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The Complete Guide to Different Hitman Game Editions

With 6 mainline games and several re-releases, the Hitman franchise has a ton of editions available. This can make it confusing for new and existing players to know which version to get.

I‘m going to clearly explain the key differences between every Hitman edition to help you decide which is right for you. You‘ll understand the content, benefits, and value of each version by the end.

Hitman 3 Editions – Subtle But Important Variations

Hitman 3 wraps up the World of Assassination trilogy in spectacular fashion. As a long-time super fan, I can honestly say it has some of the series‘ best designs.

While there aren‘t too many Hitman 3 editions, the differences between them are significant:

Hitman 3 Standard Edition

• Base game only
• 6 core missions
• All gameplay features
• Perfect for trying Hitman 3’s brilliant new locations
• Minimal content, but you can import Hitman 1/2 levels
• This is the edition I‘d recommend for series newcomers

Hitman 3 Deluxe Edition

• Deluxe Pack DLC
• Special challenges unlocking new suits/items
• New outfits and weapons
• “World of HITMAN” Digital Book
• Director Commentary
• Ideal for hardcore fans who want extras
• The escalations provide slick new ways to play
• Cosmetics let you customize Agent 47’s style
• It doesn’t include Hitman 1/2 though

Based on the in-depth research I‘ve done across the entire Hitman community and through my own experience, the Standard Edition is better for new players while veterans will appreciate the Deluxe extras.

But there‘s an even more complete package…

Hitman Trilogy

• Hitman 3 base game
• Access passes for Hitman 1 & 2 levels
• This is absolutely the best way for new players to experience Hitman
• You get the full World of Assassination story
• All content from 2016-2021 in one bundle
• I couldn‘t recommend the Trilogy enough if you‘re new to the franchise

Hitman 1 Editions – Episodic Original Release

It‘s easy to forget Hitman originally adopted an episodic structure. New locations rolled out slowly over 2016 into a Complete First Season. Let‘s break down the editions:

Hitman 1 Standard Edition

• Included only 2 episodes initially
• Paris and Sapienza missions
• Allowed sampling of Hitman’s new approach
• Very limited content compared to full season

Hitman 1 Complete First Season

• Contains all 6 episodes from first season
• The complete Hitman 1 experience
• But no bonus missions or extras

Hitman 1 Game of the Year Edition

• Complete First Season
• A House Built on Sand
• The 100% definitive edition of Hitman 1
• Packed with extra missions and content
• This is the edition to get for completionists

Based on my research into player sentiment across Reddit and other forums, the Complete First Season provides sufficient content for most. But the Game of the Year Edition is worth paying extra for if you want everything.

Hitman 2 Editions – Iterative Improvements

Hitman 2 evolved the formula with new locations and sniper maps. The editions added more bonuses:

Hitman 2 Standard Edition

• Full base game
• Hawke‘s Bay
• Santa Fortuna
• Whittleton Creek
• Isle of Sgail
• Himmelstein
• A complete experience on its own
• No DLC extras included

Hitman 2 Silver Edition

• New York & Haven Island missions
• Himmelstein Sniper map
• New outfits and items
• Special suits, pistol, fedora hat
• Good extra value for money
• Expansion Pass 1 provides meaty new levels
• Packs help expand your style options

Hitman 2 Gold Edition

• Everything in Silver Edition
• Special Assignments Packs 1 & 2
• More missions, challenges and items
• 3 new stylish suits for 47
• The ultimate Hitman 2 experience
• Hundreds of hours of gameplay
• Well worth purchasing for hardcore players

Hitman Editions Compared – Which Should You Buy?

I want to make it nice and simple to decide which Hitman edition you should get. Here‘s a quick comparison table summing up the key details:

And for extra clarity, here are my top tips on choosing the right Hitman edition for you:

• New to Hitman? Go for the Hitman Trilogy.
• Own Hitman 2? Grab Hitman 3 Standard & the 2 Access Pass.
• Want everything Hitman? Buy Hitman 3 Deluxe + all Access Passes.
• Unsure where to start? Try Hitman 3 Standard first.

Let me know in the comments if you need any other help deciding!

Frequently Asked Questions About Hitman Editions

I get a lot of common questions about the different Hitman versions. Here are the key points:

What do you get in the Hitman Trilogy Edition?

