Silent Hill Townfall PC Controls: What Makes This Game Different
Silent Hill Townfall PC controls cover first-person movement, stealth, melee combat, firearm use, CRTV interaction, and inventory management across a rebindable keyboard and mouse input system. Developed by Screen Burn Interactive (formerly No Code) and published by Konami and Annapurna Interactive, Silent Hill Townfall launched on September 24, 2026 for PC (Steam and Epic Games Store) and PS5. No Xbox version was announced or released.
Townfall is the first Silent Hill game set in Europe, placing protagonist Simon Ordell in the fog-covered fictional Scottish island town of St. Amelia in 1996. The game plays entirely in first-person, a deliberate choice Screen Burn made to justify the CRTV mechanic: looking down at the handheld CRT television device physically pulls your camera away from the environment, creating a genuine perceptual vulnerability that no third-person setup could replicate.
The Silent Hill Townfall control scheme reflects this design philosophy. Every input connects to a survival decision rather than a reflex test. You are not managing a combat rotation. You are managing attention, noise, and light.
Stat: Silent Hill Townfall launched as the first entry in Konami’s Silent Hill Anthology series of standalone spin-offs. Screen Burn’s previous titles, Stories Untold and Observation, were both first-person narrative games, making Townfall a direct extension of that studio’s established input design rather than an adaptation of third-person horror conventions.
Silent Hill Townfall PC Keyboard Controls: Default Layout
Silent Hill Townfall keyboard controls on PC are fully rebindable through Settings > Controls in the main menu. The game uses a first-person layout where WASD handles movement, the mouse controls camera and aim, and a cluster of single keys handles item use, stealth actions, and the CRTV.
Movement and Exploration Keybinds
| Action | Default Key |
| Move Forward | W |
| Move Backward | S |
| Strafe Left | A |
| Strafe Right | D |
| Sprint | Left Shift |
| Crouch / Sneak | Left Ctrl |
| Jump | Space |
| Interact / Examine | E |
| Move Camera | Mouse |
Combat Keybinds
Townfall does not treat combat as the primary skill expression. Resources are scarce and the game actively rewards avoiding fights over winning them. When combat does occur, the keyboard layout keeps attack inputs on the mouse and secondary actions on nearby keys.
| Action | Default Key |
| Light Attack / Fire Weapon | Left Mouse Button |
| Aim / Focus | Right Mouse Button |
| Block / Raise Guard | Q |
| Swap Weapon / Item | F |
| Use / Consume Item | R |
| Healing Item | H |
Stealth and Evasion Keybinds
Stealth inputs in Silent Hill Townfall use the crouch key as the foundation for all hide-in-shadow mechanics. Crouching while stationary near cover causes Simon to press against surfaces and reduces his detection profile. Enemies with dynamic stalking behavior track sound as well as sight, making footstep volume as important as visual concealment.
| Action | Default Key |
| Crouch (enter stealth) | Left Ctrl |
| Hold Breath (reduce noise) | Left Alt |
| Peek / Lean Left | Q (held, while crouched) |
| Peek / Lean Right | E (held, while crouched) |
| Throw Distraction Object | G |
CRTV Keybinds
The CRTV is Simon’s handheld pocket television, the central mechanic of Silent Hill Townfall and a direct evolution of the classic Silent Hill radio. Raising the CRTV tilts Simon’s view downward to see the screen, sacrificing peripheral vision entirely while the device is active. On PC, the CRTV works through key input rather than physical motion control, which is the primary difference from the PS5 version.
| Action | Default Key |
| Raise / Lower CRTV | Tab |
| Tune CRTV Signal (increase) | Scroll Wheel Up |
| Tune CRTV Signal (decrease) | Scroll Wheel Down |
| Analyze Signal / Interact with Broadcast | E (while CRTV is raised) |
Pro Tip: Never raise the CRTV in an open area or when the signal is degrading heavily. Looking down at the device removes your peripheral vision for the duration. Reserve active CRTV use for moments when you have already confirmed a safe space behind you. The binaural audio system in Townfall gives you enough directional sound information to know when it is safe to look down.
Inventory and Menu Hotkeys
| Action | Default Key |
| Open Inventory | I |
| Open Map | M |
| Pause Menu | Esc |
| Journal / Notes | J |
| Quick Save | F5 |
| Quick Load | F9 |
Silent Hill Townfall PS5 Controller Layout
Silent Hill Townfall on PS5 supports DualSense haptics, adaptive triggers, and gyro motion controls. The gyro control is specifically tied to the CRTV mechanic: physically tilting the DualSense mimics tilting the pocket television to tune its signal frequency, a feature that has no direct keyboard equivalent on PC. PS5 also uses adaptive trigger resistance during firearm use and haptic feedback tied to CRTV signal strength.
| Action | PS5 Button |
| Move | Left Stick |
| Camera | Right Stick |
| Sprint | L3 (Left Stick Click) |
| Crouch / Sneak | Circle |
| Jump | Cross |
| Interact / Examine | Square |
| Light Attack / Fire | R2 |
| Aim / Focus | L2 |
| Raise / Lower CRTV | L1 |
| Tune CRTV (gyro) | Tilt DualSense |
| Block / Guard | R1 |
| Swap Weapon / Item | Triangle |
| Throw Distraction | D-Pad Down |
| Healing Item | D-Pad Up |
| Open Inventory | Touchpad (Left Press) |
| Open Map | Touchpad (Right Press) |
| Pause Menu | Options |
Stat: Silent Hill Townfall is one of the few Silent Hill titles in the franchise’s history to launch without Akira Yamaoka as composer. The score was handled by Pilotpriest, whose background in analog electronic and cassette-tape-influenced sound design aligned with the game’s 1996 aesthetic and CRTV signal horror.
