useful for smaller studios. That said, any physical release of a game in Australia must still be rated by the Classification Board directly. So if Silent Hill f is set to have a retail version, it would need to undergo a full Classification Board review in any case. The Board also reserves the right to override any IARC rating it disagrees with.
Game publishers in Australia can employ accredited classifiers or authorized assessors. Accredited classifiers are in-house staff trained by the Classification Board who can issue official ratings. Authorized assessors, by contrast, provide recommendations to the Board, which then makes the final decision.
At this stage, it’s too early to tell whether the RC rating for Silent Hill f will be upheld. What we do know is that the game has already received an 18+ rating in Japan—marking a first for the Silent Hill series.
