The Best Hitman Games

With 007 First Light, IO Interactive returned the greatest spy in fiction into the gaming limelight, and James Bond’s journey was shaped by Agent 47 (to an extent). Over the course of two decades, Hitman cemented itself as one of the defining stealth franchises, with its sandbox approach setting it apart from other pillars like Splinter Cell. Dropped into a dense map and told to take out a target, players control Agent 47 as they plan, stalk, and disguise their way to a silent assassination. This formula simply works.

IO Interactive has created more than 10 Hitman games, and they are certainly not all equal. Nearly every project has enough positives to warrant a recommendation, but some of them fall short in ways that make them harder to revisit. Still, at its peak, Hitman might just be the best stealth series of all time, especially in terms of gameplay. Let’s rank all the Hitman games.

Updated June 12, 2026, by Mark Sammut: I updated the images, along with rewriting the Codename 47 and Absolution sections. I also removed the compilations as they aren’t really necessary.

Quick Picks: Best Hitman Games To Play Right Now

Before we dive into the individual games, we have put together a short section that provides quick recommendations across a range of categories. If you are just looking for something to play right now, or are new to the franchise and don’t know where to start, the following table should help.

14

Hitman: Codename 47

The First Entry In The Hitman Series Is A Rough But Solid Effort

Hitman: Codename 47 is the first game in the series, and it laid the groundwork for what would become a great series, introducing several mechanics like taking and using disguises, the concealed sniper rifle, and the need for stealth. Just like its newest titles, 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 are antiquated by modern standards, making the game feel unpolished. Codename 47‘s importance cannot be understated, but it wasn’t a particularly fantastic game for its era either, and it hasn’t gotten better with age. Most of the worst Hitman levels are in Codename 47, and they aren’t helped by janky controls and a poorly thought-out save system. IO Interactive never released the game on another platform aside from the PC, opting instead to kind of retell it in Hitman Contracts, and that was probably for the best.

13

Hitman: Sniper

A Mobile Spin-Off From Hitman 2’s Assassin Mode

Hitman: Sniper

Systems

Released

June 4, 2015

ESRB

m

Developer(s)

Square Enix Montreal

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

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 touchscreen controls are often at odds with the zoom function, and players will be frustrated by accidentally shooting their guns when trying to use the scope.

12

Hitman 2: Sniper Assassin

The Sniper Assassin Mode From Hitman 2

Hitman 2

8/10

Released

November 13, 2018

The Sniper Assassin mode included in Hitman 2 is now part of the Legacy pack in Hitman 3, and the package consists of separate missions that place Agent 47 at a single vantage point using only a sniper rifle. While that may sound simplistic on paper, the levels 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 optional challenges like causing environmental accidents and shooting suspended objects, such as chandeliers or heavy wall-mounted speakers to fall on a target, killing them instantly. Making these hits look like an accident can lead to hilarious and memorable moments.

11

Hitman 2: Sniper Assassin – Knight And Stone

Co-Op Gameplay With Two New Characters In The Hitman Universe

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.

Like the Sniper Assassin missions, the characters remain in place, but the environments are still sandboxes that can be manipulated. 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.

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10

Hitman 3 VR

Immersive VR Action Through The Eyes Of Agent 47

On the PlayStation 4 – or the PlayStation 5 via backward compatibility – Hitman 3 also comes with a fantastic VR mode, which is currently exclusive to the PSVR. This mode allows players to play the game through the eyes of Agent 47 and 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 is 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, as a direct port of the PSVR version, it lacks any enhancements that many PC players would have expected, and it’s a choppy experience by comparison, impacting half of its audience. Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded was released for the Meta Quest 3, but it had bugs and gameplay issues.

9

Hitman: Contracts

A Darker Sequel And A Retelling Of Some Of Codename 47’s Most Important Missions

Hitman: Contracts‘ story is told in the past tense, allowing players to catch up with the first game’s events 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. Hitman: Contracts makes each mission feel like a self-contained story with world-building and unique characters that draw fans into the hit as they calculate the best methods to take down their targets.

