Ranking Every Hitman Game From Worst To Best - The first knowledge sharing application in Vietnam

The Hitman series has been around for 21 years and has seen seven mainline entries and two unique mobile phone spin-off titles. Stealth games have often been referred to as the thinking man’s action game but developers IO Interactive have taken its own brand of stealth to another level with their Hitman series.

The scope of Hitman’s level design is so far beyond what has been seen in other stealth games including 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 mission.

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Fans of spy and assassin films will be pleased to know that the games have taken inspiration from several movie sources like James Bond, Mission Impossible, The Day of the Jackal, and Leon: The Professional. While some games in the series have been instant classics for fans some entries failed to hit their mark.

Updated on January 25, 2022, by Michael Llewellyn: It’s been a little over a year since the release of Hitman 3, and it became the series most successful entry yet. As with its predecessors, the game offers players hours of replayability, variety, and content in their sandbox maps. Additionally, owners of the legacy packs can replay older missions using weapons and gear from the newest entry.

Furthermore, the developers are adding more content to celebrate Hitman 3’s second year. With new missions and game modes getting added the World of Assassination trilogy is one of the most content-rich series in gaming and certainly enough to keep gamers busy until the studio’s new Bond game is launched. However, there is more to the franchise than the recent trilogy with older titles that deserve to be revisited and some spin-offs that can be avoided.

Hitman: Sniper

Released: 2015
Platform: Android and iOS

Hitman: Sniper was released in 2015 for iOS and Android systems. It’s a spin-off title that works similarly to the Hitman Sniper Assassin mode in Hitman 2 and the stand-alone Sniper Challenge mode for Hitman: Absolution.

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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 touch screen controls are often at odds with the zoom function and players will find themselves frustrated by accidentally shooting their gun when trying to use the scope.

Hitman: Codename 47

Released: 2000
Platform: PC

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 entries 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 today’s gamer standards making the game feel unpolished as a result. 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.

Hitman 2: Sniper Assassin

Released: 2018
Platform: PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One

The Sniper Assassin mode that is included in Hitman 2 and now part of the Legacy pack in Hitman 3 is are standalone missions that place Agent 47 at a single vantage point using only a sniper rifle. While that may sound simplistic on paper, the missions 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 chandeliers, or heavy wall-mounted speakers to fall on a target’s head killing them instantly. Making these hits look like an accident can lead to some hilarious and memorable moments.

Hitman 2: Sniper Assassin – Knight And Stone

Released: 2018
Platform: PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One`

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.

Just like the Sniper Assassin missions, the characters have to remain in place, but the environments are still sandboxes that can be manipulated to the character’s will. 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.

Hitman: Absolution

Released: 2012
Platform: PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One

Hitman: Absolution was originally released 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 the series like Instinct Mode and Online Contracts.

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However, the level design felt more linear than ever before, and the locations aside from “Hunter and Hunted” lacked a lot of variety or scope that is synonymous with the series. Furthermore, during the later stages of the game, Agent 47 will often find himself forced into frustrating and unavoidable firefights losing sight of why fans loved the series so much to begin with. However, even with its flaws, Absolution is still a thrilling game that’s top of the class in the stealth genre.

Hitman Go

Released: 2014
Platform: Android, iOS, Linux, PC, PS Vita, and Windows Phone

Hitman Go was originally released 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.

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Despite resembling a board game, this mobile entry captured the puzzle-like gameplay mechanics of the mainline series in a more simplistic way that’s perfect for mobile devices. There were, however, some elements of the series that were missing like completing missions without killing non-targets, as well as some inescapable linearity.

Hitman: Contracts

Released: 2004
Platform: PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox, and Xbox 360

Released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC Hitman: Contracts and gave players a chance to catch with the events of the first game 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, Contractsis much darker and more violent in tone than its predecessors which is immediately evident in its opening level at the Meat King’s nightclub. The game takes players all over the world with locations set in Romania, Siberia, the UK, Rotterdam, Budapest, Hong Kong, and Paris with an epilogue heavily inspired by the movie Leon: The Professional. It’s another entry in the series that holds up well against the new titles, and it’s one of the series darkest in its story and tone.

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Released: 2002
GameCube, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One

Released in 2002 on the PC, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and the Xbox Hitman 2 offered players a true 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 Xbox 360 and the 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 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.

Hitman: Blood Money

Released: 2006
Platform: PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Hitman: Blood Money is the fourth entry in the series and is often looked upon as a favorite among fans of the series and for good reason. As far as the narrative is concerned Hitman: Blood Money features the most compelling story in the series and is told through a journalist’s interview with the former head of the FBI.

The sandbox level design was more flexible than ever before, more so than its sequel Absolution. The game features some of the most varied and memorable missions in the series. In addition, enemy AI saw major improvements, and the newly introduced notoriety system added to the tense atmosphere.

Hitman 3 VR

Released: 2021
Platform: PS4 and PC

On the PlayStation 4 – or the PlayStation 5 via backward compatibility – Hitman 3 also comes with a game’s standalone but fantastic VR mode which is currently exclusive to the PSVR. This mode allows players to play the game through the eyes of Agent 47 which 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’s 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, it’s almost a direct port of the PSVR version, and it’s lacking any enhancements that many PC players would have expected.

HITMAN (2016)

Released: 2016
Platform: Linux, macOS, PC, PS4, PS5 Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Hitman was released in 2016 and worked both as a reboot for the entire series and as a sequel to Hitman: Absolution. The game went back to its roots with non-linear sandboxes with levels so large and filled with content and replay value that it could rival most single-player experiences.

RELATED: Assassin-Style Games To Play If You Loved Hitman 3The game was originally released as episodic content which worked surprisingly well given the scale of each level. The structured release schedule allowed players to fully explore each level and see 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.

HITMAN 2 (2018)

Released: 2018
Platform: Linux, macOS, PC, PS4, PS5 Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Hitman 2 is the second game in the rebooted franchise and follows on 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 more detailed than ever.

Every mission will take players hours to discover and understand everything that’s going on and where the openings are. Then there’s 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.

Hitman 3

Released: 2021
Platform: Linux, macOS, PC, PS4, PS5 Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

The final part in the World of Assassination trilogy, Hitman 3 is arguably the best entry in the series. It’s a far more grandiose game than its predecessors, and it’s an epic finale to an already amazing library of Hitman games.

The Dartmoor mission is a standout mission with its Knives Out-inspired murder mystery. Even though the games have had a Mission Impossible and James Bond feel to them, Hitman 3 definitely feels like a teaser for things to come in IO Interactive’s future Bond game Project 007. Furthermore, if gamers own the previous two games in the series they will gain access to the Legacy missions with will allow them to replay the older games with the new features which also include improved visuals if playing the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

The support for Hitman 3 continued through the year with its Seven Deadly Sins DLC which were enhanced missions following a theme based around the Seven Deadly Sins. Each mission also rewards the player with unique weapons and gear for completing the missions. In addition, Hitman 3 will be getting a new map set on a tropical island, arcade modes, and a Freelancer mode. Freelancer is a single-player mode that introduces a new rogue-like experience.

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