Platform Availability and Input Summary
| Platform | Input Method | Rebind Support |
| PC (Steam) | Keyboard and Mouse | Full per-key rebinding in Settings > Controls |
| PC (Epic Games Store) | Keyboard and Mouse | Full per-key rebinding in Settings > Controls |
| PC (Steam) | PS5 / Xbox Controller (via Steam Input) | Limited to preset layouts |
| PS5 | DualSense | DualSense features including gyro, haptics, adaptive triggers |
Silent Hill Townfall does not have an Xbox Series X/S version. No Xbox release was announced alongside the PC and PS5 launch. PC players who prefer a controller can connect a DualSense or Xbox pad through Steam Input, but they will not access the DualSense-specific gyro tuning feature that the PS5 version uses for the CRTV.
How the CRTV Changes Your Control Priorities
The Silent Hill Townfall CRTV control is the input most players underestimate in their first hour. Raising the device with Tab takes your mouse focus off the environment. While the CRTV screen shows enemy outlines through walls and surfaces, you cannot simultaneously scan your surroundings. Enemy behavior in Townfall responds to player movement noise and light, not only to line of sight, which means an enemy can approach from behind while you read a CRTV broadcast.
The game does not use a traditional minimap or HUD enemy indicator. Every piece of threat information passes through the CRTV. Learning when to raise it and when to put it down is the central skill of Silent Hill Townfall, and the keyboard controls reflect that priority: Tab raises and lowers the device on a single press with no hold requirement, keeping the action fast enough to manage reactively.
Pro Tip: Healing items in Silent Hill Townfall require an uninterrupted animation to consume. Pressing H begins the healing sequence and any damage or movement interrupts it. Find a closed room, confirm no active enemy signals on the CRTV, then heal. Attempting to heal mid-chase wastes the item and the animation window.
How to Rebind Silent Hill Townfall PC Controls
Townfall keybind remapping opens through Esc > Settings > Controls on PC. Every listed action supports a custom key assignment. Click the action, press your preferred key, and the game saves the change. Leaving an action without a key assigned produces a warning on exit from the menu.
Controller players on PC cannot remap individual buttons through the in-game menu. Steam Input provides per-button controller customization for all pad types before the game launches, which is the recommended route for players who want a custom layout beyond the default.
Silent Hill Townfall PC vs PS5: Which Controls Are Better
Keyboard and mouse gives faster camera reaction and more precise aiming with the pistol, making individual combat encounters slightly more manageable when they occur. The mouse also enables faster inventory navigation through the game’s item management system.
The PS5 DualSense version holds one significant advantage: gyro-based CRTV tuning. Physically tilting the controller to tune frequencies is more intuitive than the keyboard scroll-wheel tuning method, and the haptic feedback tied to signal strength gives an additional sensory layer that the PC version communicates only through audio.
Neither input method is objectively superior for the whole game. Keyboard and mouse players who struggle with the CRTV scroll-wheel tuning can plug in a DualSense through Steam Input and use gyro on PC, though the haptics and adaptive triggers will not function in that configuration.
FAQ
What are the default Silent Hill Townfall PC controls?
Silent Hill Townfall uses WASD for movement, Left Shift to sprint, Left Ctrl to crouch and enter stealth, Space to jump, E to interact, Tab to raise and lower the CRTV, Left Mouse Button to attack or fire, Right Mouse Button to aim, and F5 / F9 for quick save and quick load.
How do you use the CRTV in Silent Hill Townfall on PC?
Press Tab to raise the CRTV. While the device is raised, use Scroll Wheel Up and Scroll Wheel Down to tune the signal frequency. Press E to interact with or analyze a broadcast signal. Lower the CRTV with Tab again to restore full camera view. Never tune the CRTV in an open area, as the device blinds your peripheral vision for the entire duration it is active.
Can you rebind Silent Hill Townfall keyboard controls?
Yes. All Silent Hill Townfall keyboard and mouse controls are fully rebindable through Esc > Settings > Controls. Click any listed action and press the new key to assign it. The game warns you if you exit the menu with a required action left unbound.
Is Silent Hill Townfall on Xbox?
No. Silent Hill Townfall launched on September 24, 2026 for PC (Steam and Epic Games Store) and PS5 only. No Xbox Series X/S version was announced. PC players can use Xbox controllers through Steam Input, but the game has no native Xbox platform release.
Does Silent Hill Townfall support a controller on PC?
Yes, through Steam Input. DualSense and Xbox pads connect and function on PC. The gyro-based CRTV tuning that the PS5 version uses through DualSense motion does not carry over to PC with full haptic or adaptive trigger support, though basic gyro function may work depending on your Steam Input configuration.
What is stealth in Silent Hill Townfall and how do the controls work?
Pressing Left Ctrl crouches Simon and activates stealth movement. While crouched and stationary near a darkened area or cover, Simon presses against the surface to reduce his visual profile. Holding Left Alt reduces footstep noise further. Enemies in Townfall track sound as well as sight, so both crouch and breath-hold inputs matter during active evasion. Throw a distraction object with G to redirect enemy attention before repositioning.
How do you heal in Silent Hill Townfall?
Press H to use a healing item. The action begins an uninterrupted animation that leaves Simon completely vulnerable. Any damage or forced movement during the animation cancels the heal and wastes the item. Always confirm a secure location using the CRTV before healing, and close any door or barrier behind you before starting the animation.