Official Silent Hill Subreddit: Discussions, Memes, News, Art and more! Enter at your own risk… best to stay clear of the fog.
UPDATED GUIDE! [Oct. 22, 2022]
(for ALL Silent Hill titles, 1999-2014)
I will not be answering questions here anymore. Please post to the new guide.
IMPORTANT!The DLLInjector.exe is NOT required or included in Steam006's Fix as of version 2.3.0.Thank you, Insidigaze!
EDIT:Still works in 2022! Intended for Windows 10, not tested on Windows 11.
EDIT 2:According to MarioTainaka, Steam006's fix has been 'overhauled'. Have not been able to confirm yet, but may affect the installation process below which was written using Silent Hill 3 Pc Fix 2.0.6. I'll look into it when I have time.
SILENT HILL 3 is my favorite of the series and I want to keep it alive as long as possible. I'm always after that 'Enhanced Edition' style that the SH2:EE team put together for the predecessor.
But until something like that is compiled, I wanted to make a quick guide on all the easiest ways to play in August 2021.
[This includes: widescreen, FOV fixes, out-of-the-box controller support for Xbox and DS4 controllers, restore missing content such as SH2 Easter eggs and Harry and Lisa VOs, as well as many other under-the-hood fixes and options.]
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
-
Get a disc image (.iso) of SILENT HILL 3.(Trymyabandonware.com.) -
Mount said image.DAEMON Tools Litewill do the trick. -
Open the disc image after mounting, runsetup.exe -
DO NOT INSTALL IN PROGRAM FILES! There will be permissions issues and will save incorrectly. Make a custom directory somewhere else. (Example:C:\Games\Konami\SILENT HILL 3) -
Get theNo-DVD-Patch. [Password:gbw] Extract .rar (withWinRaror similar). Copy/replace thesh3.exein your install directory. -
DownloadSilent Hill 3 PC Fix by Steam006. Extract .rar. Copy the contents to your install directory. [Password:pcgw] -
If using a controller, downloadXInput Plus. Extract .rar, runXInputPlus.exe. -
In the 'Target Program' box, click 'Select' and navigate to your install directory and selectsh3.exe. -
Click the 'Direct Input' tab and check 'Enable DirectInput Output'. -
Under the tabs 'Basic' --> 'Key Reassign', change:Right Stick-->ZAxis/ZRotDPAD -->Button 13-16[PlayStation controllers ONLY]LT/RT-->Button 11/12Click 'Apply' on the bottom-right. -
Run the game throughDLLInjector.exein your install directory. -
Done! -
Check below if you're having issues.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Issues I had:
-
IfDLLInjector.exefails to appear (from Steam006's Fix), Windows may be deleting it for you as part of anti-malware and antivirus protection. This is a false-positive. There are many ways to go around this but depends on your level of comfort of internet security.
My method involves going to: Windows Security --> Virus & threat protection --> Virus & threat protection settings, Manage settings --> Exclusions, Add or remove exclusions --> Add exclusion, file type, enter extension: .exe, Add.
2. Bindings suck. Bindings also don't like to be changed in-game. Edit them in the key.ini filefound in your install directory (example: C:\Games\Konami\SILENT HILL 3\savedata\key.ini).
You may have to run the game before it appears. If you'd rather not mess with it, here's mine that mimics the PS2 layout. I use a DS4 (PS4) controller.
I also recommend adding your DLLInjector.exe as a non-Steam game to Steam so you can utilize any controller as an XInput controller (such as the Nintendo Switch Pro controller).
The above may or may not work. I've had mixed results. Xinput will work just fine but DS4 controllers may need Steam or similar. Nintendo Switch Pro was wonky in my tests.
Ideally, the less layers you have, the better. If you're getting multiple inputs with a single button press or other unexpected behavior, make sure you only have ONE controller input layer. DS4Windows or other Xinput converters should not be used with Steam.
Fix Wishlist:
The PC version is almost perfect in my book. Just a few changes here and there and it'd be comparably (if not nearly as impressive of an achievement) as SH2:EE. This is just me dreaming and bubbling.
