Hitman 3
Concludes the World of Assassination trilogy.
Hitman 3, a stealth game from developer and publisher IO Interactive, launched in 2021. It serves as the eighth major entry in the Hitman series, directly following 2018's Hitman 2 and wrapping up the World of Assassination trilogy. The story concludes a narrative thread that began with the 2016 Hitman reboot, centering on genetically engineered assassin Agent 47 and his allies as they target the leaders of Providence, a secretive organization that manipulates global events and played a part in 47's creation and upbringing.
The game is built around six levels, five of which are large, open sandbox environments where players can freely explore to find ways to eliminate their targets. The base game includes locations in Dubai, Dartmoor, Berlin, Chongqing, Mendoza, and the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. A later free update added a fictional island in the Andaman Sea. IO Interactive aimed for a more story-driven experience, resulting in a mature and serious tone. The developers experimented with mission design, shaking up the usual gameplay loop by implementing ideas they had previously avoided, such as framing an assassination as a murder mystery in the Dartmoor level. While the core gameplay remains similar to its predecessor, the team drew inspiration from immersive sims, adding elements like gathering intel through world interaction, branching level stories with multiple outcomes, and opportunities for emergent gameplay using the environment.
As the first game IO Interactive self-published after becoming an independent studio, Hitman 3 launched in January 2021 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia, and Nintendo Switch via cloud gaming. It received positive reviews, praised for its level design, atmosphere, stealth mechanics, and Agent 47's abilities. Some critics called it the best entry in the series, and it has been described as one of the greatest stealth games ever made. It became the most commercially successful Hitman title, supported by IO with downloadable content and free updates. In January 2023, IO rebranded the game as Hitman: World of Assassination, shifting it to a live-service model and making content from the previous two Hitman games free for owners. A standalone VR edition, Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded, featuring only the main campaign, was released for Meta Quest 3 by XR Games in September 2024.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Hitman 3
- Director
- Mattias Engström
- Producer
- Markus Friedl · Céline Gil · Jesper Nielsen · Karim Boussoufa
- Programmer
- Jacob Marner · Maurizio de Pascale
- Artist
- Alexander Andersen
- Writer
- Nick Price · Michael Vogt
- Composer
- Niels Bye Nielsen
- Series
- Hitman
- Platform
- Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Stadia · Windows · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S · Meta Quest 3 (VR: Reloaded) · PlayStation VR2 · Nintendo Switch 2 · iOS · iPadOS · macOS
- Genre
- Stealth
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Like its two predecessors, the game is structured around six levels, five of which are large sandbox locations that players can freely explore to find opportunities to eliminate their targets. The base game features six locations: Dubai, Dartmoor, Berlin, Chongqing, Mendoza, and the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. A post-launch update introduced a new fictional island location set in the Andaman Sea. IO Interactive wanted the game to be more story-driven, resulting in a more mature and serious tone. The team experimented with mission design, such as framing assassination opportunities within a murder-mystery in the Dartmoor level.
Gameplay is largely similar to its predecessor, but developers were inspired by immersive sim games, adding elements such as an emphasis on engaging with the world for intel, branching level stories with multiple possible outcomes, and prevalent opportunities to make use of the environment's emergent gameplay. Hitman 3 was the first game to be self-published by IO Interactive after becoming an independent studio. It was first released worldwide in January 2021. In January 2023, IO rebranded Hitman 3 as Hitman: World of Assassination, shifting the game into a live-service format with the contents of the previous two Hitman games becoming available to Hitman 3 owners for free.
Reader's Guide
Hitman 3 received positive reviews, with praise for its level design and atmosphere, stealth mechanics, and 47's abilities. Some critics called it the best entry in the series; the game has been called one of the greatest stealth games of all time. It was the series' most commercially successful title and has been extensively supported by IO with several releases of downloadable content and free updates. The game introduced new gameplay elements such as a camera for scanning items, persistent shortcuts, and the Elusive Target Arcade mode. In 2023, the roguelike mode 'Freelancer' was introduced, where players must take down crime syndicates without saving during missions. A standalone VR edition, Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded, was released for Meta Quest 3 in September 2024. The game's legacy includes its integration of previous trilogy content and its shift to a live-service model, cementing its place as a landmark in the stealth genre.
Did You Know?
- A post-launch update introduced Ambrose Island, a fictional island location set in the Andaman Sea.
- The Dartmoor level frames assassination opportunities within a murder-mystery.
- In January 2023, Hitman 3 was rebranded as Hitman: World of Assassination.
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