Best Hitman Games From The Stealth Saga
If there’s a saga of stealth games that everyone recognizes, it is the Hitman games. These titles have been part of the industry for over 20 years and have shown that you can stick to your roots and still create great content over the years.
The incredible gameplay mechanics that the original game brought to the gaming community were out of the world. It was the first time that you got to decide how you wanted to kill a target (and that remained through the entire Hitman series).
Now, with the latest game being released in 2022 by IO Interactive and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, it’s the moment to choose what Hitman games are the best of them all.
In this article, we will explore the titles of the entire series and some others that aren’t canon.
Hitman Games That You Can’t Miss
The best Hitman game is the one that marks the thrill of playing and keeps you coming back. Here, several titles are available for different platforms such as PC, Xbox Series, Playstation, Nintendo Switch, PS Vita, mobile devices, etc.
They are part of the original Hitman storyline, and all tell a story related to the infamous Agent 47.
Hitman: Collection
Hitman: Collection is a bundle that includes a variety of Hitman games. This collection includes the first game and other titles that occur during the timeline between the first and the second game.
Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
The Hitman is retired, but treason makes him go back by force. Meet the dark corners of a world corrupted by crime, greed, degradation, and dishonor. You won’t be able to trust anyone since even your trusted ally may double-cross you.
You will have to relearn how to kill, overcome obstacles, and be smarter than your enemies in your journey. Your targets may hide in the most remote areas of the world, but you will find them without question.
You have to remember what you learned in the previous games, which is present in all the Hitman games: bad decisions bleed consequences. So, know when to strike down your enemies and how.
Select tons of contracts available in different locations and visit exotic places like Sicily, St. Petersburg, Malaysia, Japan, and India.
As a Silent Assassin, your proficiency will be measured according to how you manage to make your kills in a non-linear world. Stalk, prepare and eliminate up close and personal. You can choose whether to see the animations in 1st or 3rd person and use several weapons and equipment such as poison darts or chloroform.
Hitman: Blood Money
Blood Money is the fourth release in all the Hitman games and brings tons of improvements in graphics and story. According to fans, Hitman: Blood Money has the most compelling story of the entire series.
This game, released in 2006, features the Blood Money system, which makes you earn money when you kill a target. The clearer the hit, the more money you get. You can use the money to bribe police, reduce notoriety, customize weapons, find specific information, and buy special equipment for your missions.
The game includes new features such as disarms, distractions, accidents, decoys, human shields, and much more that you can use in your assassinations. With the new camera movements, you can better view all your actions.
An improved AI will make your contracts a lot harder than in previous games. Their reactions and behavior increase the difficulty of your performance, so you will have to think things through before making a kill.
Hitman: Codename 47
Hitman: Codename 47 is the first title of this assassination trilogy. There’s no previous game before this one that is similar to it.
Use for the first time the infamous silent assassin, the Hitman. You will have to use stealth and tactical strategies to complete your contracts with maximum effectiveness while getting barely any attention from enemies. Use incredible weapons such as the sniper rifle and other devices to accomplish your missions.
In this first release of the Hitman trilogy, you will get to know this wealthy assassin that is tormented by his past. The game features five chapters that will tell the story of 47 and all his hidden secrets.
This Hitman game settled the grounds for other similar titles thanks to the use of AI and stealth strategies that no other game had used before.
Hitman: Absolution
The Absolution title is quite similar to the Silent Assassin Hitman or Blood Money Hitman. The story is centered on the absolution process of 47, who was betrayed by the International Contract Agency he represented and is also hunted by the police.
Even though this game may be a bit more linear than others and even feels a bit out of the silent assassin path, the game continues to be top-class in the stealth genre. Be part of memorable missions with unavoidable fights, adapt while exploring the maps, use different techniques to immobilize your prey, and much more.
Hitman: Contracts
Contracts provide a darker and more intense experience for Hitman lovers. You will be able to replay old contracts from the first game in reworked missions and new ones but more violently than in other Hitman games. You can clearly see the difference when you start the level Meat King’s party Nightclub.
Hitman can visit incredible locations such as Romanis, Siberia, the UK, Rotterdam, Hong Kong, Paris, Budapest, and more in your contracts.
There are no rules in this game. You must complete your contracts with whatever it takes. Many fans think this great game is one of the darkest of the originally released saga. The world of the assassination wasn’t prepared to witness such cruelty and aggressive approach.
Get Hitman - Collection Steam CD Key here.
Hitman: Sniper Challenge
The Sniper Challenge released with Hitman: Absolution. In the beginning, it was a way to show how Absolution was going to be, but later on, it became a standalone version.
The gameplay is quite simple. You will be given contracts to fulfill, and your only available weapon will be the sniper rifle. Agent 47 is placed in a building where you can overlook your targets with the sniper scope.
The goal of the game is to eliminate your objectives as silently as possible and gain points. The more points, the better. You will become the sniper assassin you’re always meant to be as you play this game.
