10 Star Ranking

The 10 Star Ranking is a feature in the first four Silent Hill games, with the exception of the Born from a Wish scenario. Earning a 10 Star Rank is a difficult challenge, as there are many constraints and requirements involved.

Silent Hill
Earning a 10 Star Rank results in the best Hyper Blaster upgrade (green).

Requirements

 * Mode: Normal or Hard (due to needing 5+ game clears, Hard difficulty is necessary)
 * Game clear: 5 or more
 * Ending: Good+
 * Saves: 0, 1 or 2
 * Continues: 0 or 1
 * Total time: Under 1 hour and 30 minutes
 * Walking distance: Doesn't matter
 * Running distance: Doesn't matter
 * Items: At least 150 out of 204 and 5 or 6 special items
 * Defeated enemy by: 30+ points from the formula (A + B / 2) / (5 + C), where A and B are "by fighting" and "by shooting"; the bigger counts as B and the lesser counts as A, and C is (attacks with bonus weapons - game clears * 5 - 15). C can't be less than 0. Examples: with 80 by fighting, 140 by shooting and 30 "bonus"-attacks, the formula will be (80 + 140 / 2) / (5 + 0) = 30. With 120 by fighting, 100 by shooting, 45 "bonus"-attacks and 5 game clears, the formula will be (100 + 120 / 2) / (5 + 5) = 16.
 * Shooting style: 1+ points from the formula (short range shots + middle range shots * 2 + long range shots * 3 - no aiming shots * 4). No aiming shots are missed bullets, missed shotgun pellets and Hyper Blaster shots.

Tips

 * Increase "bullet adjust" in the Extra Options menu as high as possible. Bullet adjust can be increased up to 6x by getting all the endings.
 * Guns should only be readied when the player is certain they can hit the target.
 * Refrain from using the Hyper Blaster as it can decrease the score.
 * Have the majority or the entirety of the game memorized, and/or have a walkthrough or guide ready.
 * The first save should be just before facing Split Head, as it is very capable of quickly killing Harry. The second save should be just before fighting Incubus.
 * Don't use the shotgun, except on bosses, as using it on certain enemies will push the no aiming shots percentage too high and it will affect the player's score.
 * Using special weapons will penalize the player, but the more game clears they have, the more they can use them before they deduct from the player's rank. For example, if someone has 10 game clears, they can use the katana, rock drill, or chainsaw for 50 uses.
 * It is preferred to start to perform shooting kills once the rifle is in the player's possession, as stomping on enemies counts as a melee kill.

Silent Hill 2
Earning a 10 Star Rank results in the best Hyper Spray upgrade (green).

Requirements

 * Action level: Hard
 * Riddle level: Hard or Extra
 * Ending: Doesn't matter
 * Ending clear: 4/4 (+3)
 * Saves: 0, 1 or 2
 * Total time: Less than 3 hours
 * Walking distance: Doesn't matter
 * Running distance: Doesn't matter
 * Items: Over 150+ (+8 special items)
 * Defeated enemy by shooting: 75+
 * Defeated enemy by fighting: 75+
 * Boat stage time: Under 1 minute, 20 seconds
 * Boat max speed: Doesn't matter
 * Total damage: Less than 500

Tips

 * Increase "bullet adjust" in the Extra Options menu as high as possible.
 * Go for the "Dog" or UFO ending. Both of these endings allow the player to skip the final two boss fights, which in turn allows them to finish the game quicker and take less potential damage.
 * Have the majority or the entirety of the game memorized, and/or have a walkthrough or guide ready.
 * Avoid healing before the encounter with Pyramid Head on the hospital roof; this attack will never kill James Sunderland but will always put his health on critical. Healing before this just gives him more health to lose.
 * The first save should be just before the hospital corridor encounter with Pyramid Head, as Maria is sometimes killed here by accident. The second save should be just before the boss fight with Eddie Dombrowski, as this and the row boat section that follows can leave significant ramifications on James's health for the first, and confusion to the point of becoming totally lost during the latter.

Silent Hill 3
Earning a 10 Star Rank results in the password for the "Golden Rooster" costume. However, it isn't necessary to earn a 10 Star Rank to receive it, and the player can simply enter the password for the costume if they know it. Other than this, 10 Stars will result in an upgraded Beam Saber and flamethrower.

Requirements

 * Action level: Hard or Extreme
 * Riddle level: Hard
 * Ending: Normal
 * Clear time: Less than 3 hours
 * Split Worm kill time: Less than 2 minutes
 * Missionary kill time: Less than 2 minutes
 * Leonard Wolf kill time: Less than 3 minutes
 * Memory of Alessa kill time: Less than 3 minutes
 * God kill time: Less than 8 minutes
 * Clear number: 5 or more
 * Save & continue number: 0, 1 or 2
 * Item number: 100+ and +5 special items
 * Defeated enemy by shooting: 75+
 * Defeated enemy by fighting: 75+
 * Total damage: Less than 500

Tips

 * Do not use special weapons, as they decrease the score.
 * Increase "bullet adjust" in the Extra Options menu as high as possible.
 * Have the majority or the entirety of the game memorized, and/or have a walkthrough or guide ready.
 * The first save should be just before either the Missionary or Leonard boss fights, depending on the player's preference. The second save should be just before the Borley Haunted Mansion, as the red light can very swiftly kill Heather Mason.
 * Consider using the maul and exploiting God's blind spot in the final boss battle, as it is possible to defeat Her in less than two minutes this way with minimal risk to the player.
 * Should the previous method not be preferred, the katana and handgun are best used for the God boss fight, as the player can strafe to the right side of God and hit Her with the stab attack of the katana. The handgun should be used to bring God back down and the katana to drain Her health. Hit God three times, strafe, and then stop, and it will cause a hitbox glitch where God won't hit Heather with her swipe attack. Repeat this tactic until She dies. Make sure Heather has full health for this fight as with lower health, Heather will swing the katana slower.
 * Consider using the bulletproof vest. It reduces damage received from enemies, and blocking at the right time also helps. However, it is advised that the vest is unequipped while in the Borley Haunted Mansion as it will slow down Heather's running speed considerably during the red light sequence.
 * Consider equipping any type of ammo to quick-reload as real-time reloading is dangerous and will cause Heather to take damage.

Silent Hill 4: The Room
Earning a 10 Star Rank results in unlocking One-Weapon Mode. Beating this mode with 10 Stars will then unlock All-Weapon Mode.

10.2 Stars
It is actually possible to achieve 10.2 Stars. More details here.

Requirements

 * Difficulty: Hard
 * Play time: Less than 2 hours
 * Saves: 0 or 1
 * Continues: None
 * Enemies defeated: Greater than or equal to 120
 * Memo items found: 52/52 (Having about 50/52 memos will still earn the player 10 stars.)
 * Ending: Doesn't matter

Tips

 * Only return to Room 302 when absolutely necessary.
 * Have the majority or the entirety of the game memorized, and/or have a walkthrough or guide ready.
 * It is possible to exploit the Walter Sullivan fight. Using the Pickaxe of Despair's primary attack, standing about two meters from Walter, and cornering him will cause him to repeatedly use a melee attack that won't hit Henry at all. The pickaxe can stun Walter, and doing this repeatedly warrants a quick defeat, shortening the final stage of the boss fight. This also makes it easier to save Eileen.
 * Unless proficient at dodging, it is best to avoid Sniffer Dogs and Patients as they are very capable of quickly hurting Henry.