-
DOF is too weak. Many obscured elements in the original game are too clearly in focus. -
Too bright. Adjusting gamma doesn't help. (Reshade does!) -
Static images are stretched in 16:9 instead of their native 4:3. -
Text is very low resolution. Borrow from SH2:EE? -
Sound is lower pitch and compressed. Can be fixed with theSilent Hill 3 Audio Enhancement Pack by Mario Tainakabut requires a lot of finagling and is incompatible with Steam006's more comprehensive fixes. -
Change text of memo in Brookhaven referencing the "Hope House". Should be corrected to "Wish House". Fixed. -
No soft shadows. -
Typo: Subway - "There are a stepladder and wheelbarrows..." Should be: "There is a stepladder and a wheelbarrow..." Fixed. -
Split Worm, dust cloud when it dies dissipates much too quickly (original bug?).
Yeah, it's a shame SH3 doesn't have an enhanced edition community patch like SH2 does. I did exactly what you did and it runs fine but there is room for more in one neat little package.
SH2:EE was/is a lot of work. Apparently they’re getting together one neat little installer soon. And that’s after years of pulling apart ancient code.
I just kinda hope, when it’s done and dusted, the discoveries made can be transferred to SH3, them being in (almost) the same exact code.
Well this is convenient, I was literally just today wondering what the best way to play SH3 was on PC.
Thank you for assembling this, it looks to be a fantastic resource.
You’re welcome! It was quite a pain to get running correctly. Wished that someone would’ve saved me that pain and written an simple guide.
Guess that person’s me ;)
Okay can confirm that this still works as of June 10th, 2022.
Decided to give it a spin on my low end PC and working mostly fine, no issues except for me needing to configure my controls.
Thanks for the confirmation!
Steam006 did a lot of updating and I haven't had time to redo the install.
Do the control config instructions not hold up anymore?
I used the Steam006 file that was linked. I'm unsure if they are the updated files.
The controller config seems to work, but not exactly the same as everyone else's? I think my bindings are mixed up cause my map is Square and my flashlight is Triangle on my DS4. I don't remember the exact PS2 bindings, but I did follow the instructions given.
I'll tinker with it after I've figured the exact original bindings.
Yes, the link to Steam006’s Fix is updated.
You can try and use my bindings (linked in OP) to see if it works. Otherwise, the original binds are:
X = Action/Attack
[ ] = Run/Block
O = Flashlight
/\ = Map
L1/R1 = Strafe Left/Right
R2 = Ready Weapon
L2 = Search (Look Cam)
Start = Pause Menu
Select = Inventory
R3/L3 = N/A
Make sure to edit these in the key.ini file. Doing so in-game can often break binds. Also, make sure that Steam or other third party software isn’t affecting your inputs.
Alright no prob, thank you. I'll check it out when I get some free time and I'll give an update on my findings.
I's possible to change the resolution of the game and the aspect ratio?
Yes, though I don’t have the specific answer in front of me.
Steam006’s fix comes with an .ini file for custom settings. By default, it’ll try to match your screen when the value is set at ‘0’, but you can put in what you need for resolution and FOV manually, too.
There is the word ''trojan'' in the files, which is picked up as a virus by windows. Kinda creeps me out.
Which files?
EDIT: I should clarify that if you're following the guide exactly, this is a false-positive and is described in the guide above.
I hope you guys can help me.
I installed everything like you said, but I cant get the LT/RT to work.
I used a PS3 controller... and confirmed that the buttons worked.
But it just wont work in the game/options :(
DS3 (DualShock3; PS3) controllers are very tricky to make work with PC. It’s possible that the button mapping config file I provided for DS4 doesn’t have the same maps as DS3 and therefore don’t work.
First, make sure you’re not editing the controls in-game. That’ll make your game bug the heck out. You need to change them in the key.ini file. It’s likely that your L2/R2 are just mapped wrong in this file. If all the other buttons work, try playing with numbers that aren’t assigned to other buttons already and see what works.
Let me know what kind of results you’re getting and I’ll try to help more if I can.
EDIT: I don’t think the Xinput install guide works for DS3 controllers unless you also go with another program that converts DS3 to Xbox/Xinput inputs. At that point, there may be too many layers to work effectively.
I need help! When I mount the ISO image there is no "setup.exe" only a bin file and some other files and folders. I didn't find the solution in the internet.
