Best Hitman Games

Highlights

• Hitman series has revolutionized stealth games with its intricate level design and emphasis on thought and patience in eliminating targets.
• Spin-off titles like Hitman: Sniper and Hitman Go offer unique gameplay experiences that capture the essence of the mainline series in different ways.
• Hitman 3 is a cinematic and epic finale to the World of Assassination trilogy, with standout missions like the Knives Out-inspired Dartmoor level. The game’s support continued with the Seven Deadly Sins DLC, providing enhanced missions with unique rewards.

The


Hitman




series has been around for more than two decades now and has seen eight mainline entries and two unique mobile phone spin-off titles. Stealth games have often been referred to as the thinking person’s action game, but developer IO Interactive has taken this kind of stealth to another level with its

Hitman series.

The scope of

Hitman

‘s level design is far beyond what has been seen in other stealth games like

Splinter Cell

and

Metal Gear Solid.

Levels require thought and patience, and players can spend hours exploring the intricacies of each mission to find the

best

ways to eliminate Agent 47’s targets and achieve the Silent Assassin rank at the end of each level.

Updated October 18, 2023:

Every

Hitman game’s

specifications have been added, providing information regarding their available platforms, release dates, and more.

14


Hitman: Sniper

Hitman: Sniper

was released in 2015 for iOS and Android systems. It is a spin-off that works similarly to the

Hitman Sniper Assassin

mode in

Hitman 2

and the stand-alone Sniper Challenge mode for

Hitman: Absolution


.

Hitman: Sniper

plays like a gallery shooter with several objectives for the player to complete their mission. The player can create openings by setting up traps, using distractions, and other mechanics that

Hitman

fans will enjoy. However, the touchscreen controls are often at odds with the

zoom

function, and players will be frustrated by accidentally shooting their guns when trying to use the scope.

13


Hitman: Codename 47

Hitman: Codename 47

was released in 2000 and is the first game in the series. It laid the groundwork for what would become a great series using several mechanics like taking and using disguises, the concealed sniper rifle, and the need for stealth.

Just like its newest titles, the game rewards the most cost-effective methods to complete a mission and gives penalties for killing civilians or getting spotted by witnesses. Unfortunately, many of these mechanics feel antiquated by modern standards making the game feel unpolished. The first title was never released on another platform aside from the PC, and even though it had something of a retelling through

Hitman Contracts,

a remake of

Codename 47

using the current engine would go down well with fans.

12


Hitman 2: Sniper Assassin

The Sniper Assassin mode included in

Hitman 2

is now part of the Legacy pack in

Hitman 3

, and the package consists of separate missions that place Agent 47 at a single vantage point using only a sniper rifle. While that may sound simplistic on paper, the levels retain their sandbox feel and allow 47 to cause as much chaos and distractions as possible.

In addition to the main objectives and targets, there are Challenges like causing environmental accidents like shooting suspended objects such as chandeliers or heavy wall-mounted speakers to fall on a target, killing them instantly. Making these hits look like an accident can lead to hilarious and memorable moments.

11


Hitman 2: Sniper Assassin – Knight And Stone

The Knight and Stone missions were part of

Hitman 2’s

standalone


online co-op gameplay missions. Up to three players could take part in sniper missions where players take on the roles of Agent 47, Knight, and Stone.

Like the Sniper Assassin missions, the characters remain in place, but the environments are still sandboxes that can be manipulated. The missions offer bonuses for synchronized kills, and the new characters Knight and Stone are far more talkative than 47, offering players a new dynamic. Unfortunately, these missions are no longer available, as the developers focus on the single-player aspects of

Hitman 3

instead, but fans are hopeful that it will make a comeback.

10


Hitman: Absolution

Hitman: Absolution

was launched in 2012 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and was later bundled in the

Hitman HD Enhanced Collection

on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2019. It introduced a lot of new gameplay mechanics and features, like Instinct Mode and Online Contracts.

However, the level design felt more linear than ever before, and the locations – aside from – Hunter and Hunted, lacked a lot of variety or size synonymous with the series. Furthermore, during the later stages, Agent 47 will often find himself forced into frustrating and unavoidable firefights losing sight of why fans loved the series so much. However, despite its flaws,

Absolution

is still a thrilling game in the stealth genre.

9


Hitman Go

Hitman Go

was launched on Android and iOS mobile systems in 2014 but was later released on the PlayStation 4 and Vita in 2016. Instead of a third-person perspective featured in the mainline series,

Hitman Go

was a turn-based, top-down game where Agent 47 moved around using grids.

Despite resembling a board game, this mobile entry captured the puzzle-like gameplay mechanics of the mainline series more simplistically and fitting for mobile devices. There are elements of the series that were missing, like completing missions without killing non-targets, as well as some inescapable linearity.

8


Hitman: Contracts

Released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC

Hitman: Contracts

gave players a chance to catch up with the first game’s events without having to endure playing it.

Contracts

featured many retold and reworked missions from the original game retold through the memories of a mortally injured Agent 47.

