IO Interactive have revealed Hitman 3 – Year 2, a fresh year of DLC and content for the final game in the World of Assassination trilogy. Year 2 starts on 20th January with a significant free update for the game across all platforms and the game releasing on Steam for the first time. The full trilogy will be coming to Xbox Game Pass on both console and PC.
Elusive Target Arcade
The most significant free addition is Elusive Target Arcade, a new take on the single-shot Elusive Target game mode introduced in the 2016 game. Now you have not just one level to try, but a string of targets to try and take down in succession, each with different objectives and challenges.
Completing Elusive Target Arcade will bring exclusive rewards for the full game. Interestingly, this ditches the one-shot format. The series of missions in Elusive Target Arcade will be permanently available within Hitman 3, though you can only try each mission one time per day. More missions will be added over time.
Hitman Freelancer
Another new feature is Hitman Freelancer, coming in Spring 2022. This gives you a customisable house that will be your base of operations. You will be able to take on a string of missions across the full World of Assassination, letting you choose different threats to the world. You have to start off at the lowest rungs, taking out the lower echelons of a criminal organisation, building up to taking down the overall leader in a final mission – you’ll have to figure out who they are, as well! It’s all remixed ever time you play, changing depending on which missions you choose to take on early.
There will be more planning involved as you have to purchase gear from vendors that you will use up or lose if you fail.
VR and Ray Tracing for PC
PC players will also receive full VR support on 20th January, having been a PSVR exclusive since Hitman 3’s launch. There will also be ray tracing added for the PC, variable rate shading and Intel’s new XeSS upscaling technology.
Steam & Xbox Game Pass
Hitman 3 will arrive on Steam after a year of Epic Games Store exclusivity. For the release, IOI are bundling the entire trilogy together into one bundle for newcomers to purchase. That trilogy release will also be added to Xbox Game Pass for both console and PC on 20th January.
New levels teaser sneak peak…
Finally, IO Interactive teased a new location that will be coming later in 2022. Check it out…
Hitman 3 was one of the first major game releases of 2021. It wraps the stylish and inventive trilogy perfectly, having scored an 8 out of 10 in our review:
Charting the series’ progress since that 2016 Paris debut has been a fascinating journey. IO have learned a lot over the past five years and that really shows in Hitman 3. It’s a flashier, more fluid evolution of IO’s original template – a rewarding conclusion to one of the most unique video game franchises around, and one we’ll continue playing for many weeks and months to come.
Hitman 3 is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, as well as streaming to Google Stadia and Nintendo Switch.