The full Hitman 3 game plus access passes for all locations in Hitman 1 and 2. It‘s the complete World of Assassination package.

Does Hitman 3 Deluxe include previous games?

No, the Deluxe Edition only has Hitman 3 and its DLC. You need to buy the Access Passes for Hitman 1 and 2 content.

If I own Hitman 1 or 2, can I play them in Hitman 3?

Yes! You can redeem Access Passes to import all your previous levels into Hitman 3.

What‘s the difference between Hitman 1‘s Complete and GOTY Editions?

The GOTY Edition has everything in the Complete Edition plus three extra bonus missions.

Is it necessary to play the games in order?

You don‘t have to, but playing chronologically lets you experience the full connecting story across all three games.

Which Hitman game has the best levels?

Personally, I think Hitman 3 has the most creative and varied locations. But all the games have superbly designed sandbox levels.

The Definitive Hitman Buying Guide

After 20+ years with the franchise, I‘d like to share my definitive advice for getting into this legendary stealth series:

For new players, buy the Hitman Trilogy edition. It offers incredible value and content which will keep you occupied for months, if not years. The trilogy lets you experience the Hitman renaissance of recent years.

For existing players, opt for Hitman 3 Standard and spend the savings on Access Passes for your previous games. This route makes sure you don‘t pay twice for content you already own.

And if you really want to go all-in, pick up the Hitman 3 Deluxe Edition along with Access Passes for the full package. It‘s a hefty investment, but you‘ll get hundreds if not thousands of hours of entertainment out of it.

At the end of the day, every version of Hitman provides an unmatched tactical stealth sandbox. There are so many ways to assassinate each target that no two playthroughs feel the same.

Whatever you choose, get ready for a masterclass in strategic gameplay systems, AI interactions, level design, and player creativity.

Good luck out there, and happy assassinating! Let me know how you get on in the comments.

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Hitman 2 review - a surgical to the point of slender sequel

In a characteristically indirect show of political engagement, I spent much of this week's US mid-term elections wandering around Whittleton Creek, Hitman 2 's idyllic slice of American suburbia. If nothing else, there's a (more coherent) parody of Donald Trump canvassing the neighbourhood in the shape of a local congressional wannabe. Speak to him, and you'll be treated to a cynical diatribe on immigrants and cleaning up politics. Strangle and dress as him, and you can spout a bit of populist invective yourself in a bid to get one of your quarries alone. A horseshoe of grand clapboard mansions presiding over snooker table lawns, the map is both a study in privilege and an opportunity for Io Interactive to play more overtly with the layers of social permissiveness that make up its brilliant stealth game. It's also, for my money, the best part of a sequel that is essentially a season's worth of DLC maps with a bow on top, padded out with tweaked legacy content from Hitman 2016 plus a fun competitive mode.

Fittingly in a game that trades too much on past accomplishments, Whittleton Creek's masterstroke is that most houses follow the same rough blueprint. Each has, however, been put to different use by the people living there, and the enjoyment lies in exploring these differences as you become familiar with recurring layouts and sightlines. One story mission target is a diseased one-percenter whose rooms are packed with bodyguards and cultish memorabilia (disguise yourself as one of the former and the old fool might insist on talking you through the collection, away from prying eyes). A few fences over there's a welcome-to-the-neighbourhood party in full swing, a public space where you can intercept the mission's other target, serve fries with optional rodenticide and overhear a few useful conversations. In one second floor mancave walled with baseball jerseys and movie posters a sketchpad lies open in which some vapid soul has been practicing his autograph. Across the hall in another, deserted property, rusty smudges on the plaster attest to a recent murder.

Agent 47 himself is as lethal and preposterous a protagonist as ever, his greatest weapon not the razor-wire coiled in his pocket or the silenced pistol tucked discreetly behind his hip, but his ability to impersonate anybody from a cartoon mascot to a corpse. The sequel's seven maps (including a tutorial area) once again see you robbing innocent bystanders of their clothes to trick watchful eyes and close the distance to your quarry. Once near, you'll want to look for opportunities to get your victim alone or things you can sabotage - breathing masks, stage pyrotechnics, car-raising mechanisms - to bring about their demise.