In addition,

Contracts



is much darker and more violent in tone than its predecessors, which is immediately evident in its opening level at Meat King’s nightclub. The game takes players across the globe, in Romania, Siberia, the UK, Rotterdam, Budapest, Hong Kong, and finally, Paris. The Paris features an epilogue inspired by the movie

Leon: The Professional.

It’s another entry in the series that holds up well against the new titles and one of the series darkest in its story and tone.

7


Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Released in 2002 on the PC, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and the Xbox

Hitman 2

offered players an authentic sandbox experience that became the standard for the series going forward. It’s also available as an HD release in the

Hitman Trilogy

set for the PS3 and the Xbox 360 and

Hitman HD Enhanced Collection.

Where the first game in the series felt like a rough draft or experimentation of ideas, its direct sequel

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

polished everything for it to become the series fans love today.

Using disguises and hiding in plain sight played a big part in being as stealthy as possible. Additionally,

Hitman 2

has a variety of ways to eliminate targets and achieve the Silent Assassin grade, from poisoning drinks, setting up traps, or sniping from a distance. Players can even run in and use an aggressive approach, but the reward comes in being the assassin Agent 47 is supposed to be.

6


Hitman: Blood Money

Hitman: Blood Money

is the fourth entry in the series and is often celebrated as a favorite among fans.

Hitman: Blood Money

features the most compelling story in the series and is told through interview segments between a journalist and the former head of the FBI.

The sandbox-level design was more flexible than its sequel

Absolution.

The game features some of the most varied and memorable missions in the series. In addition, enemy AI saw significant improvements, and the newly introduced notoriety system added to the tense atmosphere.

5


Hitman 3 VR

On the PlayStation 4 – or the PlayStation 5 via backward compatibility –

Hitman 3

also comes with a fantastic VR mode, which is currently

exclusive

to the PSVR. This mode allows players to play the game through the eyes of Agent 47 and is incredibly immersive.

Thanks to the VR mode, players now seem to have a new line of sight that allows 47 to observe the environment in brand-new ways. Moreover, it is one of the best-looking games on the PSVR, which is surprising considering the size and scale of the missions. The

Hitman VR

mode is now available on the PC as part of

Hitman 3

‘s year 2 plan. Unfortunately, as a direct port of the PSVR version, it lacks any enhancements that many PC players would have expected.

4


Hitman (2016)

Hitman

was released in 2016 and worked as a reboot for the entire series and as a sequel to

Hitman: Absolution.

The game returned to its roots with non-linear sandboxes filled with content and replay value that it could rival most single-player experiences.

The game was launched as episodic content, which worked surprisingly well given the scale of each level. The structured release schedule allowed players to explore and do everything on offer. The first entry in the World of Assassination trilogy

Hitman

also benefited from the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S enhancements that came with

Hitman 3.

3


Hitman 2 (2018)

Hitman 2

is the second game in the rebooted franchise and follows directly from the events of the last game. This time, developers IO Interactive ditched the episodic nature in favor of a full game, and the levels are just as large as the first game but more refined and better detailed than ever.

Every mission will take players hours to discover and understand everything and where the openings are. Then there is added replay value with new objectives unlocking at the end of the missions giving way to even more opportunities to experiment with the endless cause-and-effect scenarios that play out.

2


Hitman 3

The final chapter in the

World of Assassination

trilogy,

Hitman 3

is arguably the best

Hitman

game of all time. The third title is a far more cinematic game than its predecessors and an epic finale to an already amazing library of

Hitman

games. The Dartmoor mission is a standout with its

Knives Out-

inspired murder mystery. Even though the games have had a

Mission Impossible

and

James Bond

feel,

Hitman 3

feels like a teaser for things to come in the studio’s future Bond game,

Project 007.

Furthermore, if gamers own the previous two games, they will gain access to the Legacy missions to allow them to replay the older games with the new features and include improved visuals if playing the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The support for

Hitman 3

continued throughout, with its

Seven Deadly Sins DLC.

These are enhanced missions with themes based around the Seven Deadly Sins. Each level also rewards the player with unique weapons and gear for completing them.

1


Hitman: World Of Assassination

Thanks to the update that was released in January 2023, the

Hitman trilogy

was repackaged as

Hitman:


World of Assassination.

This version makes it easier for fans to access all three games without activating season passes for legacy content. The trilogy package is available for Hitman 3 owners, but access to the Seven Deadly Sins content requires fans to purchase the Deluxe Pack.

Freelancer Mode

Along with the rebranding,

Hitman: World of Assassination

includes the new Freelancer Mode. Freelancer is a roguelike, placing Agent 47 in a series of randomized missions and targets. Completing hits and completing side objectives rewards players with Mercer points which can be used to purchase better equipment and weapons. Unfortunately, failure will result in 47 losing half of his Mercer points, and continued failure will end the Freelancer campaign, meaning players will have to start again. Agent 47 will keep all the items and weapons he collected in each mission and store them at the home base.

MORE: Hitman World Of Assassination: Most Detestable Targets, Ranked