The most likely reason in my mind is that you don't have the correct version. There is a CD version which comes on multiple discs/images and a DVD version. You want the DVD version. The one I'm using and wrote the guide for is this one.
If it has been mounted correctly, setup.exe will be in the root of the disc directory.
Sorry this seems like an old post, but I gotta ask. Ages back I got the game working with the fixes and such, really no issue. But I ran into that slowdown issue even with the steam006 patch. I managed to fix it back then and help the effect by tweaking Nvidia settings, but now that I have a new (better) machine to run the game on, it's giving me the same issues again. I managed to mostly play it down but it still slows down in the starting area, I assume from the fog, and stutters a bit if I get big parts of a level in frame, like that first hall in the mall, and the service hallway after the first enemy cutscene. Thankfully not much slowdown here, but I'm afraid of it popping back up again.
This laptop has a gtx1050 ti in it, it should have less issues than my older one, but old games tend to be pesky on new machines regardless
I haven’t run into any slowdown on my machine (GTX 1660 Ti). The game runs best no higher than 60fps iirc. If you’re trying to get anything higher, it may cause issues.
As far as I’m aware, slowdown is only an issue with SH3 HD (PS3/360). At worst, you should be capped at 30fps. Look in your .ini files for the fixes where you’ve installed the game. There may be a frame limited option to cap it at 60fps. With such a good GPU, it may be trying to hit 200+ which is causing engine issues.
My best guesses anyway. I can look into it more if you like.
I can't get steam006's fix to run with the audio enhancement pack, despite closely following the installation tutorial in the audio pack page. When I launch the game through reloaded, it just launches with the audio enhancement pack but no steam006 fix. Launching through dllinjector.exe works, but then I get no audio fix (obviously).
This was noted in the wishlist fix section but I probably should’ve mentioned it in the guide proper. I actually haven’t found a solution to this yet and it’s probably the biggest issue with the PC version.
I have heard it’s possible to get them to play nice but if there’s a way, I don’t know it :(
That's a shame. It's weird that the audio pack was updated recently and it seems pretty clear it should work with steam006 fix. Oh, well. If I have to choose between the two, guess I'm gonna play with bad audio.
Well, if the SH2:EE are as close to done as they seem to be, we may see them iron these bugs out on SH3 one day. (There’s nothing confirmed about it and don’t bug them about it though.)
Yeah I did everything you said, but the controls are really out of whack. (using xbox controller)
For example, to ready an attack or aim a gun, instead of a right bumper it uses the START button, to open the inventory it wants me to press the left analogue stick, to open the main menu I have to press the right analogue stick, I haven't worked up the courage to find the button that actually opens the map lol. Just some really wonky stuff.
Not sure if my computers security is messing with xinput, because it doesn't appear to save any of the changes to the controls you had listed up above in step 10.
I did end up playing for over an hour with these wonky controls because most combat can be avoided, but it just feels wonky as hell and I'm gonna need to find a way to fix it before I can fully enjoy the game, which is a shame.
Check to see if there are other programs effecting your inputs. If you have Steam or another game launcher even open in the background, it’ll still register inputs and mess with things.
Also, don’t use my config file with an Xinput controller as I built it around a DS4 controller. If needs be, open the .ini and edit the inputs manually, taking notes on what number does what.
That all said, if you did a clean method exactly as specified above with Steam (or anything that effects inputs) closed, it should work.
There's another reddit post where the dude/lass changed controls in game, and showed the pictures. I replicated what he did and made some slight changes and now it works.
https://www.reddit.com/r/silenthill/comments/gwxb16/silent_hill_3_xbox_controller_bindings/
his/her pictures aren't there anymore for some reason but his/her layout worked for the most part.
Cool. Was the issue resolved for you?
yeah it works. Some of the controls are still ```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````messed up, but most of the button layout feels normal.
I did all the button changes in game, didn't get any glitches from changing the controls in game like you said there would. Just needed the right buttons and it worked.
Thanks.
THANKS!
Thank you, absolute chad. All the other guides had something missing in them (a file or didn't work), but that did the trick.
