The Hitman series has just received its latest installment in the form of Hitman 3, adding yet another brilliant title to its already lengthy list of stealth games, and notably the final title in the World of Assassination trilogy.
The very first game in the series released in 2000 and the franchise has simply grown in brilliance and popularity over the years. If you're new to the Hitman series and looking to see what other titles are worthwhile, or whether you're a fan and intrigued as to what ranks as the cream of the crop, we've compiled a list of every Hitman game released and ranked them according to their Metacritic scores just below.
12 Hitman HD Enhanced Collection (69)
The Hitman HD Enhanced Collection released in 2019 for PS4 and Xbox One, offering fans Hitman: Blood Money and Hitman: Absolution remastered in 4K. Both games were improved in terms of framerate, textures, lighting, and more, as well as having improved controls added.
However, despite these improvements, the collection didn't even surpass 70 on Metacritic, with many fans finding the price tag of the game too high considering both games were re-releases of older titles.
11 Hitman HD Trilogy (71)
The Hitman HD Trilogy released in 2013 and featured HD remasters of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman: Contracts, and Hitman: Blood Money, as well as adding full trophy/achievement support for all titles.
Despite all three of the games in the collection scoring highly on Metacritic individually, the HD trilogy pack scored considerably less as a whole.
10 Hitman: Codename 47 (73)
Hitman: Codename 47 released in 2000 and was the very first title in the series, introducing fans to the character of Agent 47, a genetically enhanced clone trained in the art of assassination. After escaping the test facility where he was created, Agent 47 is hired by the International Contract Agency and becomes a hitman.
This game was only available on PC and received generally favorable reviews, but not without its criticisms. Interestingly, Hitman: Codename 47 was one of the first games to utilize ragdoll physics.
9 Hitman: Sniper (76)
Hitman: Sniper was a mobile game released in 2015, and is an extension of the Sniper Challenge that was provided as a preorder bonus for Hitman: Absolution. It is a shooting gallery style game in the first person, with the player looking through a scope the entire time.
Though far more limited than the main titles in the series, this mobile game still offers fun ways for players to complete their contracts, using things such as setting off car alarms or shooting out glass in order to gain their target's attention.
8 Hitman: Contracts (80)
Hitman: Contracts was the third game in the series, releasing in 2004 for PC, PS2, and Xbox. While some consider this a remake of the original title, it is more of a retelling as the plot involves Agent 47 having flashbacks, meaning that you play levels from previous titles that have been remade.
However, the game also involves new levels and improves on the previous gameplay, as well as offering much better graphics. While fans and critics still loved this title, many felt that it didn't offer enough new content.
7 Hitman GO (81)
Hitman GO was developed by Square Enix Montreal and originally released for mobile devices in 2014, but has since been released for PC, PS Vita, and PS4 too. The popularity of this title prompted a sequel in the form of Lara Craft GO.
This game offers a quirky and stylish puzzle game for players, where Agent 47 and his target become playing pieces on a board game. Each grid-based level gets more and more complex as you progress through the game, with new enemy types and mechanics introduced to make the puzzles even harder.
6 Hitman: Blood Money (83)
Hitman: Blood Money was the fourth title to release in the series, launching in 2006 for PC, PS2, Xbox, and Xbox 360. This game is widely considered to be a turning point in the series, as Blood Money was a critical and commercial success, driving the popularity of the franchise greatly.
Blood Money was praised for its gameplay improvements, especially the imaginative ways in which players could complete their contracts. However, there was some controversy surrounding some of the advertisements for the game that were considered too dark as they showed bodies with captions such as "beautifully executed" next to them.
5 Hitman: Absolution (83)
Hitman: Absolution was the first game to be published by Square Enix instead of Eidos Interactive, though it is the fifth title overall. Notably, it had the largest break between games, with Absolution releasing in 2012 — six years after its predecessor.
Absolution released on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, ensuring much better graphics than previous titles and offering more realistic environments. However, fans criticized the game for being far more linear than the original games in the series. Never one too far from controversy, Absolution was criticized for its tie-in Facebook app that allowed users to threaten their friends with assassination.
4 Hitman 2 (84)
Hitman 2 released in 2018 for PC, Stadia, PS4, and Xbox One and was the second title in the World of Assassination trilogy. This game dropped the episodic release format of its predecessor but did have additional DLC expansions that were available post-launch. Hitman 2 also featured an online multiplayer mode, but this has since been deactivated.
However, one of the fan-favorite things it did keep that was introduced in 2016's Hitman were elusive targets. This was a live component of the game that players only had one opportunity at, with one appearing usually every few weeks and players only having a limited time to find and kill their target. Notably, British actor Sean Bean portrayed the first elusive target for Hitman 2.
3 Hitman (85)
Hitman was the first title in the franchise to release episodically, consisting of six episodes, which is fitting as it is the sixth title in the series. The first episode released in March of 2016, while the last was in October of 2016. Interestingly, this game was supposed to be developed by a Square Enix Montreal studio, but after the underperformance of Absolution, IO Interactive retained control of this franchise and the Square Enix team instead focused on mobile Hitman titles.
This game was the first of the World of Assassination trilogy and released for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Due to its episodic nature, Metacritic has a score for each and every episode. We have included the score for the complete game version to make it simpler, but naturally, some of the episodes were better than others.
2 Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (87)
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin was the first game in the series to release on home consoles, and was available for PC, PS2, and Xbox in 2002, with a later release in 2003 for GameCube. This sequel maintained similar gameplay, where although players have a set target to assassinate in each level, the way in which they achieve it is up to them as multiple options are available.
This title was considered a commercial success and was received better reviews than its predecessor, though there was some controversy surrounding a level in which 47 kills Sikhs on the holy site of the Harmandir Sahib. In response, Eidos removed this level from the PC and GameCube versions.
1 Hitman 3 (88)
Hitman 3 has just released for PC, Nintendo Switch, Stadia PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. This marks the final installment to the World of Assassination trilogy and it has already surpassed all of its predecessors in claiming the top-ranked spot on Metacritic.
This game features a host of new map areas but also allows players to import their maps, levels, and progress from Hitman (2016) and Hitman 2 (2018). Hitman 3 is also the first title to offer VR compatibility for PS4, which will also extend to levels imported from the previous two titles.