Hitman: Absolution

Hitman: Absolution, the fifth main entry in the Hitman franchise, is a 2012 action-stealth game from IO Interactive and Square Enix Europe. It follows up on 2006's Hitman: Blood Money. The developers aimed to make it more accessible and easier to play than its predecessors while keeping some hardcore elements. It launched on November 20, 2012, for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360. A later Elite Edition for macOS, released on May 15, 2014, by Feral Interactive, bundled all prior downloadable content, including the Hitman: Sniper Challenge, a making-of documentary, and a 72-page artbook. On January 11, 2019, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment released enhanced versions of both Absolution and Blood Money for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as part of the Hitman HD Enhanced Collection.

The single-player campaign follows genetically engineered contract killer Agent 47 as he protects a similarly enhanced teenage girl from various groups—including a private military company, criminal syndicates, and his former employers, the International Contract Agency (ICA)—who want to use her potential as an assassin. The game includes an online "Contracts" mode, letting players create custom objectives for any base-game mission and share them with others.

Upon release, Absolution received polarized reviews. Critics praised its graphics, environments, locations, and varied gameplay options, but many disliked its narrative, disguise system, and linear structure, which contrasted with the open-ended nature of earlier series entries. By March 2013, it had sold over 3.6 million copies. In response to the reception, the series returned to a more open-ended style with 2016's Hitman.

**Gameplay**

Players control Agent 47 from a third-person perspective in a stealth game centered on completing objectives across various levels, from reaching an exit to eliminating specific targets. Multiple paths are available for reaching targets and locations. Players can use pistols, bottles, bricks, assault or sniper rifles, shotguns, fiber-wire, or steel pipes for action-oriented approaches, or avoid enemies by using disguises, blending into the environment, and attacking only specific targets stealthily. An "Instinct" ability helps monitor enemies.