Hitman 3 Review Roundup

IO Interactive's rebooted Hitman series has been lauded for its clockwork open-world approach, and this week the trilogy comes to a close. Hitman 3 marks the last game in the stealth trilogy, and critics have started giving their impressions just ahead of release on January 20.

So how does this Hitman game stack up to the others? Critics seem to agree that it's not just a great stealth assassination game on its own, but also a satisfying conclusion to the series as a whole. In GameSpot's review, Phil Hornshaw noted that this sequel is "full of fun and fascinating ideas, many of which play with the concepts underpinning the last four years of Hitman levels," and awarded it a 9/10.

As always, Hitman 3 rewards repetition to fully plumb its depths and see all of the mechanics and characters moving around the world on their schedules. An intimate knowledge of every setting is required to execute some of the more intricate assassinations, but if you just want to finish as fast as possible, you can complete the story campaign in about 8 hours. In addition to all the high-powered consoles and PC, Hitman 3 is also coming to Nintendo Switch via cloud streaming.

We've compiled some reviews from around the industry below. For a more expansive look, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

• Game: Hitman 3
• Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Google Stadia, Nintendo Switch
• Developer: IO Interactive
• Release Date: January 20
• Price: $60 / £60

GameSpot -- 9/10

"What's good about Hitman--its level design and the creativity, experimentation, and exploration that affords--is great in Hitman 3. It closes out the trilogy by brilliantly playing off everything that came before it, making use of and then subverting expectations, and rewarding players for their willingness to master the complexity of both its individual levels and the series as a whole." -- Phil Hornshaw [Full Review]

VG247 -- 5/5

"Taken individually, Hitman 3 feels like great value, with plenty of variety and lots to do. When taken as a whole, the World of Assassination trilogy is hands-down one of the best and most complete-feeling trilogies in video game history. It’s a fitting finale for 47 – at least for now – and it has naturally left me thrilled to see what IO does with James Bond or whatever else comes next. It might only be January – but I can pretty much guarantee this will end the year as one of my 2021 favourites." -- Alex Donaldson [Full Review]

GamesBeat -- 5/5

"Hitman is a world made up entirely of Chekhov’s guns, and it’s a blast finding out how to get Agent 47 into position to pull the trigger." -- Jeff Grubb [Full Review]

Game Informer -- 9/10

"Hitman 3 concludes a chapter in the greater Hitman story, but it doesn’t feel like an ending. There’s an abundance of content and side activities on offer, and the trilogy as a whole is bound to be a long-term destination for would-be assassins. IO Interactive’s final act in the trilogy anticipates and rewards player experimentation, features meticulous level design, and has moments of ghoulish catharsis that makes me cackle aloud. My enthusiasm for it all is as indelible as the barcode tattooed on the back of Agent 47’s head." -- Jeff Cork [Full Review]

Destructoid -- 9/10

"Coupled with extra gadgets (some of which can be imported - though not as swimmingly on PC), Hitman 3 is really fun to dive back into; or introduce someone to for that matter, just to see what they come up with. It's the little things that add up and really make Hitman 3 special. Hats off to IO Interactive for really sticking with this series and getting it right." -- Chris Carter [Full Review]

GamesRadar -- 4.5/5

"This is a great end to the trilogy, with a satisfying conclusion made from enjoyable and endlessly entertaining levels. Well done 47." -- Leon Hurley [Full Review]

Ars Technica -- Unscored

"A solid if unambitious expansion pack—and that should tell you whether to buy this one or catch up on Hitman 2 instead." -- Sam Machkovech [Full Review]

Kotaku -- Unscored

"Even when I was on familiar ground—”safe” in my disguise, surrounded by pretentious and gullible targets, armed with all my secret gadgets and intel—I felt aware of who 47 actually is: lonely and out of place, with few friends and little control over his life. Whatever humanity he might have is twisted up in the machinations of power and capital that he’s both part of and fights against. “Who will you be without a score to settle?” Lucas Grey asks him early in the game, and it’s a question I often turned over as Hitman 3 played out. Essentially, he’d be no one—but then he’s always been that, really; all the rest of his identity is just make believe. Narratively and structurally, Hitman 3 strips its own make believe away, leaving the series’ core darkness on display." -- Riley MacLeod [Full Review]