4. Silent Hill 4: The Room - PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC (2004)
P.T. was a shock to the system for Silent Hill fans and horror enthusiasts in general, but The Room planted the series' first-person seeds a decade in advance. Players occupy an apartment throughout the game, which they frequently return to and explore in first-person between each stint of ho-hum third-person exploration (including potentially the most unremarkable subway stage in any video game). These segments are the highlight of the game, starting out benign and toying with the players' familiarity with the small space by throwing in subtle surprises. My favorite moment involves peeping through a voyeuristic hole in the wall to see a stuffed rabbit in the distance, only to return and notice that the lifeless toy is now right in front of the hole and staring back at you. These disturbing little occurrences inject a memorable level of unease into an otherwise tired iteration of the franchise's formula.

3. Silent Hill 3 - PlayStation 2, PC (2003)
The third spot on our list fittingly belongs to the third entry in the series. The daughter of the first game's Harry Mason returns in a leading role, trying to discover what's happened to her father as reality shifts around her. Silent Hill 3 upholds many of the gameplay conventions laid down by Silent Hill 2, and the familiar combat and puzzle structures proved less exciting the third time around. Unlike Silent Hill 2, which examined the unreliable psyche of the protagonist, Silent Hill 3's weaker story focuses more on the confusing history of the town. While the gameplay and plot aren't entirely original or exciting, Silent Hill 3 provides some of the series' most memorably unsettling moments. These moments include a gruesomely unconventional birth and a scare featuring mannequin violence that I'll never forget.

2. Silent Hill - PlayStation (1999)
Konami's first foray into survival horror is still one of the best in the genre. Silent Hill hides the miserably short draw distance of its creepy, sprawling town by leaning into dark locations – a fog effect that both masks the technological shortcomings while establishing an unforgettable atmosphere. By today's standards, the grainy textures and chunky polygonal character models are rough, but the overall vision is as cohesive and freaky as ever. Few horror fans will forget the first time they heard the air raid sirens sound as the already-terrifying elementary school descends into a Jacob's Ladder-style horror, with rusty chain-linked fences, and blood-splattered lockers. The first boss battle brutally conveys that things are always more horrifying than they seem; a giant, plodding lizard boss seems like a reasonably predictably challenge until its maw suddenly splits in half vertically, spreading wide to consume and instantly kill Harry Mason in one bite. Hope you saved recently.

Silent Hill excels at keeping players unnerved from beginning to end, but several design innovations separated the game from the rest of the burgeoning survival horror pack at the time. The static of a seemingly broken radio becomes an invaluable tool for identifying when monstrous skins dogs or ghostly, knife-wielding children are nearby. Harry automatically jots down notes about locked doors and special rooms on an invaluably detailed map as players explore. The puzzles are also challenging without being downright illogical, like a piano puzzle that tasks players with hitting broken keys while using a poem about silent birds as a clue. From the unpredictable environments to twitching monsters, Silent Hill's influence is still seen in the horror genre today. Even better, it paved the way for one of the best horror games ever made...

1. Silent Hill 2 - PlayStation 2, Xbox (2001)
The first Silent Hill rocked fans of survival horror with its full 3D environments, moody town streets, and horrifyingly unstable world. Silent Hill 2 improved on all these elements with the graphical boost enabled by the move to the PS2, but it also delivered a more powerful and relatable story than its predecessor. Silent Hill 2 begins as James Sunderland arrives in town, motivated to visit after receiving a letter from his dead wife. The circumstances of her death and their relationship is unclear at first, but as the nerve-rattling game progresses, the layers of the onion are peeled back and we come to realize that James' relationship with his ailing wife is much more complicated than it initially seems.

This intriguing, deceptively simple premise sets the stage for a chilling trek through Silent Hill. Early in the game, James encounters a tall, menacing figure with a huge triangular hunk of metal over its head wielding a gigantic blade. This recurring creature, named Pyramid Head, pursues James for much of the journey, and every encounter with him is a tense escape or fight for survival. These pulse-pounding moments are offset by uncharacteristically serene segments, like paddling across a placid, foggy lake to the hotel James and his wife visited on their honeymoon.

Silent Hill 2's deceptively basic premise, stiff-yet-capable combat system, and unrelenting sense of unease make it a must-play classic for anyone who wants to know just how terrifying video games can get. There's good reason we gave Silent Hill 2 the number two slot in our list of the Top 25 Greatest Horror Games of All Time.

For more ranked lists of entire series, read our features highlighting the Castlevania and Resident Evil series.