Each mission completion expands your portfolio of killing instruments, from sniper rifles you can have smuggled to a safehouse before arrival to remotely detonated mines you might leave in a suitcase for unsuspecting guards to recover. Often, though, the more satisfying tools for the job are the things you find lying around. At Hitman's core is an ethic of wreaking vengeance on the powerful, be it a vain movie producer or a Columbian druglord's head of PR. The game's dress-up system essentially puts the lie to the idea that the rich are a different and worthier breed by showing that what we wear defines us - and how better to punish them for their presumption than by turning their own belongings against them? Mulching a businessman's brains with his own putting iron is riskier, but sends a louder message than just snuffing him out with your sniper rifle.

Many of these poetic ironies form part of the moderately scripted assassination gambits you'll find woven into the texture of each map, most triggered by overhearing a conversation. As with the 2016 game's Opportunity system, it's best to disable the associated HUD cues and waypoints if you want to appreciate the deviousness of these tactics - by default, you'll be jumping through hoops. You might also want to turn off HUD aids like the radial awareness system which indicates that somebody suspects you of foul play (people who know the person whose clothes you've pinched won't be fooled by your disguise for long). In general, the more you strip from Hitman's interface the more delight you'll squeeze from its NPC sandbox, but don't worry if you'd rather leave the waterwings on during your first playthrough: the game's Contract system, whereby players can generate their own hits with specific targets and tactics, should provide ample reason to revisit maps.

New to this iteration is localised voice-acting, where the last game had NPCs from every country speak American English. This makes more obvious the fact that Agent 47 is basically a long-running joke about Anglo-Saxon features being a kind of universal currency, accepted everywhere even when screamingly out of place. The dialogue pokes fun at this throughout - in Mumbai, one Indian magnate reacts to the discovery that his portrait painter now looks like Captain Picard on steroids by remarking on the quality of your shave. In Miami, meanwhile, there's the chance to inspect a line-up of prototype android assassins while dressed as a visiting general. "I prefer the human touch," quips Agent 47, during a demonstration of facial recognition technology you are free to abuse.

Sadly, while the maps are pretty strong (save for a rather phoned-in opening seaside level) there's nothing here that's quite as exciting or weird as the pick of Hitman 2016. Mumbai is the busiest, spanning a half-constructed modern skyscaper, a gorgeous deserted railyard with velveteen, colonial era carriages, and a tangle of alleyways thronged with rickshaws and open-air stalls (the ability to actually pass through crowds, rather than bumping around them like furniture, adds much to the game's recreation of one of the world's most densely populated cities). It's lent intrigue by the fact that one of your story mission targets is incognito to begin with, though if you leave too many HUD aids on you'll find that flushing him out is insultingly straightforward. The Miami chapter, meanwhile, gives you the tour of a racing event with a tech expo bolted onto it. In a brilliant touch, the race unfolds as you explore, offering a parallel sequence of events for you to take advantage of. One of your targets is a driver, and it's possible to kill her at any stage in the proceedings from the pitstop to the podium.

Columbia offers more visual variety, with rundown villages giving way to thick jungle and then to the glistening grounds of a druglord's mansion, but I found it too dependent on Agent 47's newfound ability to take cover in tall vegetation. Though useful and not, of course, obligatory, this trick feels like a concession to more generic stealth games rather than an engrossing new tool for Hitman.

The map that should be the game's crowning glory also falls a bit flat. It sees you infiltrating an island masquerade held by an Illuminati-style organisation, and includes a nod to Hitman: Blood Money 's legendary Requiem scene together with a couple of assassination gambits that revolve around stealing trinkets left in public view. It doesn't, however, do as much to differentiate itself from previous chapters as a finale really should (the game's sub-Bond overarching narrative also ends on a frustrating cliffhanger, in a reflection of the project's previous status as an episodic game). In general, I think Io could take returning players a little further out of their comfort zones, with maps that render some approaches more difficult or which cause you to think afresh about hand-worn tools. But then, that's what contracts are for, to say nothing of the new Ghost mode, a head-to-head option in which players race one another to murder randomly spawned VIP targets.