You’re welcome. Glad it worked!
hey, when i used your key.ini file to get the ps2 bindings i got the O and [] buttons working as turning on and off the flashlight but he O button also works as the attack button, its there a way to fix that?
i havent played the game on the ps2 but i dont think the O button was intended to turn the flashlight on and off and also work as the attack button
tyvm anyway for making this guide, as somebody who has never played a sh game on pc this was very helpful
Edit: forgot to mention im using a ds4 controller with ds4windows as an xbox 360 controller, if that matters
The DS4 controller *should* work right out of the box with xinput. If you've followed the instructions, you should be good to go already. Using your controller through ds4windows adds another layer to inputs which is probably why the game is confused.
If you're running it through Steam or another platform like it, it may be getting inputs from both Steam and Silent Hill 3 (AND ds4windows) which makes the button maps an absolute mess. Try to use as few programs as possible and if it's not part of the instructions, do not use it.
In case if helps, default PS2 mapping is:
X = Action
O = Flashlight
[ ] = Run
▲ = Map
Thanks for the thorough guide. I have a problem though. While I managed to keep my antivirus from deleting the DLLInjector, whenever I launch it, nothing happens. Any Ideas on why it's not working?
hey man
did u find a solution ?
Double check that it has all its dependencies. The DLLInjector.exe also requires the Silent_Hill_3_PC_Fix.dll and other related files that came with it. Without, it won't launch. All those files need to be placed in the root of the Silent Hill 3 directory (C://Example/Konami/SilentHill3)
You may also need to run DLLInjector.exe as Admin. It's a common procedure, let me know if you don't know how to do that.
Says Trojan Virus for Steam006’s fix, is this a false-positive? As of now I just removed it, Silent Hill 3 looks really cool (never played it), but following your instructions I don’t want to skip a step and have it not work.
Yes, it is a false-positive. The issue is with the DLLInjector.exe file. I made a note about possible solutions just below the final instruction bullet point.
Okay, thanks.
For whatever reason the game doesn't show up as a selectable window for my streamlabs am I doing something incorrectly
I’ve had this issue with OBS as well. I had to record using the whole screen instead of the window itself but it was possible.
I don’t remember right now but I think there might be a borderless windowed in Steam006’s fix via the .ini file that might help as well.
I got it to work I just had to close the file explorer on my pc
had few problems, thanks to you it have been solved!
You're welcome! Glad I could help.
Hi, I have Steam006's fix installed along with everything else from this tutorial and I noticed the shadows are a bit wonky and dont always display right. Was wondering if this is a fixable issue or just a known issue with the pc port.
I'm not sure, but I do know that self-shadowing (ex: Heather's head casting shadows on her vest, herself) and soft shadows don't work correctly. As far as I know, this is an issue with either the PC port itself or because the effects are supposed to work at much lower resolutions and therefore are diminished so much that it is imperceptible.
So it sounds like you've installed it correctly.
XD Thanks for the quick response. I'll try lowering the shadow resolution in the fix's ini file and see if i notice a difference
I think it's actually the display resolution. The game was intended to render at 480p without widescreen, but the PC version with the fixes will go to practically whatever resolution modern PCs want.
I've been following the development of SH2: Enhanced Edition for a while and when they were struggling to resolve some glow and soft shadow issues, it turned out to be partially dependent on display resolution, higher resolutions essentially "thinning" out the effects. SH3 runs the same code so it's probably the same issue.
EDIT: Also, here's a random award because I got a freebie and don't really hang out on Reddit too much.
So I’m relatively new to pc gaming and I just wanted to double check that the dllinjector is indeed not a Trojan like my comp is sayin? Can anyone confirm please
I noted this above in the instructions (Issues I Had) that that specific file will always flag as a false-positive by nature of it being an .exe file which are a common file type to associate with viruses.
However, DLLInjector.exe is 100% clean and safe.
Thank you
I'm in the same shoes as you right now, and I see you've trusted it, so I just wanted to confirm you've had no issues.
No issues at all
Every site I have used to try and unzip the No-DVD-Patch says that the files are corrupted, did anyone else have this problem or is something going wrong on my end? I just cant get it to work.
You may be entering the password incorrectly and it’s unzipping wrong or your anti-virus is deleting something automatically with out telling you.