Hitman GOTY
Hitman GOTY is the first title of a soft reboot that was made to its predecessor. The game went back to its nonlinear roots and set the path for a good remake trilogy that could make its predecessors crumble.
The game came first with an episodic nature in 2016, which resulted really well, but then the GOTY edition came with a full game. This edition gives gamers enough new content and multiple options of gameplay that they can spend several hours killing targets, exploring the maps, and following the storyline.
Hitman GOTY edition brings the best from the first games, including the Hitman contracts, the sniper challenge, elusive targets, and much more. IO Interactive made graphic improvements and a vast improvement in playability that every Hitman game needed.
This is like a Definitive Edition that includes remastered versions of the chapters and episodes. You will get to play with the old and confident Agent 47 from the old game's franchise and use tons of new weapons to kill your enemies, such as katanas, exploding golf balls, or even spaghetti sauces.
This Hitman HD Enhanced Collection will also have the “Patient Zero” campaign, three new missions, outfits, and weapons. Meet new objectives separated from the mainline series and fulfill your duty as the silent assassin agent who can face it all.
Get Hitman GOTY Steam CD Key here.
Hitman 2
Hitman 2 was released in 2018 by IO Interactive as part of the rebooted trilogy. Compared to the latest games, this sequel has more refined, detailed graphics and funny ragdoll physics compared to the latest games. Of course, the traditional long missions to discover and understand what to do are still there. You also have replayability value where you can progress even more in the levels and unlock the aspects of the missions.
In Hitman 2, you will visit different locations like Miami or the Colombian rainforest, which are visually rich and give you tons of opportunities to explore and accomplish objectives. You’ll have the freedom to use your stealth techniques and improvisation to find ways to kill your objectives at each stage.
Use several weapons and disguises you have created to avoid being seen and ensure everyone stays dead.
Get Hitman 2 Steam CD Key here.
Hitman 3
Hitman 3 is the last game of all the Hitman saga for both older games and the other games from the soft reboot. In this game, Agent 47 gave players the possibility of closure they always wanted. IO Entertainment made the best game in the series with an epic finale that is arguably the best in both quality and story.
As usual, watch the events develop in several parts of the world. New levels are waiting for you to have fun killing targets with creativity and ingenuity. In this title, you are supposed to eliminate the partners of Providence. But it won’t be an easy task since they adapt as you hunt them down.
In your pursuit, you will visit rich and detailed environments full of props to help you make the kill. Meet Dubai’s skyscrapers or the vineyards of Mendoza. Either way, you will have to use the right tactics to progress in this immersive world and improve the quality of your “killing skills.”
Each mission is a masterpiece. For example, the Dartmoor mission will make you think you are on a murder mystery or in a James Bond movie.
The best thing is that if you bought the two older games, you will unlock the “Legacy” missions when you get the third game, which will let you replay the older missions with new features and graphical improvements. There is also more extra content that you can play in Hitman 3 with the Seven Deadly Sins DLC and other game modes such as the Freelancer or Arcade modes.
Get Hitman 3 Steam CD Key here.
Non-official Hitman Games
There are a few non-official Hitman games that IO Interactive doesn’t develop. Some of them follow a different storyline and are available for Microsoft Windows, Xbox, PlayStation 4, Android, iOS, PlayStation Vita, and more.
Hitman: Sniper
Hitman: Sniper is set in the Hitman world but in an alternate reality where Agent 47 has disappeared. The mobile game is developed by Square Enix (Eidos Interactive) to expand the playable world of Hitman.
You are part of The Shadows, a secret organization that must fulfill contracts with creativity and map resources. You will have to eliminate targets and follow instructions in order to complete the mission.
You get to play with different characters, play against your friends, and rank up on the leaderboards in this game.
Hitman: GO
Hitman: GO is a turn-based game similar to a board game. It’s developed by Square Enix Montreal and is quite difficult to master. Since it’s based in the Hitman universe, you will have to play strategically throughout the game and find space to avoid or takedown enemies.
Even though it may change how you used to play Hitman, this game is an award-winning title thanks to its strategy-focus aim. Reviews are great because of the level design and features. You have to think a lot before making a move in these frame environments.
You can think of it as a puzzle-idea-centered game, not a shooting-focused one.
Best Hitman Games - The Verdict
If we were to choose which games in the series are the best, we would need to have in mind different aspects that players have mentioned. For example, controls, life support, VR compatibility, and character design, among others.
However, in gameplay terms, you probably have enjoyed the Hitman-published games no matter which console you play. It doesn’t matter how challenging puzzles were, how difficult traps may be or how hard the sniper shot was; Hitman brought tons of hours of gameplay and started the Stealth game genre as we currently know it.
The third game of the Hitman HD trilogy was highly acclaimed for having great cutscenes, plot twists, and a lot of in-game ideas. It even includes DLCs with previous missions for a complete experience. However, all the other titles can be entertaining to play.