Their decision to give players free rein on how they want to go about taking out a hit has been a huge success so far, with most if not all of their missions and locations being well-liked by most players. However, while the Hitman trilogy features some of the best missions in the entire franchise, it’s not the only trilogy with some noteworthy levels. Below, we’ve decided to round up 8 of the best Hitman missions ever to remind everyone that Agent 47 has been doing this for far longer than many of the gamers today have lived.
8. Traditions of the Trade - Hitman: Contracts
First up on our list is this tense and well-designed mission from Hitman: Contracts. A remake of 2000’s Hitman: Codename 47, Contracts treated fans to a series of memorable missions. However, none was as memorable and as timeless as the time when Agent 47 was sent to a hotel in Budapest to take out Franz Fuchs, an Austrian terrorist. From the long and winding corridors to the multiple disguises available that opened up to endless possibilities of how you can take down Fuchs and even a spooky surprise in the bathroom, Contracts had it all. Now, if only this level could be remade in Hitman 3.
7. The King of Chinatown - Hitman: Absolution
Hitman: Absolution is one of the more divisive titles in the franchise and it’s probably because it followed such a great game in Hitman: Blood Money. Still, despite its numerous flaws, Absolution did have quite a few memorable moments, including “The King of Chinatown” mission. Arguably the only mission in the game that was an actual step-up from Blood Money (if only the rest of the game was like this), The King of Chinatown put players in a dense small square of a level with the sole mission of taking down the namesake target however they pleased. Featuring the game’s now-iconic fugu fish kill, The King of Chinatown was a high point in an otherwise low entry to the series.
6. Invitation to a Party - Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
During its first two outings, the Hitman franchise was still trying to find its footing. Make no mistake, there were already flashes of brilliance, but there wasn’t really anything special just yet, with the sole exception of the “Invitation to a Party” mission from Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. What makes this mission so unique is that, in addition to the open-ended gameplay that the series eventually became known for, you’re also on a timer, as a Spetznaz agent is trying to accomplish the same mission as you but you’ll have to do it before him. With the chaos that is a high-class St. Petersburg embassy party serving as the backdrop, it’s now up to you on how you get your hands on a briefcase safely locked away inside a safe. Do you let the Spetsnaz assassin kill the Ambassador and steal the briefcase from them? Or do you save the Ambassador so you can make him unlock the safe for you? With so many options available to you and each choice leading to a different set of circumstances, this level was classic Hitman before the franchise became a classic.
5. The Farewell - Hitman 3
Hitman 3 is littered with numerous memorable levels, but the problem is that it didn’t really bring anything truly new and unique to the series. Basically, what we’re trying to say here is that the game is great, it’s just not something that we haven’t seen before, which is why “The Farewell” in Hitman 3 ranks this relatively low on our list. Then again, this isn’t to say that this mission is bad. Rather, it’s more of a testament to just how good the series has become. With that said, what we loved about The Farewell is that it fully embraces the campy side of the Hitman franchise, with 47 attending a party held on a sprawling vineyard with a lair befitting that of a James Bond villain hiding underneath. You’re given two hits in this mission and some of the ways that you can take them down are just downright hilarious. To be honest, The Farewell feels less like IO Interactive trying to reinvent the wheel and more like them proving that their decision to take a sandbox simulation approach to the stealth-action genre was the right thing to do.
4. Situs Inversus - Hitman
Whereas some of the best missions in the Hitman franchise gave you an expansive location, the final mission of 2016’s Hitman title was a bit unique in that it gave players a relatively cramped setting that was a private hospital somewhere in Hokkaido, Japan. IO Interactive upped the ante even further for this mission as it strips you clean of anything and arms you with nothing but your wits to try and explore the AI-controlled hospital. With little of the predictable human element that you can take advantage of, you’ve got no choice but to slowly work your way around the building as you try and find things that can help you complete your missions. Although difficult, “Situs Inversus” is one of the more satisfying missions in the Hitman franchise, especially once you start to understand how everything works.
3. Golden Handshake - Hitman 2
A DLC mission from 2018’s Hitman 2 title, the “Golden Handshake” lets players figure out how to get inside a particular New York bank and rob it clean. One particular aspect that we like about this mission is that killing becomes more of an afterthought as you can use nothing but your charm and intellect to gain access to the vault and perform a heist. In fact, if you’re sly enough, you can pencil 47 in for an interview and land yourself a job as one of the bank’s top-ranking executives, thereby granting you access to the vault itself. From making your way to the vault and breaching the vault itself, the Golden Handshake is unique in that it can make you feel like 47 is the suavest person there is on the face of the planet.
2. A New Life - Hitman: Blood Money
Prior to the release of the latest Hitman trilogy, Hitman: Blood Money was the quintessential Hitman title with levels so well-designed that we could’ve populated most of this list with levels from this game alone. However, for the sake of fairness, we’re going with only one, and that’s “A New Life”. Neither flashy nor complicated, A New Life was actually fairly simple, and so was the task. All 47 had to do was assassinate a mafioso turned informant for the FBI. Of course, as is always the case with Hitman titles, things aren’t so simple. Because this man carries with him highly confidential information, the informant’s house is swarming with guards and players, as 47, will have to get creative on how they get inside and take the man out. What makes this level so special is that, despite not being that complex, there are so many different things that you can do to complete the mission. Basically, this was and still is Hitman at its finest and worthy of dozens of revisits even until today.
1. World of Tomorrow - Hitman
Were you really expecting anything else? Anybody who’s ever played the “World of Assassination” trilogy will tell you that the “World of Tomorrow” mission in 2016’s Hitman title is the ideal Hitman level. Similar to “A New Life” from Blood Money, World of Tomorrow gave you a massive playground to work with complete with so many little details that gave birth to multiple possibilities on how you can take out the two targets who are hiding inside a mission found in the far corners of the massive area. You know that a level is so good that you can make a dish so bad that the target has no choice but to use the toilet where you can then drown him there with no one noticing.