It should work just fine with most archiving software but I only tested this using WinRAR.
It runs really slow on FMV's but it catch up the fps' again on regular gameplay, how i fix this?
I haven't encountered this issue myself, but it may be something to do with your video playback encoders, or the processing speed of your CPU is too slow or too fast which is causing sync issues.
Silent Hill 3 only has 3 FMVs if I recall correctly and arguably none of them are essential to play the game. It's the intro trailer, the credits, and the joke ending. The rest are in-engine. If you still need it solved because that opening track is too much of a banger (for real though), I can look into it.
I would like to at least look at the full intro lol but it freezes at some point except for the audio, but anyway, maybe it's better that way cuz in good SH fashion they have some spoilers on it
Really weird it's giving you trouble. Do you have (I think it's) DirectX 8 installed? Might help. But otherwise I have no idea. I do know that the PCSX2 emulated PS2 version had a similar issue but I'm not sure if it's related.
The intro isn't very spoiler-y at all. Teasers without context maybe, but no spoilers.
I'm not sure which DirectX version i currently have but i'll try 8, btw, i just entered the section where there's a fan and in the next room there's a bunch of bugs flying, that whole part makes the fps drop dramatically, crazy slowdowns
So, i tried to install DirectX from setup but nothing happens, then tried to download and install manually DirectX 8.1 and couldn't for compatibility issues with Windows 8, what should i do?
Nevermind, i just moved some options on the PC fix block note and it worked ! even tho intro freeze still happens
hey i was wondering what does No-DVD-Patch do????
By default, SH3.exe checks to make sure you have a valid disc in your disc drive. The No-DVD-Patch makes this unnecessary so it can be run entirely digitally.
Comment deleted by user
The original didn't use the R3 or L3 buttons, so I mapped them to something useful instead. Thought they were heal and reload like SH2, but I don't remember.
If you wanna remove them, you still can in the .ini. There's no harm in leaving them, though.
Comment deleted by user
The .ini I uploaded is correct to the original PS2 orientation. You do not need DS4 Windows or Steam to play it. Doing so will just confuse the game and have random inputs. XBOX controllers should also work fine. Nintendo Pro Controller or others may give you grief and I can't give much advice to solve issues related to those controllers.
Also, make sure you've installed XInput correctly as I've described above.
If you want confirmation, the official manual for PS2 is here.
(I think I suggested to run it through Steam. I should correct that.)
Thanks for the write up!!!!
You’re welcome!
I had the game running fine launching through DLLinjector. After I added 3 files to the game path folder (sh3proxy, enbseries, and d3d8.dll) the game crashes on the first white screen of launching through the DLL injector.. but the game does run through the regular SH3 launcher. Can ENB and DLL not co-exist? Thanks
I don’t run ENB so that’s the only thing that I could think of. Reshade works fine as an alternative last I played.
Was workin my way through the games and couldn't find anything on how to run SH3, thank you so much! :D
You’re welcome! Glad I could help!
just finished doing what you said and it run nicely, thanks!!
and also thanks you for the https://www.myabandonware.com/ site suggest, im lovin it!
Great guide!
Unfortunately, the key.ini doesn't appear to me.
Says it’s still live on my end, there may just have been a server issue. It’ll take you to a download page then you need to click the blue download icon from there to get it.
If it still doesn’t work, reply to this post and I’ll copy it to pastebin or something for you.
Oh, sorry! I mean the key.ini on my installation folder.
I downloaded your key.ini, but without the one in my folder, I can't substitute.
Your key.ini file should appear after running the game for the first time, but shouldn’t matter if you replace it before or after.
I've played for one hour, and have created some saves - still no key.ini on the folders. Tried to paste the downloaded key.ini on the folders (even without anything to replace), but still no changes to the bindings. :(
Also, thanks for the help so far!
I can't download the game from that page, It just doesn't download, any other links?
It may be blocked in your country (use a VPN to bypass this issue) or else if you’re getting the download, it’s just going super slow, it’s just their servers and you’ll have to wait (took me three hours once).
I don’t have another link that I know for sure is safe, but look for the European DVD version.
DW I got it from a torrent leech website, thanks anyways, I don't think it's by my country but maybe