Players are visible to one another in Ghost Mode but can't interact directly, or affect what happens in each other's worlds save by killing the target first. This lack of a direct connection is a bit disappointing - I'd have loved something in the vein of Assassin's Creed's old multiplayer, with participants indistinguishable from NPCs till caught in acts of non-computerly behaviour, and the fact that you always know who your NPC target is kills a lot of the suspense. But it's still possible to sabotage an opponent by forcing them to rush, galloping through high security areas in the wrong attire in order to steal back a point and stave off defeat. It's also deeply satisfying when you nail a quarry a hair's breadth ahead of your foe, catching them with a remote mine as the other player switches triumphantly to their garrotting wire. It's a promising start to Hitman's multiplayer career, and the lack of any accompanying CoD-style equipment grinding system means that it's always everybody's game to win.

Hitman 2 is not the landmark the last game was, and given that it almost didn't happen at all, with Io wresting back the rights from Square Enix at the eleventh hour, that's only to be expected. It doesn't take us anywhere drastically unfamiliar for Hitman - all the maps have precedents in older games, and for all the multitude of smaller tweaks, like NPCs spotting you in mirrors or picture-in-picture footage of people you've successfully distracted, the rhythms are exactly those of the 2016 outing. There's plenty to go back to in each map, however, from Trumpian politicians to that slowly unlocking repertoire of subtler or more grandiose strategies, and in Ghost, at least, the suggestion of a series turning a new leaf. I hope Io has the chance to follow through, because Hitman remains one of the smartest stealth experiences out there and truly a game for unequal times - a window upon society in which spoiled elites always get what's coming to them, by fair means or foul.

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Originally posted by frankieparsons : You have missed my point on so many levels: 1) My complaint is that, as someone who only purchased the standard Hitman 2 game, I HAVE to purchase the Expansion Pass for £32.99 IF I want to own "Special Assignment Pack 1" and "New York." There does not seem to be any other way to purchase these.

2) Far from suggesting expansions are a new thing in gaming, my complaint is the price I have to pay for said expansions.

3) I am 100% willing to pay for these expansions. My complaint is that they are unavailable to me unless I pay £32.99 for the Expansion Pass . At no point did I complain or "expect" that these should be free.

Originally posted by frankieparsons : Only an extra £32.99 because I "only" bought the standard editions of Hitman 1 and Hitman 2 and the Legacy Pack!!?? It's a good job they made this really clear in their business model before I paid for these games. I LOVE being duped into buying an incomplete game and then scammed into handing over a small fortune for the extra few missing pieces.

4) You write that there is "nothing deceptive about this" yet IO sell me a version of the game that has DLC behind a paywall that is only open to me unless I own/buy the OTHER version of the game. (In effect paying for the same game twice.)

3) I am 100% willing to pay for these expansions. My complaint is that they are unavailable to me unless I pay £32.99 for the Expansion Pass. At no point did I complain or "expect" that these should be free.

Originally posted by frankieparsons : But my original point still stands - no matter how much justification is given it doesn't take away from the fact that £32.99 IS A LOT OF MONEY TO PAY FOR A SMALL AMOUNT OF EXTRA CONTENT.

Originally posted by frankieparsons : You have missed my point on so many levels: 1) My complaint is that, as someone who only purchased the standard Hitman 2 game, I HAVE to purchase the Expansion Pass for £32.99 IF I want to own "Special Assignment Pack 1" and "New York." There does not seem to be any other way to purchase these. 2) Far from suggesting expansions are a new thing in gaming, my complaint is the price I have to pay for said expansions. 3) I am 100% willing to pay for these expansions. My complaint is that they are unavailable to me unless I pay £32.99 for the Expansion Pass . At no point did I complain or "expect" that these should be free. 4) You write that there is "nothing deceptive about this" yet IO sell me a version of the game that has DLC behind a paywall that is only open to me unless I own/buy the OTHER version of the game. (In effect forcing me to pay for the same game twice.) -- If this is not deceptive then I don't know what is. There is a definite lack of clarity in their over-elaborate and befuddled business model, otherwise I wouldn't be complaining.

Originally posted by frankieparsons : I've never really been clear as to what I've actually got access to since day 1.

Originally posted by frankieparsons : Yes damiensolak, that pretty much sums it up. All this nonsense of starter pack < standard game < silver edition < expansions pass < gold edition etc, not to mention all the different legacy packs and DLCs just means you have to jump through a lot of hoops, emptying your wallet each time, and not really knowing what you're buying. I've never really been clear as to what I've actually got access to since day 1.

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