In addition, Contracts is much darker and more violent in tone than its predecessors, which is immediately evident in its opening level at Meat King’s nightclub.

The globe-trotting Contracts take players to locations like Romania, Siberia, the UK, Rotterdam, Budapest, Hong Kong, and Paris. The Paris Mission features an action-packed epilogue, seemingly inspired by the movie Leon: The Professional. It’s another entry in the series that holds up well against the new titles and is among the series’ darkest in its story and tone. Hitman: Contracts was remastered for the PS3 and Xbox 360 as part of the Hitman HD Trilogy, but is unavailable on modern consoles. Hopefully, IO will revisit this classic and make it available to new fans.

8

Hitman: Absolution

The Black Sheep Of The Hitman Franchise

IO Interactive has its share of divisive games, but nothing else comes close to Hitman: Absolution. From the very start, Hitman thrived in crafting open-ended levels that effectively serve as puzzles in a sandbox. The series emphasizes player freedom, dense environments, and open-ended assassinations, and Blood Money exemplified this formula. Hitman: Absolution did away with almost everything that defined the franchise, to the point of feeling like a soft reboot rather than a proper sequel. Crucially, the game sold well enough to cause fans to fear that IO Interactive might continue down this direction. In 2026, we know that didn’t end up being the case, which makes this entry a bit easier to enjoy as a strange detour that only kind of works.

Except for a handful of levels that echo other entries, Hitman: Absolution sits alone as an action-first journey that only intermittently encourages creative stealth. Most stages are incredibly linear, essentially following corridors that provide little room for experimentation. You can basically play Absolution as a cover shooter, and you might honestly have more fun that way. The story is, well, awful, and mishandles Agent 47, turning the stoic super assassin into a bit of a bumbling idiot. The disguise system was also broken, to the point that an Instinct meter was created to paper over the cracks.

If you don’t go in expecting a Hitman game, Absolution‘s silliness and over-the-top nature can be entertaining, and it plays relatively well despite its not-so-great mechanics. If you go in expecting Hitman, Absolution is horrendous.

7

Hitman Go

A Surprisingly Good Puzzle Stealth Game

Hitman Go

Released

April 17, 2014

ESRB

e

Developer(s)

Square Enix Montreal

Hitman Go launched on Android and iOS mobile systems in 2014, but it was later released on the PlayStation 4 and Vita in 2016. Instead of a third-person perspective featured in the mainline series, Hitman Go is a turn-based, top-down game where Agent 47 moves around using grids.

Despite resembling a board game, this mobile entry captured the puzzle-like mechanics of the mainline series, albeit simplified to better fit mobile devices. Elements of the series are missing, like completing missions without killing non-targets, and the restrictive nature of Hitman Go has inescapable linearity. It scores well, but doesn’t feel like a proper entry in the Hitman series.

6

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

An Impressive Title and a Significant Improvement Over Its Predecessor

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin was an authentic 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, the 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 in 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. The original Hitman 2 is one of the highest-scoring games in the series, but its age and unrefined mechanics compared to its successors make it clunkier and more challenging than the latest entries.

5

Hitman: Blood Money

One Of The Best Stealth Games Of All Time

Hitman: Blood Money is often celebrated as a favorite among fans. Hitman: Blood Money features the most compelling story in the series and is told through interview segments between a journalist and the former head of the FBI. The sandbox-level design was more flexible than its sequel, Absolution. The game features some of the most varied and the series’s most memorable missions. In addition, enemy AI saw significant improvements, and the newly introduced notoriety system added to the tense atmosphere.

Missions variety and immersion are ramped up, with outstanding levels like ‘A New Life and A Dance With The Devil’ being standouts. Hitman: Blood Money was repackaged with Hitman Absolution and enhanced in 4K for the PS4 and Xbox in 2019, and this pack is the way to go if you can find it. Blood Money: Reprisal was launched in 2024 for Android, iOS, and the Switch and holds up well in handheld form.