Silent Hill f does autosave, but not often enough to fully protect you during long chapters and backtracking. The game’s most dependable safety net is manual saving at Hokora Shrines (also called Shrines), which are spread across key areas in both the town and the Otherworld. Here’s how saving actually works, when it triggers, and the tools you get at each Shrine.

Does Silent Hill f have autosave?

Yes. Autosave is tied to key story checkpoints—typically after major cutscenes, area transitions, or pivotal beats. It’s generous early on when story pacing is tight, but later chapters can stretch out with exploration and backtracking (for example, Ebisugaoka Middle School), leaving long gaps between autosaves. Treat autosave as insurance, not your primary save strategy.

How to save manually at Hokora Shrines

Manual saving happens at Hokora Shrines you’ll find throughout Ebisugaoka and in the Otherworld (Dark Shrine variants). Walk up to a Hokora and select Record to create a save. Because these Shrines act as manual checkpoints, making a habit of saving whenever you reach one prevents large progress losses if you die or quit during extended segments.

Autosave vs Shrine saves (what changes)

Save method When it triggers Where it’s available Reliability for long segments Extras available while saving
Autosave Key story checkpoints, major transitions Anywhere a checkpoint occurs Limited during exploration/backtracking None
Hokora Shrine (manual) Anytime you reach a Shrine and choose Record Across key areas and the Otherworld High—save as often as you like at Shrines Upgrades, outfits, Omamori crafting, sanity recovery

When to rely on manual saving

  • After arriving in a new area, before set-piece encounters, and after tough fights.
  • During long exploration or puzzle sections where autosave can be sparse.
  • Before choices or moments you may want to revisit.

If you’re deep in Ebisugaoka with lots of backtracking, assume autosave won’t catch everything. Hit the next Shrine and Record.

What Hokora Shrines also do

  • Clear your mind to restore Sanity.
  • Offer relics to gain Faith, then spend it to buy stat upgrades for Hinako (Health, Stamina, Sanity) and Omamori slots.
  • Draw Omamori charms and manage gear; change outfits.

Note: Accessing progression features can require an Ema, a consumable found in the world. Plan Shrine visits around both saving and upgrading so you’re not making extra trips under pressure.

Save slots and branching (including multiple endings)

The in-game save menu provides multiple slots at Hokora Shrines, plus an autosave slot. Some guides report a cap of up to 10 manual slots with one additional autosave slot; others imply broader flexibility. Either way, you have enough room to stage saves before critical moments.

If you’re aiming to see different outcomes without a full replay, create a manual save at the Main Hall Shrine during the “Chasing the Fox Mask” objective. You can reload that file to branch into multiple endings efficiently.

PC save file location (Steam)

On Windows (Steam), local saves—both autosaves and your Shrine records—live here:

C:\Users\[Windows Username]\AppData\Local\SHf\Saved\SaveGames\[Your Steam numeric ID]

You can also jump straight to the folder with:

%USERPROFILE%/AppData/Local/SHf/Saved/SaveGames/

Backing up the entire SHf directory is the simplest way to safeguard progress. Silent Hill f supports Steam Cloud, which syncs saves after you close the game, but a local backup is still useful if you switch PCs or roll back to an earlier state.

Bottom line: autosave covers major beats, but Hokora Shrines are how you actually control your progress. When you see a Shrine, stop and Record—especially before risky sections or narrative forks.